Show REPORTERS embarrassed newspaper men aro often made to appear in a contradictory attitude by the propensities of many persons to deny statements they have made the weakness on the part of those interviewed Is nicely illustrated in the following taken from the san francisco chronicle the chronicle in common with many other papers reprinted the interview published in the new york herald in which M witto was represented as having said to a correspond ent of the herald on board the kaiser der grosse on august ast 1st last that he was afraid the peace negotiations would be ended in a week because the japanese conditions are too intolerable to admit of discussion it also hastily accepted the sweeping denial promptly made aa soon as the steamer reached her dock in new york but now comes the correspondent with his side of ane case and hla statement Is corroborated by reporters of rival papers and by citizens who overheard the admission it appears that when M was approached pro ached by the correspondent after the denial he admitted that he had in substance said what was quoted I 1 but that he had no idea that it was to be printed and that further it was merely his personal expression and not an official statement M koro the ministry of finance who is to act as official secretary at the conference also admitted that his chief had so expressed himself but only in a personal sense the denial was called forth evidently by the tact that when M watte saw hla remarks in type he got cold feet it is an experience in which he does not figure as a solitary instance newspaper men are aware of the freedom of men in the public eye to talk and to feel perfectly satisfied with the result of the presentation of what they have said until they find out that they have put their foot in it then almost invariably they seek to creep out of the difficulty by trying to put the interviewer in a hole sometimes they succeed but it the journalist happens to be one of the kind who does not submit to having his word impugned they generally back down |