Show his influence asked to reduce duty on hides nov 15 president roosevelt was asked today to use his influence to have tho customs duties on hides removed in the interest ot all the people of the country A delegation 0 boot and shoo and leather manufacturers headed toy governor W L douglas ot massachusetts called on the president by appointment and discussed with him pretty tally the proposed repeal of the duty oa hides the delegation numbered 28 men the majority being from new york and the west and the minority from the new england states in the course of the interview the president spoke so frankly and sincerely to his callers that they burst into cheers tha made the executive office ring in the course of his remarks he related an experience exper ienco he had last year with a committee from massachusetts of whom mr whitney recently a candidate tor lieutenant governor ot massachusetts was one lie said mr ehlt ney had misquoted him in the cam which was closed few days ago and declared that be constrained to believe aba mr whitney had deliberately misrepresented what had occurred with this experience in mind the president declined to enter upon a discussion ot the subject ot the freo hides at this almo the addreen of the president was in part as follows it Is ot course unnecessary to point out that no chango in the tariff can be made keeping in view only the interests or desires of one or one locality the law must therefore roughly correspond to the sentiments ot the citizens of the several states as expressed through their representatives therein where the interests and abo based on these interests are diverse as Is almost invariably the case in reference to the details of all tariff matters tha law must normally although not invariably represent a compromise and actual concessions and no one outside of congress can definitely foretell the exact shape such compromise will ultimately take |