Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-27

a bunch of papers, which he appears to be
| endeavoring to read all at once while he
i greets you with laugh and the inevitable
| How dye do?" He listens to you and
keeps on reading at least two letters at a
| time.
| "Oh, yes" he says; that's so, that's So"
Then his private secretary comes in with
| another, paper.
Tell them so and So" says Taft.
Then he reads two more papers at a time,
| and you get in another question. The Sec
| rotary laughs tits his hat back on his
| head and says:
| Yes, yes, to be sure. Why
~ Then en-; his secretary comes in with card;
| of the little secretary's hand
| I'll see him in the morning at 9:07,"
says the big Secretary.
And you get in another question.
'Ha! ha!' chortles the big Secretary;
The little secretary comes in with three
letters. The big Secretary reads them all
| a once.
| "All right he says. and adds them to the
| bunch in his hand.
Then he looks at his watch.
Il must go to cabinet meeting" he says.
| bye
| In the morning you are on time to the
| second. The private secretary tells you
! that Mr. Taft has been held up" at the
house and will not be down till 1o:22,s a m.
You wait until II :31s4, and the private sec
rotary throws wide open the inner door and
| remarks:
Mr.. Taft will see YOU
The Secretary of War is seated at big
i'tabIe and affably motions you to a seat
opposite to him. He has his hat off and
you notice that his hair is light brown and
thin. You talk for half an hour. He talks
plainly to you, frankly to you. If you hap
pen to be newspaper man you will whis-
per softly to yourself: Say, this is great
stuff! And at the close of the conversa-
ton Secretary Taft will grasp you warmly
by the hand and say cheerfully to you:
Now, don't quote me on anything. This
talk was all between you and me-
This, perhaps Is a very fair illustration
of the way that Mr.. Taft receives callers
at his office. First of all, he impresses one
with the busy life he leads. His capacity
for work is simply phenomenal but he
works for all he gets, for he has never
had the power to master his subjects with
out hard work. There is none of that
superficial brilliancy about Taft that dis
tingushes many men at the national CAPT.
tai, and which, by the bye, ofttimes drops
them back to obscurity as rapidly they
rose to temporary prominence. While Taft
available mental asset is his application
and his power of long, hard and continuous
work.
Thorough in His Work.
When he went to Cuba he entered into
every little detail of the situation there.
He investigated every part of the island,
saw every man who was worth seeing
and read all the things about Cuba that
were worth reading. 1t was the same at
the Philippines. 1t is the same with all
matters that become part of Tafts du-
ties. But wherever you see Taft and in
| whatever work he may be engaged you
will see the busiest man you ever saw,
| the best-natured man you ever saw, and
your ancient belief that man cannot do
| three things we'll at one time will be re-
moved forever Taft never plans a journey
| in his life that he doesn't try to do just
| one thing more before he starts. The day
| he left for the Philippines on his last trip
| he worked up to the last minute-and sew
eral minutes beyond the last minute-of the
| time of departure Of his special train for
| San Francisco. The train was scheduled to
| leave Washington at 5 pm. Taft arrived
| at his Office that morning at o'clock and
| kept his stenographers going at rapid
| rate almost without intermission till in
| the afternoon. Then he went to the office
of Chairman ShontS and discussed the at
fairs of the isthrnian canal commission
| for fifteen minutes, and while there wrote
| several autograph letters, at the same time
debating to stenographer half dozen
| farewell letters to friends. At 4:39 some
| one poked his head in the doorway and
said:
You have got just thirty minutes to
make the train, Mr.. Secretary"
| Plenty of time said Taft, with smile,
and he went on writing and debating his
| letters.
At 44O Col Edwards, chief of the insular
bureau, looked in and remarked anxiously:
i Twenty minutes, Mr. Secretary"
| PLENTY of time said Taft.
At $50 Edwards spoke again.
Ten minutes, Mr. Secretary, said he.
PLENTY Of time said Taft.
| And at 5 o'clock there was Edwards
'The train has just pulled out of the
station. Mr.. Secretary" said he.
Nonsense" said Taft, and he went on