The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-11-16
ROOSEVELT WISER
Refused to Discuss Tariff Mat
ters With a Committee
Because Of Previous Experience
Along That Line.
HE SCORES WHITNEY.
Says Massachusetts, Man Put
Him in False Light.
Believes That He Was Deliber-
ateIy Misrepresented.
HE SCORES WHITNEY.

Washington, Nov. s.-Subsequent
70 the departure of the hide and leath-
er men from the White House yesterday,
President Roosevelt authorized the
publication Of their mission.
In the course of his remarks he re-
lated an experience he had last year
with a committee from Massachusetts
Of whom ar. Whitney. recently a can
didate for lieutenant governor of
Massachusetts. was one. He said Mr.
Whitney had misquoted him in the
campaign which closed a few days ago
and declared that he was constrained
20 believed that Mr.. Whitney had de-
hberately misrepresented what had
occurred" With this experience in
mind the president declined to enter
upon a discussion Of the subject Of free
hides at this time. The address of the
president was in part as follows:
ut is Of course unnecessary to point
ou~ that no change ia the tariff can
be made keeping in view only the in
terests or desires of one state or one
locality, the law must therefore
roughly correspond to the sentiments
of the citizens of the several states as
expressed through their representa-
tiVes therein. Where the interests and
interests are diverse, "a S is almost in
Variably the case in reference to the
details of all tariff matters, the law
must normally, although not invari-
ably, represent a compromise and mu-
tual concessions, and no one outside Of
congress can definitely foreteu the ex-
act shape such compromise viii ulti-
mately take
Ell should like to discuss the whole
situation with YOU freely and inform
ally. But unfortunately nay experience
with committee from your state,
Governor Douglas, which called on me
in connection with tariff matters about
a year ago, f0rbids my doing so. Such
a free full and necessarily informal
and tentative discussion is obviously of
beueft only if those joining in it rec
OEnize as q matter of honorable Obli-
cation the duty of not attempting to
give from memory what must neces-
sarily be an imperfect and garbled
version of what takes place. When
the president of the United States
definitely and Informally expresses
himself for publication on a question
Of great national Importance, what he
says should not be left to the imper-
lection Of memory often keyed by in
terest, but should be put beyond the
possibility of misunderstanding by
careful preparation and cOmmittal to
writing.
ITO try to repeat from memory what
the president has said when a year has
elapsed is to show entire Indifference to
accuracy as we'll as TO property. Yet
this is precisely what Mr. Whitney 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 interview with his commit
tee a year before. no notes of the con-
versatiOn having been taken at the time.
Not only did he misCuOte the words I
used. but by suppTessing almost all
that had said and by giving what he
DurpOrted to give entirely apart from
its context, he absolutely, and as I
am constrained to believe, deliberately
misrepresented what had occurred. and
he knew well that it was impossible for
the president of the United States to
enter into a personal discussion about
The matter with him.
with this experience in view I 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 earnest attenti-e and re-
Rpectful consideration.
Whitney Makes Reply.
Boston Nov. 16.-Henry NJ. Whitney
Democratic candidate for lieutenant
governor i'm the recent election in Mas
sachusetts. when he was advised of the
presidents statement to Governor
Douglas at Washington said:
81 had no intention to misirterprei
the president. certainly understood
him TO say at our conference that he
favored reciprocity with Canada"
After some thought Mr.. Whitney
added:
Andrew G. Webster and J. NJ. Hall
former mayor of Cambridge. who wert
with me on the committee had tn
same understanding I believe. shall
communicate with him in order t.
verify this beyond a doubt