Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1907-02-15
A Roast Not on the Bill.

II seems that the account we gave
'ast week OF the Gridiron meeting. in
Washington. on IN" 18th ult.. was
not quite complete in all its details.
There WAS Il decided departure from
the good nature that is supposed al
ways to accompany the rather rough
u>agr a. times public men receive at
the hands OF the membership of Il
club noted as an aggregation of the
most brilliant wits of tn" age.
II seems. however. that there was
Il paSSaTcat arms between no less
prrSonagrs than the President of the
United States and the noted Senator
from Ohio. Joseph b. Foraker. which
departed very widely from the I'M
written. bnt wtll-,mdcrStood rules.
observed among gentlemen. especial
ly when guests of honor.
At Gridiron dinners the President
is always called upon for a speech,
and he generally talks freely on mat
tiers of public concern, with the I'M
derstanding. of course, as when in
social intercourse. he is not to be
quoted. nor criticised by those pres
ent except in good-natured sarcasm.
1t seems that at the late meeting he
made some reference to the Browns
vile affair, and characterized the
Senate's course with reference there
to as purely academic. " 1t may
have been by accident, but surely not
with the design of precipitating a
conflict Senator Foraker, who has
been the leader in the Senate's at
tacks upon the Administration pol
icy, in discharging the negro troops,
was next called, and he resented Mr..
Roosevelt's structures and very blunt
ly said that the liberties and rights
of free American citizens were at
stake, and that under no conditions
could such vital issue be dismissed
by calling the discussion of it aca-
demic." In his earnestness, it is
said, he walked towards the Presi-
dent and shook his finger at him, to
emphasize his declarations. Going
in between the tables, which are ar
ranged in form of a gridiron, he stood
directly in front of Roosevelt and
told the President some things about
usurpation of power by the Execu-
tive that no one before has ever said
to his face.
The attack took the President by
surprise, and he seemed to have great
difficulty in refraining from getting
up and interrupting the Senator. II
was some time after Foraker had
taken his seat that the President
could get the floor for reply, as the
sentiment against Capitalization,
the theme under grill, seems to have
carried the auditors sentiments by
storm, and despite the President s
high position, he could but have real
lied that he was not facing an audi.
ence as sympathetic as he has ad.
dressed on many occasions. That he
realized the seriousness of the resent.
ment on the part of the Ohio Senator,
was evident from his manner of reaf
firming his position in much less pos
tive, not to say aggressive, manner
1t is probably the first time that the
President has had to await an oppor
tunity for reply.
So tense was the feeling, however
that several courses of the dinner
were omitted, and although the clul
carefully suppressed all reference t.
the incident in the next days report
it could not, of course, be kept en-
tirely secret, and in a few days tn
whole secret leaked out for q supple
mental report, from which we sum
Marie the main facts.