New-York tribune., 1905-11-21
PRESIDENTS TART REPLY.
HOT SHOT FOR WHITNEY.
Chief Eeecutire's Reasons for Not
Grating InterUiezc.

Boston, Nov 20.-Henry w. whitney Demo-
cratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor in the
last election tonight made public the letter
written to him by President Roosevelt in which
he declined to grant request for an interview
to discuss reciprocity. asked by Mr. Whitney and
refused to enter into any further communities
tion with him regarding that subject. The Pres
ident last week told Massac achusetts committee
that Mr. Whitney had deliberately misrepre-
sented words spoken by him last winter to a
Massachusetts committee on reciprocal trade re-
lations
The Presidents letter to Mr.. whitney fol-
lows:
1 have your letter of the 18th inst In view
OF my previous experience with you, ! am
obllged to state, with regret. that it is out of
me question Tor me to grant you another inter-
view. In this letter of November L. in which
You make TINS request. you furnish additional
evidence OF the wisdom of my refusing to
municate further with you: my refusal being
based upon your evident inability to understand,
or determination to misrepresent. what | say.
In this letter YOU state that you regret more
than anything else in connection with this mat
ter that the righteous cause of reciprocity with
neiGhbOring countries OF much value to our
people. and TO the whole of the human race is
Eot to have the Endorsement Of your Gmy) great
mama and the benefit of your (ny) potent aid
Nothlng tHat have said at any time has
given you the slightest warrant for making this
assertion; and when in the very letter asking
Tor an interview and denying that you ever will
fully misrepreSented my previous remarks you
incorporate another deliberate misstatement, you
can hardly wonder that I decline to see you;
nor would there in any event be the slightest
point in such interview. In your speeches
you pretended to quote from memory certain
statements made in the course of g long con-
versation occurring nearly year previous.
You quoted portions of what / said-even as
10 these portions your language inaccurate
and all the context was suppressed AS re-
suit You Is completely misrepresented
in the sentence of your present letter which I
quote above. 1t matters little whether this was
Deliberate M dnPpntinn q
lack, in both your companions and yourself, OF
a nice sense of propriety and of the power of
exact thinking and of correct apprehension and
repetition of what was said In either event I
feel that it would serve no useful purpose again
TO see you or further to correspond with you.
You are at liberty to make this correspondence
public, if you choose.
The letter of Mr.. Whitney which called forth
the foregoing reply was as foIlows>
You have done great injustice in publicly
asserting that l have wilfuy msrepresented your
SAVING Wbaf td a IN daSnoh mo di oS
nifty Of Your high oce nFeTened yo from me dn
cIe, IN think I'm, bf,,,h am not open to this his charge
believe have well established and well deserved
reputation in this community for fairness and jus
may hay have been led into error You have charged
You have condemned me umheard appeal I to Vor
sense Of fairness for personal hearing MY pub
question are very few and very brief I viii bring
m have t the e geg aatd gaRt m9 ed thS r eque no
you two minutes to read them. trust. therefore.
that you will grant my request; but whether you
do or do not, I shall regret than anything
else in connection with this matter that the right
eous cause Of reciprocity with neghhorjhg coun-
trIeE- of so much value to people and to the
whole of the human race. is not have the in |
dorsement OF your great name and the benefit %
Jour potent aid
take the liberty fhcl2sng herewith a public
statement made by myself and my assistants |
touching the matter of interview with you last
winter, which perhaps you may not have seen
The Enclosures referred to by Mr.. Whitney
were copies of letters from Andrew G. Webster |
of this city, and j. NJ. w. Hall. of Cambridge
who went TO Washington with Mr.. Whitney as
members OF the committee, in which Messrs |
Hall and Webster state that Mr.. Whitney's pub |
lie account of what occurred at the interview
was in agreement with their memory OF what |
was said.