The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1907-10-11
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j. Washington Notes

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If there has been any doubt in the
minds of the American public as te
where the President stands with re-
gard TO the navy, although that seems
hardly possible, he must have dis
PEELED it by bis western speeches
Naval officers in Washington arc
greatly delighted at the Presidente
stand for they believe that he will sc
inspire the great American public with
love of their arm of the service aud
an appreciation of its necessities that
it will, thru it's members of Con.
gress, respond generously to the exc
cutive appeals for more funds with
which to perfect the country's fight
ing fleet, and possibly will even heed
arguments in favor of increasing ma
terially the pay of officers and enlist
ed men.
Ever since he was assistant Secre-
tary OF the Navy, Mr.. Roosevelt has
shown interest in this arm of the
military establishment. Since he be-
came President he has more than once
enjoyed the hospitality and service OF
a naval vessel and when he was on
bis way to Panama he familiarized
himself with every detail of fighting
ship, even going so far, will be re-
membered, as to throw few shovels
full of coal into the furnaces, a task
which sounds simple in the telling
but which is attended by difficulties
none can appreciate who have not ex'
perienced the fearful heat of naval
vessels stoke hole when she is under
way. Even with the ship lying at
anchor and nothing fred up but the
boilers of some donkey-engine the
heat is sufficient to cause the unac.
customed visitor to faint if he remains
more than a moment or two, and to
indulge IN so strenuous an exertion
under such conditions, as to throw
coal from the great scoop shovels into
the freboxes is beyond the energy of
a citizen less strenuous than the Pre-.
sident.
Indications of the remarkable sue
GEES with which Secretary Taft has
performed his mission in Japan, where
he has awakened the widest enthusl-
asm. even among so phlegmatic a peo-
pie, continue to reach Washington
and are received with the utmost
qualification in administration circles,
while among the diplomats Mr.. TAFT
is talked of as ten days wonder
Going to Japan at a time when the
attitude of that people was anything
but friendly to the United States, it
was freely intimated by diplomats
who have experienced the displeasure
of japanese officials, that the Secreta-
ry might meet with anything but a
warm reception and not one of them
for a moment believed that the big
man could discuss with his character
istic frankness the difficult question
of Japanese exclusion and the deli
cate subject of war with anything ap-
preaching success. But Secretary
Taft has done both these things and
has done them so we'll that practical
~ all Japan is resembling with cheers
in his honor. The diplomatic situa-
ton is entirely cleared and the way is
now open for a resumption of that
discussion of exclusion which was so
rudely broken off by the action of the
San Francisco school authorities
With the hearty manner and expan-
sive and charming smile which are so
we'll known, Mr.. Taft combines abso.
Lutte frankness and infinite tact and
the combination is one as valuable az
it is rare. The President was, prob
ably, the one man in Washington who
did not regard the task imposed upon
the Secretary of War as too difficult
and his estimate of his cabinet men,
ber's rare ability has been more than
justified.