The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1905-09-22
THE INTERVIEW THaT
STUNG The PRESIDENT

SUING The PkESlDENI
MS Seorchsng letter In Rsply-Ths
Language Essirsly usdipiomstie.
President Roosevelt has given out
q statement most vehemently deny
ing an alleged interview with him
which was printed in the Petit Pari-
sien on peace. The interview, as
published IN Paris, cabled back to the
United States and printed in the New
York World follows:
Paris. Sept. 1.-THE Petit Parisien
will publish ON Wednesday q striking
interview with President Roosevelt,
who gave it's correspondents, Lege-
dere, an audience st Sycamore Hill.
IF felt forced to make peace"
said the president, sit was simply in
the cause of humanity. I remember
ed the battle of Santiago, in which I
fought. I remembered the horror
and sadness of war, and said to my
self it must end"
Legedere limited that the presi-
dents influence had chiefly brought
about the abandonment of the Japan
csc demands for a war indemnity. to
which President Roosevelt replied:
''That may be true, but the diplo-
matte victory must rest with White.
1t would never have been so great a
victory had the Japanese realized
more quickly that Russia never in
tended to pay a war indemnity. I
knew this and repeated it many times
to the Japanese ENJOYS. If you were
at Moscow, said, indemnity would
be a matter of course, but you are
not. Supposing after another years
struggle you take Siberia? 1t will
cost you three or four hundred thou
sand men, millions of dollars, and
when you have it it would only be a
white elephant with which you would
not know what to do. You had much
better give in on these points, but
they remained obdurate in the hope
that White would weaken. When 1
did not believe success possible, they
relented.'
As soon as the purported interview
was called to his attention the presi-
dent directed Secretary Loeb to send
to the correspondent of the Petit
Parisien, who was received at Saga
more Hill yesterday, the following
telegram:
"Oyster Bay, L. T.. Sept. Is.
"Gaston Richard, Hotel La Fayette,
New York, N. Y:
1.-THE president directs me to say to
you that the alleged interview with
him published in this mornings pa
pers is not only an absolute fabrica-
ton, wholly without basis of truth,
but that your conduct in obtaining
permission to see him under false
pretense is highly dishonorable.
When you came to see the president
you informed him that you were the
grandson Of Marshal Augereau; that
you had been at the battle of Muk-
den with the Russian army, and with
the Japanese army afterwards; that
you understood thoroughly that you
could have no interview of any kind,
and that you simply wished to pay =
respect to him. Under these circum-
stance the president received you
and listened to your account of your
experiences with the japanese and
Russians, and spoke to you also of
the deeds of Marshal Augereau and
of Nspoleon's other generals. The
president had no conversation with
you about the terms of peace, and
your account of your alleged inter
view with him is fabrication from
beginning to end, without any foun-
dation in fact, and both your un-
truthfulness and your obtaining per-
mission to see him under false pre-
tense the president considers highly