Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, D.T. [N.D.]) 1878-1884, 1879-03-29
q /.
An INTERVIEWER S EXPERIENCE.

AN in ItkvIEWEk ) ExPEkltnCE.
DETAILS TO ILLUSTRATE THE
ODDITIES OF GREAT MEN.
HoW the Prominent People Of the
Country Receive tho Newspaper
Reporter-.-A Brief tseanco with the
& Mig Bugs FROM President Hayes to
the Widow Oliver.
B asss the PRESIDENT. =
OF all the reticent men who inhabit the
domain of public affairs, perhaps Ruther-
ford B. Hayes is entitled to the belt.
When approached by an interviewer her
will contrive to say less in 1,1OO quarter
hours than any other prominent gentle
man extant Ny first experience with him
was at his home in Columbus on the even
ing Of his defeat for the Presidency. Sam
Medill, managing editor Of the Chicago /.
1rtbune ION which paper was then en-
ployeD exiled me for few days with in
structions to "pump Hayes for allhe was
WORTH" and election night spent in vain
efforts to CLEAN some views from the then
governor of Ohio. Six wholesome, fruit
less hours were passed in laborlous ;argu-
ment to convince him that the time for in n
terviewing had come, and at length ne !
gave me permission to publish this state
ment: sit looks as if were defeated. \.
don't care for myself, but ] do think ofthe'
unfortunate negroes in the South, and /.
tremble as contemplate their condition ion !,
under Democratic rule.p Perhaps this Is
not exactly the language employed, but It
i. the substance. The remark was quoted
extensively, but one of the witnesses in
the Potter Investigation .swore he asked
Hayes if he had made the statement, "and
the President had Indignantly denied it,
1 fancy lie does not recollect all he said
that night or the next day, and his 'ner-' ,r:
yousness on that occasion was testified ed in 4
his effort to read from the associated press
sheets the New York bullion reports un-
der the impression that they were election !
returns. tlaa q
; MY second experience with him was in
Washington on the 25th OF December,
1878. I had received telegram from
Medill (Which reached me in New York;
and I hurried to Washington. 1t was
Christmas morning when 1 arrived at the :
White House, and was promptly admitted
to the executive chamber. My mission
was to learn what disposition was to DC
made of a certain point that had arisen III
the famous Chicago whisky cases In
three minutes the relative positions had
changed. Hayes was the interviewer. he
questioned me closely concerning the
frauds from their inception, and when !
had finished, he leaned forward in sort
of brown study. Finallyh he said, During
our conversation you have frequently men
toned Mr.. Blodgett. With, which dis
tillery was Mr. Blodgett connected? Was
he in the first or second batch % In my
surprise I reioined, "Distillery! He'll! MIR.
President, He's the United States Judge
who sent the distillers to Jail" Hayes
smiled as apologized for the remark, put
did not seem the the slightest abashed
when confronted with his lack OF intorma--t
ton concerning Blodgett's identity.
8 On third occasion he took me kindly
by the hand and assured me that he had
never been interviewed since his accession
to the Presidency, and that if Providence
spared his health he never would
be- He spoke of various pretended inter-
views with him, and solemnly denounced
them as frauds. When he had anything
to impart to the country, he would "a DO Oh it
through the medium of amessage, where.
as,'' he continued, IF I should happen to
give my views to sne of you correspond,
ents, I should spend the balence OF my
term in correcting your report" i may
be that the reading public wonder how
Hayes opinions get before them between
messages. The explanation is simple.
He has number OF confidential channels
through which he pours himself into
newspaper row, hut only Gen. Boynton, OF
the Cincinnati Gazette, is permitted to ap--
proach the Presence proper.
WILLIAM N. EvARTs.
A cave1nous mouth, from which stream
sentences like the tape from the conjuror's- :
laws. Reticent. unless involved in an ar
gument, and then speaking for himself as
Y = 1f of r.