The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-12-04
same unpretentious man he always was
as Secretary of War.
Meeting the Correspondents.

meeting the correspondents.
He has established one precedent that
Mr.. Roosevelt never observed. That
is seeing newspaper correspondents in
: the east room, which is the big state
parlor Of the White House. Mr.. Rcose-
welt has had many meetings with the
a, newspaper correspondents, but these
meetings have almost invariably been
, in his Office or in the cabinet room,
, which adioins his Office Occasionally
, he has made an appointment with some
newspaper friend to see him in the
evening at the White House. That,
however, has been rare. When Mr.
Taft was here some weeks ago in the
midst of the campaign he made an ap-
pointment with the correspondents in
the east room and he did the same
q thing again Sunday. Most of the fifty
men who greeted him there were per-
. sonal friends or acquaintance. He
= stood in the center of the group for a
half an hour and not only stood fire
, Of questions, but joked with those
whom he knew, discussed incidents of
his campaign, and discussed matters in
general He is the frankest man with
the newspapers who has been in public
life for many years.
There was a joke or two at the ex-
pense of President Roosevelt IS athletics,
when he told why Postmaster General
Meyer, Ambassador Henry White and
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
Beekman Winthrop called. 81 guess
they came quite as much to see the
President, as to see me-" said Mr.. Taft,
"for they were going out for walk
with the President. No, do not know
whether they were prepared to take a
. swim in Rock Creek" This was an
5 allusion to the "stroll" of high army
officers which the President led some
days ago, in the course of which he
took them into the icy waters of Rock
) Creek, which came well up to their
shoulderstraps.
Not for Athletics.
The athletic prominence of the White
House will cease when Mr.. Taft is Civ.
:. en- the front door key to that estab-
lishment. He is not much given to the
kind of athletic exercise that the Pres
= ident favors. He is too heavy to play
tennis and is not particularly fond OF
{. boxing, or walking. But as all the
:. country knows, he likes to play golf
The heavy snow fall throughout Virgi
MIA during Saturday and Sunday made
/; the golf links at Hot Springs impossi
BILE, but Mr.. Taft was informed, so h,
said at the White House, that tn
!, snow would disappear rapidly in tn
Virginia mountains so that the cours
would be good again by the time h
returned there from Cincinnati.
Where he will play golf when h
q comes to Washington is something o
a question. In all probability he viii
want to play, because that is his ia
vorite exercise and, when he gets int
the White House. he will need exercis
y golf links near the city. The mos
exclusive are the Chevy Chase links
~ which are just beyond the district lin
in Maryland. 1t is a half hours rid
" thither. His golf playing will Civ
~ those charged with his protection, a
n President, some uneasiness. Mr.. Roose
W welt has played tennis for a humble
~ of years Just at the rear of the Whit
House offices and within twenty fee
20 of a public thoroughfare. But a hig
"a screen of green cloth has completed
~ obscured him from the public.
' Mr.. Taft is very fond of horsebac
ol riding, as is President Roosevelt, blu
nc he and the President have ridden bu
little together. Mr.. Taft does not lik
the strenuous exercise that the Pre-;
g. ident likes and then his 300 pound
i'll are too much for horse to carry a
he the speed and for the long distance
in that the President rides. There ha
if been mueh searching for an extraord
if narily strong horse for the President
nd elect, which has not been altogethe
ms successful.
nd 1t has been reported that the Whit
IN House stables would not be stocked 9
ay generously with horses during the Tai
EN- administration as the new PresideI
vi would use the automobile more as
vi. vehicle. 1t has been stated that tw
to high power machines had already bee
or. ordered for that purpose, but Mr.. Ia:
nat said when here that he knew nothir
ity about it. However, the President.ele
in. likes the automobile better than do
err. President Roosevelt. He may keep
at. pair or two of driving horses and
al. saddle horse or two, but it is altogeth
I'VE likely that there will be garage
not one end of the stables.