The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-11-21
Refuses to See Mr Whitney
 of Massachusetts
HAS MISREPRESENTED HIM
Recent Democratic Candidate for Lieu tenant Governor Says Great ln- Justice Has Been Done In
 cowardly Fashion.

Boston, November 20-Henry NJ Whit ney, democratic candidate for lieutenant governor at the last election tonight made public correspondence which has passed between President Roosevelt and himself concerning the statements made by the President during an interview last win ter which was granted to committee from Massachusetts on reciprocal trade relations.
 The President informed Massachusetts committee that called on him last week in favor of free hides, that MT. Whit ney had deliberately misrepresented what had occurred at last winters conference. With this experience in mind the Presi- dent declined to enter upon discussion of free hides with the committee, the chairman of which was Governor William l.. Douglass. The state of MT. Whitney during the recent canvass in Massachu- setts that the President told him he favor ed reciprocity with Canada was that to which the President took exceptions. After the President had made public. his address to the hides committee. charg ing MT. Whitney with misrepresentation, MT. Whitney maintained that the Presi- dent had certainly spoken in favor of re- ciprocity with Canada on broad lines during their interview.
 Correspondence Made Public.
 Tn the correspondence which is given publicity tonight MT. Whitney wrote to President Roosevelt that the President had done him a great injustice in charg ing him with willful misrepresentation. requested an interview with the Presi- dent and expressed his regret that re- ciprocity did not have the Presidents Reinforcement. In his reply President lRoosevelt declared that the matter fur finished additional evidence of the wis dom of my refusing to communicate fur ther with you,' and asserts that nothing l.. Douglas. The estatemento of MT. Whitney ney the slightest warrant in making the statement that reciprocity was not to have the Presidents aid. He charges MT. Whitney with making additional deliber- ate misstatements. and closes by refus- ing to grant the requested interview. MT. 'Whitneys letter to the President follows:
 Whitney Writes Letter.
 "Boston, Mass, November IF, 1895.
 "Sir-You have done me great injus- tice in publicly asserting that I have wilfully misrepresented your attitude on
 
 and this was done in cowardly fashion by saying that I did 1t under conditions when the dignity of your high office pre- vented you from denying. I think I am not open to this charge. claim In my humble way to be a fair fighter. have well established and we'll deserved repu- tation in this community for fairness and justice. I may have misunderstood you, and hence may have been led into error You have charged me with an offense of which I am not guilty; you have con- demned me unheard. I appeal to your sense of fairness for personal hearing. My public utterances touching your at titude on this question are very few and very brief. will bring them with me if you grant me this request. believe the passages marked will not take you two minutes to read them. trust you will grant my request, but whether you do or not, shall regret more than anything else in connection with this matter that the righteous cause of reciprocity with neighboring countries. of so much value to our people, and to the whole of the human race, Is not to have the endorse ment of your great name, and the bene- fit of your potent aid.
 sI take the liberty of enclosing here with public statement made by myself and my associates touching the matter of our interview with you last winter which perhaps you may not have seen
 
 HENRY M. WHITNEY"
 President Makes Tart Reply.
 The letter from the President to Mir Whitney is as follows:
 November IS, 1905 "Sr:-I have your letter of the 17th inst In view of my previous experience with you, I am obliged to state with re- gret that it Is out of the question for me to grant you another interview. Tn this c I~ f., ,toI this request you furnish additional evil dence of the wisdom of my refusing to communicate further with you; my re- fusal being based upon your evident in- ability to understand or desire to misrep- resent what I say In this letter you state that You regret more than any thing else in connection with this mat ter that the righteous cause of reciprocity with neighboring countries of so much value to our people, and to the human race, is not to have the endorsement of your (my) great name and the benefit of your (my) potent aid
 "Nothing that I have said at any time has given you the slightest ground for making this assertion; and when in the very letter asking for an interview and denying that you ever wilfully misrepre- scented my previous remarks you incor- porate another deliberate misstatement, you can hardly wonder that decline to see you. nor would there in any event be the slightest point in such an interview. In your speeches you pretended to quote from memory certain statements made in the course of long conversation occurr- ing nearly year previous You quoted portions of what I said. Even as to these portions your language was inaccurate and all the context was suppressed As result you as completely misrepresented me as in the sentence of your present letter, which I quote above. It matters little whether this was due to deliberate purpose of deception, or to a lack in both your companions and yourself of a nice sense of propriety and of the power of exact thinking, and of correct appli- cation and repetition of what was said. In either event fell that 1t would serve no useful purpose again to see you or fur ther to correspond with you
 You are at liberty to make this cor respondence public if you choose Yours truly, THEODOHE hOOoEVELI. >sHenry M. Whitney, Esq, Boston"
 T1o enclosures referred to by Ar. Whit