The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-01-22
ROOSEVELT IS
VERY SENSITIVE
Occupant Of the White House Getting
irritable Over Criticism of
the Press.
HERO WORSHIP ABOUT OVER
PRESIDENT is ONLY MORTAL,
AFTER ALL.
Especial to The HeraId.)

Especial to The Herald)
Washington, D. c., Jan. M.-Yhe
White House is in bad favor in Wash
ingtOn this week, ana as a direct re-
suit from the reflections from the ma
tional correspondents, the country at
large is beginning to take notice. The
press representatives have been chat
ing for some weeks under the reSuic-
tions on news gathering, and the Mrs.
Morris incident, with Secretary Loeb s
officious statement that the truthful
account was very Objectionable has
brought things to a climax. The White
House has been very thin-skinned re-
Gently and ultra sensitive under news
paper articles. The case of cruelty to
the turkey and the Boston paper which
published it attracted some attention,
and everyone save a few preiudioed by
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS sympathized with
the president. Then Secretary Loeb be-
gan placing structures on local society
writer's and barred one from White
House affairs. He even asked the
managing editor to come to the White
House TO straighten the matter out,
and received the reply that the man
aging editor could be found at the pa
per's headquarters between certain
hours. Altogether it looks as if the
correspondent has turned, and has
turned to a purpose, against the auto
cratic and unjust, not to say Suspi-
cious, way the criticism and vOntume-
~ are being put upon the press, which
in the Morris incident, has certainly
been, at least, more complete in truth
than the version of the official news
mongeF, Mr.. Loeb. The unaninity Of
sentiment held by the press towards
Secretary Loeb has some basis, hut
he should not be blamed for every On
pleasant occurrence at the White
House. In the case Of the expulsion
from the executive Offices of Mrs.
Morris, he certainly was not to blame
for she was put out by the orders of
Assistant Secretary Barnes, who is
noted for uniform courtesy and kind
ness in work and manner.
Talk of the Town.
The case of Mrs. Morris has proved
more than nine-day wonder, and is
the talk of the town. from the highest
official to the humblest messenger or
dOOrkeeper. There has been much
maudIin sympathy wasted on Mrs,
Norris, who, I am reliably informed,
has been in the habit of making I'M
pleasant scenes. For a short time she
lived in one Of the fashionable apart
ment hotels of the capital, but her
conduct became so annoying to the
other guests that the proprietor was
obliged to compel her and her hus-
band to leave-in fact offered them a
bonus to vaeate. On several occasions
Mrs. Morris had spells of shouting and
screaming TO her full-lung capacity,
creating a cOmmotiOn equal to that
caused by her performance at the
Of q
hotel used more tact than the White
House officials, but ne SAYS he
wouldn't let Mrs. Morris come back to
his establishment if she Offered him
a thousand dollars a day
Canal Management.
Inconsistency is the chief attribute
I'm canal affairs at this time, ana
President ROOseYelt's message to con-
gress, that there is not and has not
been any encouragement, delay, inef-
ficiency, or dishonesty, in canal work
TO date. would have had far more force
if Mr.. Taft's accusation against hCair-
man ShOnts and Governor MagoOn had
not had a simultaneous public appear
ance. There are too many persons
anxious to love and reYer the president
who are having their hopes shattered
by his evident increasing tendency to
go "Off half-cOcked," as it We're a
tendency he displayed earlier and got
under control, but which has broken
out again. The deadly parallel col
umn" shows not only a variance with
the statement Of Secretary Taft, but
also the following literal prescriptions
from Mr.. ROOsevelt's message to con-
gress and the report Os CHIEF Engi-
neer Stevens, which Il accompanied:
The presidential the work so far has
been done not only with the utmost
expedition, but in the most careful and
thorough manner. The engineer-ThOu-
sands of yards of material We're loaded
and hauled by his equipment. over
these tracks, TO land dumps, the latter
improperly located and in character
unsuited to the end in view Doubt
less the original purpose under which
this work was undertaken was a wise
one, but the long continuance of il.
and the utter absence, q s far as could
be learned, Of any thought or attempt
TO plan a systematic manner of hand
ling the work as a whole would seem
to be open to grave criticism.
Secretary Taft is ''banting' to re-
duce his weight. so the newspaper say.
and has, by strict regime Oe diet and
exercise. gone from ga pounds down
to 294; and he has put 250 as the slen-
der goal of his ambition. He has found