The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-12-01
Boarding the Lion Killer in His Den
VIGOROUS AND BUSH PAST PRESIDENT INTERESTING FIGURE
IN AMERICAN POLITICS

VIGOROUS MID BUSH PAST III
IN .AMIER1C!
editor p. v. Collins in the a
Northwestern Agriculturist)
Once upon a time
This is not Il fairy story and 1t has
nothing to do With princes. though 1t
concerns a man who has dealt, first
hand with kings.
l tried once to put before Theodore
Roosevelt the situation in the north
west as 1t would be affected by Cana
dian reciprocity. That was early last
March. In a letter to him / en-
planned the difference between gem
eral tariff reduction and free trad
on farm products. l set forth las
we'll as l was able) the northwest
farmers reasons for opposing the
treaty and appealed to him. as one
who had lived in the northwest. to
his quick appreciation of their needs
and perils and to give them the back
ing Of his powerful influence.
BY return mail 1 received a letter
from Mr.. Roosevelt expressing as
constituent as what l had stated.
''Why, I understood that the north
west wanted tariff reduction" he
wrote. Il am interested in what you
say and would like to talk with You
about h matter"
Then I wrote: "If you will grant
me an authorized interview. (Which
will be read 10 you before 1t is pub
lished. and receive your sanction as
to accuracy. l will come to New
York for the purpose or meet you any
where else in America"
NfW pn0Sn&.o1< 1iS MT rive Nnn.
sent; in fact his private secretary
wrote that Mr.. Roosevelt never au-
thorized an interview. And SO. when
ever we read that ex-President Roose-
Welt, being interviewed by the report
er of -. declared that he was
dee-lighted with President Taft's poli-
cies." and yet had decided to sup
port Senator LaFollette or Eugene v.
Debs for the presidency. remember.
name is "Ananias," and that the paper
aforesaid is so yellow hal it Is jaun-
diced.
Whatever material statement you
read in a Roosevelt interview Is a
lie" for Roosevelt interviews for
publication are like hens hind legs
There amt no sech things"
But Mr.. Roosevelt gave me an in
vitation to NEE, him on the train as
AAC "oS opPAo AAS IVAN &AkASS
last spring. CATER his western trip.
and. as l felt the need of backing
my own statements with the testimony
of farmers. l arranged through j. ID.
Bacon, owner of the Grand Forks
Times. to secure the attendance also of
some five or six prominent north Da-
kota farmers. and. together, we spent
two or three hours with Mr.. Roosevelt
on the train between Fargo and Min
neapolis.
Were We interviewing the eX-presi-
dent?
What! Only six Of us against Mr..
Roosevelt-and interviewing him?
No. dear children, he was inter-
viewing us. Yes, that is the way it was
all through those three hours.
Whew: What a reporter he would
make! He can ask more questions
right to the point-than a woman's
yer.
And he asks his questions as though
he was going to take You at your word.
He is SO earnest. so intense, SO direct.
that his piercing eyes bore right
through all crust and go straight to
the heart.
l have interviewed many a celeb
ritv. but when it came to tackling
Theodore Roosevelt, it was just like
"a AtlooloASO - ktA oAA GU
of-war. 1t bends the mosquitoes. teeth
before it ever hicks the man-of-war.
Just so, Roosevelt does the interview
ing to suit himself, and I know one
mosquito whose teeth are Slightly To-
Gated.
And then. as we six northwestern
farmers rose to go into the next car to
rest, how earnestly he cautioned us
to remember that he had not COM
rnitfo1 hip,ca1f ot oil lint that no 1,na
intensely interested" and he request
ed Two North Dakota farmers (who
were not journalists nor past govern
ers. but just real farmers), to write
u their arguments for publication
in the Outlook.
Now is the time to subscribe for the
Outlook: Editors. Theodore Roosevelt
and Lyman Abbott.
Well, that is past history.
And the reciprocity "a vent on
without any Rooseveltian Hague and
mex came the organization of the
Farmers league of Minnesota and the
Farmers league of South Dakota. And
SO. I again wrote to Mr.. Roosevelt and
sent him copies of the newspaper ac-
counts of the leagues and asked him
to send us a line of endorsement
would encourage the boys"
W. SSs S 80
vice to give" but said he would like
to have me call on him the next time
I was in New York.
That is how I came to have my
second interview with past President
Roosevelt and Ill tell you about it.
Shall l report the interview ver-
batim?
Then it would be Teddy at the bat
with the accent on the bat.
Rut II was a mighty interastinp in.
tcrview and who knows but that 1t
may affect the fate of empires and
principalities?
1t occurred Friday afternoon,
though the date is immateriah On the
previous Tuesday, while I a in Phila-
delphia I addressed a note to Mr..
Roosevelt warning him of my APP
proach. I did not want to strike him
too sudden like" I said I would
call on him at 2 o'clock Friday but
that If that hour vas not convenient
would he please make an appointment
to suit his pleasure?
Receiving no answer I called at a