The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-08-26
sIDELIeHTs ON ROOSEVELT
Intimate Friend Gives Much Historical
Data

/ Data
I New York, Aug. 24-Joseph Bucklir
Bishop, for 80 years personal friend
( OF Col. Theodore Roosevelt, and. who
five years before the former presi
dents death, was commissioned by
him to write the history of the period
which covered his public career pre-.
sents in the September issue of Serb
ner's Magazine 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
Peacemaker," selected and arranged
from the former presidents public and
private correspondence, amounting to
more than $1,000 letters, deals with
Mr.. Roosevelt'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 naval victory
over Rojestvensky's fleet in the sea
of Japan on May 81, 1905, the minister
of foreign affairs OF Japan the letters
show cabled Minister Takahira, in
Washington to invoke Roosevelt's aid
as a mediator.
Il was amused" wrote the president
"by the way in which they asked me TO
invite the two belligerents together
directly-on- ay-. spsss ialotio and ~ifiitis-
tive. IL reminded me of the request
for contributions sent by campaign
committees TO officeholders wherein
they were asked to make a voluntary
contribution Of 10 per cent of their
salary. 1t showed a certain naivete on
the part of the Japanese
According to his biographer, every
step in the negotiations. extending
over a period OF three months, was
tken by Mr. Roosevelt without the
aid of any of his most trusty counsel
lors John Hay. his secretary of state,
being critically i'll. Secretary Root hav-
ing resigned frolA the cabinet many
months earlier and Secretary Taft he
ing absent in the Philippines
One reads the thick volumes &c his
dering on incredulity." writes Mr.. Bish
op 1T is Incredible that one man
could}do so much and 50 WE'LL. In no
other task of his life was the abnor-
NAL energy. mental and physical. of
Theodore Roosevelt put to a severer
test and from none did he emerge
more .triumphantly, IT'S activity was
as tireless us his resoureefulness was
inexhaustable."
The presidents activity was direct
ed, he said, to mot only steadily and
irresistibly forcing the two warning ma
tions into a conference x X but
bringing other nations like England
France and Germany to the support
OF his efforts II Russia baked and
showed signs Of refusal, he persuaded
the kaiser to bring pressure upon the
GEAR in the interest of peace. If Japan
showed similar signs, England was ap-
pealed to, to bring pressure upon her.
In the end Germany alone really help
ed. and Rooseelt gave unstinted
praise 10 the kaiser ever afterward
for what he did then"
In all of this correspondence the
colonel wrote without restraint or
reservation" In confidential letter
to Secretary Hay he referred to the
kaiser as a mononianiac and "a jumpy
creature who has had another fit" In
another missive he thus characterizes
the former emperor of Russia: 1.-THE