Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-12-24
CAPITAL CHAT.
Continued from Page One.)

|
1t may be Secretary Taft, plump and
rotund, running down the long flight OF
steps in front of the State War and
Navy Building, TO comply with tele-
phone summons from the White
House. 1t may be very tall and lean
man, who walks a rod at a stride
| Vice President Fairbanks taking
walk to or from the Capitol. 1t may
be gray haired, spirited looking man,
sitting back comfortably in q
brougham behind two magnificent
lhorses-Senator Foraker Of Ohio. Or
| it may be a quiet appearing, stern lit
tie man, who sits rigidly in his car
riage and hardly glances to the right
or to the left-Secretary Cortelyou rid
ing from his modest residence on
Washington Heights, to the Treasury
Department to be whisked up an cleo
trio elevator to a little corner room
on the second floor. Likely enough it
may be Speaker Uncle Joe"
stepping out of his front door on
Vermont avenue some morning, q
black cigar between his teeth, black
SLOUGH hat upon his head, getting q
start for his days work at the Capitol
Or it may be a rudy little man, boy
ish looking, with a face almost as
round as the moon, skidding along in
a French automobile-Senator Philan
der Chase Knox of Pittsburg, generally
conceded for sheer ability to be the
smartest Republican running fOr the
| Presidency, the possessor of more gray
| matter in his top than any of his
rivals.
one really ought to add another, for
there is still another Presidential
candidate in Washington for the Con-
gressiOnal months. He may be seen
frequently walking along the streets,
wearing u heavy beaver overcCat and
square sort of derby hat. He IS
generally accompanied by a big, fat
man, quite as big and quite as rotund
as his rival, Secretary Taft. 1t is his
secretary, the secretary of Senator
Robert LaFollette, the smooth faced,
keen eyed, actor like, pompadour
statesmen from Wisconsin. He lives
| less pretentiously than any of the
coterie of would-bes in a comfortable
but not palatial residence on Washing
! ton Heights, Il few blocks away from
| the residence of Secretary Cortelyou.
Every man of the six, or of the
seven, is frequently spoken to as he
passes along, for the population of
Washington becomes familiar with the
faces of notables and word of salu-
| tation is generally, but not uni
versally regarded here as matter Of
| etiquette. AS Vice President Fair
banks stalks along, he stops in the mid
| die Of a step at a half rod measure,
shakes hands and says in a round.
nasal voice: How do you do Mr..
Blank, Qde is very good at remember
ing names) l am very glad to see you"
and with a minutes conversation he
resumes his walk on the half rod
point. Senator Foraker mods that
gray head quickly when he is spoken
to and makes a courteous bow that
one is apt to remember. Secretary
Cortelyou acknowledges the greeting a
little stifIiy but cordially behind the
glass windows of his official carriage
big Bill Taft, if one catches him on
the way between the War Department
and The White House offices or any
where else, has How de do and a
genial smile. The Knox automobile
goes by 50 rapidly that there is hard
bow from the great lawyer of diminu-
tive stature Uncle joe has the
hearty Western air and is very smart
in conversation when it is once start
Ell, but he is curt in his greetings. \
simple "I1ow-dc" is his usual form.
The candidates ere neighborly in
Washington, because they are mostly
personal friends of long standing, and
because, with the exception of Foraker,
C Jrtelyou and LaFollette. their houses
are close together. Vice President
Fairbanks could almost throw open
the window of his X street residence
and call out to Secretary Taft 50 that
the latter would hear him. Tafts
house is on X street in an adjoining
block and Knox house is only Il block
and a half away. Speaker Cannon
lives just around the corner from
Senator Knox, the speakers residence
being on Vermont avenue.
The candidates meet 4 dozen times a
day. Knox and Foraker and LaFol-
lette are all pretty constant in their at
tendance upon the Senate. They al
most touch elbows in their seats and
the sessions of these three men ard
the Vice President. That makes four
Presidential would-bes right in one
chamber four or five days Of every
week. Knox and Foraker are good
friends, but not Chums. Both are
brilliant lawyers and each has a pro-
found respect for the knowledge and
ability of the other. Senator La
Toilette herds more by himself. but he
is newer to Washington than the 9TH
erS and has not been so long in Con-
greSsioral life. The Senators who as
pire to the Presidency sometimes
wander over to the House side They
have the privilege of the floor ard they
rarely go that way without looking ND
the Speaker, whether he be in the hall
of the House or tilted back in the
chair of his private room In front Of a
little mahogany desk.
The two cabinet candidates meet at
least twice a week around the cabinet
table. The Speaker and the Sena-
torial candidates get around to the |
War Department occasionally and to |
the Treasury Department frequently |
to ask for favors for their constituents |
SO the friendly interchange goes on |