Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-11-18
NO ENCOURAGING VIEW
In Reply to Governor Douglas Plea
for Revision Of the Tariff the Presl.
dent Says the Greatest Good for the
Majority Should Govern Action -
Whitney Enters Disclaimer.

Washington, D. c. Nov. 16.-The call
at the White House yesterday of the
Massachusetts delegation of leather"
men in the interests of tariff reduc-
ton on hides resulted chiefly in a
scathing rebuke administered by the
President to Henry M. Whitney, the
democratic candidate for lieutenant
governor of Massachusetts at the last
election. Mr.. Whitney is the same
man who participated at Boston in a
JOINT discussion Of the tariff question,
speaking with Governor Cummins on
one side against Congressman ]. F.
McCleary of Minnesota and A. e.
Clark Of Boston on the other.
Governor Douglas, heading the dele
CATION Of boot, shoe, and leather man
ufacturers, had finished his plea for
lower. tariff when the President went
after Mr.. Whitney as follows:
II should like to discuss the whole
situation with you freely and inform al
~. But. unfortunately my experience
with committee from your state,
Governor Douglas, which called on me
In connection with tariff matters about
a year ago, forbids my doing So Such
a free, full and necessarily informal
and, tentative discussion is obviously OF
benefit only if those Joining in it rec
ognize as a matter of honorable obli-
cation the duty Of not attempting to
give from memory what must neces-
sarily bean imperfect and garbled yer.
sion Of what takes place
When the president of the United
States definitely and formally ex.
presses himself for publication on a
question of great national Importance
what he says should not be left to the
1mperfection of memory, often colored
by interest, but should be put beyond
the possibility of misunderstanding by
careful preparation and committal to
writing. To try to, repeat from mem
ory what the president has said when
a year has elapsed is to show entire
Indifference to accuracy as well as
propriety.
President Deliberately Misquoted.
yet this is precisely what Mr.. Whit
ney did In the Massachusetts campaign
that has just closed. He pretended to
quote what I had said during the
course Of the long and informal inter
view with his committee year before
no notes Of the conversation having
been taken at the time Not only did
he misquote the words used, but, by
suppressing almost all that had said
and by giving what he purported to
give entirely apart from its context, he
absolutely and, as am constrained tc
believe, deliberately misrepresented
what had occurred; and he knew well
that it was impossible for the president
Of the United States to enter into per
sonal discussion about the matter
with him.
with this experience in view, can
not enter into any discussion with you
on the merits of your proposal, and
must content myself with saying that
It shall receive my most earnest, at
tentive and respectful consideration
Whitney Enters Disclaimer.
Mr.. Whitney in Boston last night
when he heard Of the Presidents
charge, made the following state
ment:
ANDREW G. Webster, j. NJ. W. Hal
and I, consisting of subcommittee O.
the chamber of commerce commission
of 400 on reciprocal trade, visited
Washington last winter for a confer
ence with the President touching es