The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-05-29
DEMANDS AN APOLOGY.
DIR. Long Writes Another Letter to
President Roosevelt.

II Stamford, Conn.,, May 29.-Promls-
ing never to write another nature
book II President Roosevelt can show
that he has written falsely of animals,
DR.. William J. Long, one of the au-
thors ridiculed by the president in a
/ recent magazine interview, demands
! on the other hand an apology from
/ Mr.. Roosevelt, not from the president,
if the attack was uI1warranted
+ Long today made public letter
sent by him to President Roosevelt,
which says in part:
ITO His ExcelleEcy, Theodore Roose-
Welt. President of the United States;
Dear Sir: The issue between you
and me is no longer one of animals
but of men. 1t is not chiefly a matter
of natural history, but of truth and
personal honor. In a recent maya
zine article you deliberately attack me
/ as we'll as my book. You have used
the enormous influence of your official
position to discredit me as man. to
injure my reputation and incidentally
to make a poor man even poorer by
destroying, if possible, the sale and
influence of his work.
''In my book 1 have given the re-
suit of long years of watching ami
object than to study. their habits and
so far as man can to understand the
mystery of their dumb life.
I'm every preface have stated and
I now repeat the statement that every
incident / have recorded from my
own observation is true as far as an
honest. educated man can see and I'M
derstand the truth. In your recent
attack this is what you chiefly deny.
I have spoken the truth, and you ac-
cuse me of deliberate falsehood and
Misrepresentation.
GAS president of the United States
you have gone out of your way pub
licly to injure the private citizen who
was attending strictly to his own bust
ness: as a man you have accused OF
falsehood another man whose ideals
Nf n on a T-n
as your own. This is the whole issue
between us. 1 meet it squarely and
so must you.
eff I have spoken falsely. if in
book or work of mine, if I have in
tentionaIly deceived any child or man
regarding animal life, I promise pub
licly to retract every such word and
never to write another animal book
"On the other hand, if 1 show to
any disinterested person that you have
accused me falsely, you must pub
licly withdraw your accusation and
apologize As a man and as president,
no other honorable course is open to
YOU. You base your. recent charges
chiefly on the matter of a big white
wolf killing a young caribou by bite
in the chest. described by me in
Northern Trails. ,
You declare the thing to be j
impossibility and de-
clare by no possibility could wolf
perform the feat +"
DR.. Long declares he knows from I
his own observations and from the |
testimony of Indians that wolves do /,
kill in this way, and then !!
quotes the signed and witnessed state |
ment of s J. Hapidan, an educated |
Sioux Indian, who states he saw a |
horse which a wolf had killed by tear |
ing its chest In addition to this. DR.. |
Long says he himself had seen deer |
which had been slain in this manner |
by a wolf, and further reciteS that his |
indian Matty Mitchell, of Bonny Bay. |
Newfoundland, declares that the big |
white wolf frequently kills caribou in |
this manner. 1853 -. gE-s .a.
Continuing, Dr.. Long says:
''These are the facts underlying the /
Incident which you declare to be i'm
possible and false. If this testimony
s not enough. 1 will fill it up to full
scripture measure.
''You cannot at this stage. Mr..
Roosevelt. take refuge behind the
presidential office and maintain
silence. You have forfeited your right
o that silence by breaking it in COM
ng out in public to attack a private
,itizen. If your talk Of square deal
S not all sham if your frequent
moral preaching is not hypocrisy 1
ali upon you, as president, as man.
o come out and admit the error and
Injustice of your charge in the same
pen and public way in which you
made il -