The midland journal., 1907-05-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.

Secretary Taft has gone to Ohio and
interest is on tip toe with reference to
what he may say in reply to Senator For
aker. Judge Taft is very popular in
Washington, where he is known and
loved. With the newspaper fraternity he
is on the best of terms and there is great
confidence that he will not blunder but
say and do the right thing, and this in
spite of his inexperience on the hustings.
1t is suspected, in fact known, that there
is strong prediction for him through
out the country, not perhaps on his own
account, but because it is believed he is
the choice of the President. There are
doubtless millions of people who if they
cannot have their preference and vote for
Roosevelt for another term will solace
themselves by the next best thing in vot-
] ing for the man in whom he has faith
aud whom he recommends. The friends
of the President are 10th to give up the
| idea that he himself may still be induced
| to run and are trying to harmonic the
third term and auti-third term move
ments by calling the proposed term 'sec-
ond elective term" IT is argued that as
| the President has been elected to the
Office but once he has served but one
elective term' and is eligible for the
Office again. 1t seems comparatively
easy to convince the country that this
fully covers the situation, but the diff
Guilty seems to be to persuade the Presi
dent. 1t is thoroughly apparent that he
does not want the Office again, probably
mainly because he thinks it is opposed to
the spirit of ;the traditional limitation of
the Presidential term, and also because |
he would like rest after his seven years
of onerous, nerve racking work. He. is
reported to have said when spoken to on
the subject that he was not tired of his
"iob" and that he did not think that |
another term would kill him, but that it
probably would shorten his life by ten
years and he could not spare that many, |
~
| The sensation of the week and even |
greater sensation than the Hartman letter |
exposure or the reported five million
dollar conspiracy has been the Presidents |
reply to the persistent questioning of the
labor agitators. 1t is quite probable that
these gentlemen greatly overrate their
political influence and their importance. |
They are no doubt and in a sense great |
o~f,, Il f11atr
but they evidently knew little of the
character and temperament of the Presi-
dent when they persistently asked him if
he had said something which they and
all the world knew that he had said He
made a reply which stopped whole
procession of delegations that were on
the way to the White House, for what
purpose heaven only knows, unless it was
to dare him to say it again.
~
Washington has been practically de-
serted for several days this week on ac-
count of the opening of the Jamestown
Exposition, which was formally accom-
plished by the President Friday. The
Presidential party left on the yacht May
flower Thursday afternoon. A little
earlier the steamers carrying all the Dip
lomatic corps and the Congressional
parties sailed away from the Washington
dock on their way to the Exposition. The
President was accompanied by his wife
and two youngest boys and number of
Naval officers. AS usual a large crowd
had gathered near the Navy yard, from
which the Presidents yacht sailed and
were rewarded not only by seeing the
President but hearing him give orders
and instructions to the seamen who were
working to release the yacht from its
moorings. The occasion for his tempo
rary desertion fthe Ship of State for the
direction of the cruiser yacht was the
danger to some children who were stand |
ing nearby when the hawser attached TO
the vessel and the pier, was used to draw
the yacht into midstream. Leaning far
out over the taffrail he shouted to the |
men to look out for the children, and not |
until he saw that they were safe did he |
bow and wave his hat in salutation to the |
crowd that was cheering him. The Pres
ident's boys, Archie and Quentin, are as
wholesome and natural boys as one could
find in any country town. They have
been carefully reared and apparently feel I
no exaltation from being the sons of the
President. They are wholly uuspoiled
and this trip to jamestown is just as much
of treat to them as it would be to any
wide awake, uusophisticated boy in the
land. AS soon as they were on the May
flower they lost interest in the crowd and
descended to see what made the "wheels
| 90 aronnd ,, Refnre the vessel mas fraa