The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-08-25
ROOSEVELTTS PART
As A PEACEMAKER
Some Interesting Sidelights on His Parti-
cipation as Mediator Between Russia
and Japan Are Brought to Light.

and Japan Are Brought to Light.
New York, Aug. 25.-Joseph Bucklin
Bishop, for 30 years personal friend OF
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, and who,
five years before the former presidents
death, was commissioned by him "to
write the history of the period which
covered his public career" presents in
the September issue OF Scribner's Maga-
zine, the first of series OF papers which
gives for the first time many interesting
sidelights. on the life of the famous
American.
The paper, entitled Roosevelt Peace
maker" selected and arranged from the
former presidents public and private cor
respondence, amounting to more than
10000 letters, deals with Mr. Roose-
velt's efforts to end the war between
Russia and Japan and which resulted in
the Portsmouth peace conference of 1905.
For the first time, apparently, is re-
vealed the fact that Japan made the
initial overtures for peace. -Four days
after the great Japanese anayl victory
over Rojestvensky's fleet in the sea of
Japan on May 27, 1905, the minister Of
foreign affairs of Japan, the letters show,
cabled Minister Takahira in Washington
to invoke Roosevelt's aid as mediator.
II was amused" wrote tho president,
"by the way in which they asked me to
invite the two belhgerents together di-
rectly on my own motion and initia-
tive II reminded me of the request for
contributions sent by campaign COM
mittees TO office holders wherein they
were asked to make a voluntary con-
tribution of 10 per cent of their salary.
1t showed certain naivete on the part
OF the japanese"
According to his biographer, every step
in the negotiations, extending over pc
riod of three months, was taken by Mr..
Roosevelt without the aid Of any Of his
most trusted counsellors, John Hay, his
secretary Of state, being critically i'll,
Secretary Root having resigned from the
cabinet many months earlier and Secre-
tary Taft being absent in the Philip
pines.
"0ne reads the thick volume of his
correspondence with amazement border
ing on incredulity,' writes Mr. Bishop.
ut is incredible that one man could
do so much and SO well In no other
task of his life was the abnormal energy,
mental and physical, of Theodore Roose-
welt put TO a severe test and from none
did he emerge more triumphantly His
activity was directed, he said, to mot
only steadily and irresistibly forcing the
two warning nations into conference,
but bring other nations like England,
France and Germany to the support Of
his efforts. If Russia baked and showed
signs of refusal, he persuaded the kaiser
to bring pressure upon the czar in the
interest Of peace. II Japan showed sim
liar signs, England was appealed TO, to
bring pressure upon her. In the end
Germany alone really helped, and Roose-
welt gave unstnted praise to the kaiser
ever afterward for what he did then"
In all Of his correspondence the colonel
wrote, without restraint or reserva-
tion." In n confidential letter TO Secretary
Hay he referred TO the kaiser as mono
maniac and jumpy creature who has
had another fit In another missive he
thus clraracterizes the former emperor Of
Russia: "The czar is a preposterous lit.
tie creature as the absolute autocrat
of l50000000 people
Every day. and, often several times a
day, he urged the emperors of Russia
and Japan to agree upon terms of peace
Once he wrote friend: "The more see
of the czar. the kaiser ana the mikado,
the better / am content with democracy,
even il we have to include the Amer
lean newspapers az one Of its assets
liability would be q better term
While the conference was in session,
the president had occasional doubts. Of
ultimate success 81 have led the hofses
to water" he wrote, "but heaven only
knows whether they will drink or start
kicking one another beside the trough" :"
When victory crowned his efforts, how
ever continued Mr. Bishop, he was not
elated by it. King Edward of England
said of him to the American ambassador
in London; 81 am simply lost in admir-
alton for the president: nobody else
could have done it, Mr.. Roosevelt's
own verdict was: II am overpraised. I
am credited with being extremely long
headed. As matter of fact took the
position finally did not Of my own voli-
tion, but because events so shaped them
selves that / would have felt as if | was
fiinehing from plain duty If had act.
ed otherwise"