The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-11-16
GREAT INDUSTRY
Is LANGUISHING
Boot and Shoe and Leather Men Call
on Roosevelt.
TARIFF LAW NEEDS FIXING
PRESIDENT DECLINES TO GIVE
HIS VIEWS.

Washington, Nov 15.-President
Roosevelt was asked today to use his
influence to have the customs duties on
hides removed in the interest of all the
people Of the country.
\ delegation of boot and shoe and
leather manufacturers, headed by Gov
cmor W. J.. Douglas of Massachusetts.
called on the president by appointment
and discussed with him pretty fully the
proposed repeal of the duty on hides.
The delegation numbered twenty-eisht
men, the majority being from New
York aud the west, and the minority
from the New England states. In the
course of the interview the president
spoke SO frankly and sincerely to his
callers that they burst into cheers that
made the executive office ring.
After the delegation had presented
ils views and its desires 10 the presi-
dent he told the members that, as a
matter OF concrete fact the whole sub
Ject was one with which congress must
deal and he strongly impressed upon
them that any action in the matter
must originate in congress.
Departed Encourages.
At the conclusion Of the conference,
W 4. Rice of the firm Of Rice & Hutch
ius of Boston. made a statement to the
newspaper men OF the result Of the in
tervieW. He said.
we represent the majority OF the
leather, tanning md boot and shoe in
tefests of the United States. We de-
cidCd 10 request the president TO assist
us I'm procuring legislation placing
hides on the face list ana 10 reduce the
duty on sole leather to 10 per cent,
where the Mckinley law placed il. l
think every man present was impressed
with the presidents desire TO do the
square thing by us.
Il so away from here with a good
deal of courage that something viii be
done now that the ball has been start
ed TO rolling"
RooseVslt's Remarks
Subsequent 10 the departure of the
delegation from the WhiJe House, Pres
ident Roosevelt authorized the publi-
cation Of his remarks on the object Of
it's mission.
In the course of his remarks he re-
lated an experience he had last year
with a committee from Massachusetts
Of whom Mr.. Whitney, recently Il cam
didate for lieutenant governor of Mas
sachusetts, was one. He said Mr.. Whit
ney had misquoted him In the cam
paign which was closed "a few days
ago and declared thar he was Con
strained 10 believe" that MI Whitney
had deliberately misrepresented what
had occurred" With this experience
I'm mind. the president declined TO en-
Ter upon a discussion Of the subject OF
free hides at this time. The address
of the president was, in part, as fol-
Congress Must Decide.
1T is. Of course, unnecessary TO point
out that no change in the tariff can be
made keeping in view only the inter-
ests or desires of one state or one To-
cality: the law must therefore roughly
correspond To the sentiments of the cit
liens Of the several states as ex-
pressed through their representatives
therein. Where the interests and,
therefore. the sentiments based on
these interests, are diverse, as is al
most invariably the case in reference
10 the details of all tariff matters, the
law must normally, although not in
Variably. represent n compromise and
mutual concessions; and no one outside
OF congress can definitely foreten the
exact shape such compromise viii Ill
timately take
Says He Was Misguided.
Il should like 10 discuss the whole
situation with you freely and informal
~ But unfortunately. my experience
with a committee from your state,
Governor Douglas, which called on me
in connection with tariff matters about
a wear ago. forbids my doing SO. Such
a free. full and necessarily informal
and tentative discussion is obviously
of benefit only if those joining in il
recognize as matter of honorable OBJ
legation the duty of not attempting to
give from memory what must ueces-
sarily be an imperfect and garbled YER
sion of what takes place. When the
president of the United States def
nitely and formally expresses himself
for publication ON question OF great
national Importance. what he says
should not be left 10 the mperfCCtiOn Of
memory. often cOlOred by Interest but
should be put beyond the possibility of
misunderstanding by confusion, prep
arati0n and committal 20 writing. To
try 10 repeat from memory what the
president has said when year has
elapsed is To show entire indifference
To accuracy as well as 10 propriety.
Charge Against Whitney.
''Yet this is precisely what Mr.. Whit
ncy did in the Massachusetts cam
paign that has just closed. lie pre-
tended 10 quote what I had said during