The Washington herald., 1907-06-05

Official Washington-that is. the top
layer Of it's up in arms against the lee
rurers Of the seeing Washington automO-
biIes. II is an very well 70 be Presi-
dent or an Ambassador or a Cabinet Off
Ger. and there are times when it is not
unpleasant 20 feel that the eyes OF the
multitude are ceutcred upon one, but 70
be pointed out 20 the rubber-neck visitors
as an object Of iHterest-a mile post in
the nations history. as it were-is a little
disquieting. and calculated TO offend ones
sense OF dignity.
For instance. There upon your left. Ia
dies and gentlemen says the lecturer
you see the Hon. William Howard Taft
Secretary Of War-the large gentleman,
walking rapidly with the portfolio under
his arm. Mr Taft always walks He is
accounted one Of the handsomest men in
Washington. and one OF the biggest In
more ways than I care 10 mention, and
he has been chosen by President Roose-
Welt 10 be his successor
Comments Not Comfortable.
This is unpleasant enough to modest
and retiring personality, but when a little
girl on the sightseeing wagon calls out
in a shrin voice "Oh. mamma. he walks
Just like Uncle Tom. the blow is almost
too hard TO bear. II forty pairs Of eyes
are fastened on your legs and forty minds
are making notes OF Uncle Toms" pedes-
trian mannerisms. IL is no wonder that
your feet seem 20 be tangled and your
knee Joints refuse TO bend,
or again: Keep your eyes straight
ahead. ladies' and gentlemen. and you will
observe the President Of the United States
mounted upon his favorite hunter The
old lady from Kokomo or Oskaloosa, with
her eyes riveted on the statue Of Admiral
Dupont. in the center OF Dupont Circle,
makes observation: What President is
70? And I don't see any horse" Then the
lecturer points with his megaphone to a
human figure on a splendid animal, and
the visitors on the wagon feast their eyes
upon the head of the nation as he rides
by. trying to show no embarrassment.
Even Pete Is Disguised.
Or suppose you are the Hon. George
Bruce Cortelyou, and were pointed out
as a man who wore his hair pompadour,
or the Hon. William Loeb, jr., and heard
it announced that you weren't as serious
as YOU looked. or If you were an embas-
sador and were standing on the front
stoop Of your embassy looking up and
down the street for your dog. and heard
a man talking about you through a meg
aphone. would it jar you? Since he be
came famous. even Pete, the White
House bull terrier, has cut and run when
ever a sightseeing automobile hove in
view.
However. these are but mere incidents
or illustrations. The thing that has
brought the top-notch officials 20 bay is
that some Of the gon
lecturers have taken to pointing out mem
bers Of the families Of prominent men
when they go abroad i'm carriages. OIL
Cials say that the lecturers know the car
riages by the Coachmen. but are frequent
~ mistaken as 10 the identity Of the oc-
cupants II is very annoying or en-
barrassing. they assert. and something
will have 10 be done To stop IT, There Is
no evidence that the matter was brought
up at the Cabinet meeting yesterday, but
from what was said I'm official circles II
may form a topic for unofficial consider
alton among those affected.