The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-12-03
AT CARS HOME.
Secretary Taft and Party Reach
st. Petersburg.
He Starts Out at Once on a
Round Of Calls.
CAN'T VISIT DOUMA.
Owing to Reaching the City Too
Late in the Day.
He Is Called General" and
Loudly Cheered Everywhere.

st. Petersburg. Dec. s.-secretary Taft
and party arrived today from Moscow.
They were met by deputation of Off
GERS representing the minister of war,
the military governor and other officials
at ST. Petersburg. Among those at the
station were Count Konitz. who has
been appointed imperial aide to Secre-
tary Taft during his stay In st. Pc
tersburg. The party took up their quar-
tiers in the Hotel de L'Europe.
Immediately after his arrival at the
hotel the secretary, accompanied by
Brigadier General Clarence r. Edwards.
Montgomery Schuyler, Jr., the Amer1-
can charge d affaires and Captain s. L.
H. Slocun, the American military at
tache at ST. Petersburg. started on q
round of official calls. He went hrst 10
see Foreign Minister Iswolsky and Gen.
Rudiger, the minister of war, and then
called upon the grand dukes who are at
present living here. These 1nclude
Nicholas Nicholaievitch, Alexander
Michaelovitch, and half dozen others.
Secretary Taft had decided to visit
the douma where an interesting session
is expected this afternoon, but this was
made impossible by the late hour at
which his train arrived here.
The carriages of the American embas-
sy, with their liveried servants in which
the secretary drove while paying MS
calls, were recognized everywhere.
Crowds gathered in spite of threaten
ing weather and General Taft" as the
secretary has come to be called here'
was cheered again and again
Owing to the extraordinary rumors IN
circulation here regarding the nature
of his mission, the visit of Mr. Taft
has aroused the liveltest interest and
curiosity. The Russia. the official or
gan of the government, however, makes
an effort to correct these wrong I'M
pressions. In a leading article extend
ing to Secretary Taft, an open door
Russian welcome" the paper says:
No Politics in 1t.
1.-The high position and the person.
al merits of Secretary Taft explain
the heartiness of his reception and the
honor of an audience with the en-
peror; but it is a mistake to suppose
that Mr.. Taft's visit is any way con-
nected with change in the interna-
tional policy of Russia. There is NOT
a word of truth in the runlors tnal
we are to give base for an American
fleet at Vladivostok or any other Pa
cific port; but the visit of secretary
Taft will renew and strengthen the
old bonds. of sympathy between Rus
STA and America"
space to welcoming Secretary Taft and
the tone of each and severyone 1s-Sof
unmixed friendAness.s Mr.. Taft is ex-
pected to alude to the rumors In
speech he will make at the banquet
to be given this evening by the
members of the American colony OF
this city and he will give them Ameri-
can denial The empress of Russia Is
indisposed, and she probably will not
be able to receive Mrs. Taft tomorrow;
consequently. the secretary will go to
Tsarskoe-Selo alone. Tomorrow
evening the secretary will attend
BANQUET at Foreign Minister
Iswolsky's residence, which will be
followed by a big reception of the
diplomatic corps and Russian official
society.
Secretary Taft probably will be
forced to go to Boulogne to catch the
steamer President Grant, on which he
returns to the United States. The
President Grant leaves Hamburg
December and Boulogne December
g. Mrs Taft. accompanied by Mrs.
George Post Wheeler, wife of the Sec
ond secretary of the American en-
bassy at Toxic, will go from here to
Vienna and Paris. She will return to
the United S9tates several weeks af-
ter her husband.
When questioned regarding the
presidential situation in the United
States, Secretary Taft requested to be
excused from expressing any opinion.
He said he had announced a year ago
his readiness to accept the nomination
in case it was given to him and that
his attitude had not changed since.