Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-21
At THE WHITE HOUSE
President Roosevelt Return
ed This Morning.
TALKS ON THE TARIFF
WILL HOLD CONFERENCES WITH
REPUBLICAN LEADERS.
Senators Scott, Lodge and Burrows
Called Today-The Court Of
Claims Judgeship.
TALKS ON THE TARIFF

The train bearing President Roosevelt
from his unsuccessful hunt for bear in the
south returned to Washington at O'Clock
this morning The Presidents carriage was
in waiting at the depot and he was driven
at once to the White House for breakfast.
! He was in his Office before 10 o'clock, and
was soon debating at lively rate to AS
sistant Secretary Loeb. Shortly after 1C
o'clock he began to see callers, and was
kept busy right along until his lunch hour
In the afternoon. The tariff and the trust
questions were briefly discussed with some
and at length with others. The President
indicated that his attitude on these two
great questions, to be shown in his message
to Congress in ten days, will not be COM
pletely determined until he has talked with
republican leaders during the next week.
The probability is that the President wis
reserve his views on these two questions for
the last thing to be written for his mes.
sage.
Not Settled as to the Tariff
His views on the tariff especially lack
fixedness at this time, and much that he
may say to Congress and the country may
be determined in the next week He will
get phlethora of advice some wise and
some unwise, but it will all come from
party leaders. and will be given weight ac-
cordingly. From doing nothing until the
next national republican convention to i'm
mediate tariff revision will be the diversity
Of opinion that will be laid before the Pres
ident by the republican leaders. From
these he will have his choice. Combined
with his own ideas he can work in the
pickings of the best ideas of the leaders.
The subject is not underrated by him as
one of immense Importance to the party,
and the country and he will give it every
thought and every mental revolution that
time will allow.
The first caller to talk tariff with the
President advised that absolutely nothing
be done until the next meeting of the re-
publican national convention. This was
Senator Scott of West Virginia. Let the
republican party, fresh in its representation
from the people, two years from now, de-
eide the tariff as a party question: said
the West Virginia senator.
Senators Lodge and Burrows, both op-
posed to doing much, If anything, in the
direction OF early tariff revision, briefly
talked with the President. Senator Lodge
returned to luncheon with the President and
discussed the tariff, trust and other ques-
tons with the chief executive.
Anything like a full or satisfactory talk
with any of the callers was prevented by
the arrival of cabinet officers for a cabinet
session, the first held in two weeks.
Noisy Unloading of Coal.
From the quietude and silence of the Mis-
sissippi canebrakes the President returned
to have his ears almost deafened for an
hour or more by the noises attendant on
the unloading of coal right in front of the
door of his office building. The architects
who designed the executive offices either
forgot suitable coal arrangements or had
some queer ideas about the location of a
coal cellar. The cellar Is Immediately un-
der the front door of the Presidents offices,
and the hole for placing the coal Is ten
feet in front of the door. Four or five
wagons of coal were unloaded in front OF
the door and shoveled into the hole in the
usual way, a shovelful at a time. All this
was going during the session of the
cabinet.
That's the worst thing I ever saw" said
prominent senator who had to go into
the White House while the coal operations
were going on.
The Court of Claims Judgeship.
Senator Scott is understood to have urged
the President again today to give the
vacancy on the Court of Claims bench to
ex-Gov. G. w. Atkinson of West Virginia.
Senator Scott thinks that better appoint
nent could not be made. The President
intends to give Mr.. Atkinson a position on
the bench of this court in the future when
a contemplated retirement makes another
vacancy. The present vacancy he will give
to Representative Cannon who will name
the man to be nominated. Mr.. Cannon S
CHOICE WHEN the VdCdHcy was created Dy
the death of Judge Davis was John q.
Thompson, at present an assistant attorney
general of the Department of Justice. Mr..
Thompson's selection had about been made
by the President when a fight was start
ed Mr.. Thompson that Is supposed to
have eliminated him from the contest. If
this holds true now Representative Cannon
must seek another candidate
This judgeship, as well as that Of the
Supreme Court Of the District. will have 10
be settled within few weeks, and it Is
thought the President will be prepared to
fill the vacancies soon after Congress as
sembles.-
Going Away Tomorrow.
President Roosevelt will be out of wasri-
ington tomorrow. He will spend the day in
Lague Club. which will celebrate Found
ers day. The President will return to
Washington Sunday morning.
The Department Of Commerce.
Representative Hepburn Of the commit tee
on commerce of the House, was asked at
the White House today what had been done
about making an early report on the bill
establishing a department of commerce.
He said that the President had not desig-
| mated committee of bureau officers to con-
fer about the most suitable bureaus to go
under the proposed new department, and
that no headway had been made. He pre-
sumed that the committee would soon be
named, and that the House committee In
with the committee from the departments
| as early as possible in the session.