Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-03
At THE WHITE HOUSE
All! Members of Cabinet Pres.
ent Today.
ROBERTS ON NAVY AFFAIRS
Member of House Naval Committee
Gives His Views.
MR.. BOURNE STICKS TO IT
Says That in Sixty Days People Will
Demand That the President TAXI
Another Nomination.
dR. BOURNE STICKS TO IT

The cabinet meeting today broke some
records. 1t was the first meeting OF tho
new year. Every member was present
It was the first meeting Secretary Taft
has attended since last June. The Presi-
dent went to Oyster Bay in June. and be-
fore he returned here in September Sec
rotary Taft was abroad. Since Mr.. Taft
came back he has been absent when cabi-
net sessions were held. Secretary Cortel-
you, who has been absent from all official
duties for about three weeks on account
of the grip, was present for the first time
in a number of weeks.
If there have been any differences be-
tween Secretary Taft and Secretary Cor
telyou over political matters 1t was not
shown today. as the two presidential as
pirants greeted each other most cordially.
Secretary Taft called on Secretary Cor
telyou during the latters illness at his
home.
One of the matters taken up by the
President was that of a report made to
him by Attorney General Bonaparte an
swering criticisms that have been going
through the columns of western newspa-
pers by President Ripley of the Santa F'e
road as to the rebate cases against that
road. The report is being printed, and
will be made public tomorrow.
Representative Roberts of Massachu-
sets, a member of the naval affairs COM
mitNe of the House, gave his views on
naval matters after visit to the White
House today. He is not favorable to the
bureau system in vogue in the Navy De-
partment. and considers that a reorgan-
liza ton of that system will be of great
benefit to the navy. He doubts very much.
however whether anything will be done
in the way of reorganization at this ses-
sion of Congress. He admits that the
work is difficult one, and that there is
much difference of opinion in all quarters.
Fewer bureaus he regards as an absolute
necessity.
While he does not commit himself to the
proposition of putting civilians in charge
of navy yards, he is half inclined to be-
lieve that this would be better than hav-
ing them in charge of naval officers. He
does not believe that either the Navy De-
partment or navy yards are conducted ON
business principles and wants 10 see
little more of the methods of business i'm
planted throughout.
Mr. Roberts is a believer in big battle-
ships and hopes to see Congress liberal at
this session in providing for fighting YES
sells. He said that a case of mumps pre-
vented the authorization of two 2j,COO-
ton batteships at the last session. Mr..
Roberts said that he believed in the
largest kind of battleships, and when his
committee brought the question to a vote
at the last session he was confined to his
home with the mumps. When the vote
was taken there was tie as between the
10000 and $1,000 ton ships. Had he been
able to vote he would have decided the tie
by voting for the 2J,000-ton ships. In
future appropriations for war vessels Mr..
Roberts is inclined to believe that the
committees OF Congress should be more
specific in fixing the types of vessels to be
constructed and not leave so much to the
Navy Department
Mr.. S. N. D. North, director of tho
census. introduced to the President to-
day Mr.. and Mrs Arthur Hun ION. Mrs.
Hunton is better known as Katherine
Goodson, the noted English pianist.
She is to perform at the White House
tonight.
Senator Bourne Sticks to It.
Senator, there is a horrible story on
the rounds that you have forsaken your
second elective idea and that you have
concluded to accept the final statement
of the President that nothing can force
him to accept another nomination Of
his party for President. What is there
in it?'
Not thing in the world was -the
prompt answer of the Oregon senator.
Just wait sixty days and watch de-
velopments in that time You will
probably see that the people will begin
to demand what l have predicted they
would do-that the President must take
another nomination."
Senator Bourne called on the Presi-
dent with some constituents. lie has
held Oh to the second elective or third
term proposition, regardless of the fact
that everybody else has gotten onto
one of the other band wagons.
Walking to San Francisco.
Benjamin Manster a New York young
man, who says he is going to walk from
New York to San Francisco in eighty
days, was received by the President to-
day. He left New York on Monday and
got here last night. Manster claims to
have broken all pedestrian records be-
tween New York and Philadelphia on a
former occasion, saying that he covered
the distance, about 135 miles, in twenty
three hours and thirty-two minutes.
Manster says he ought to have been in
Washington before lat night but that
the roads were exceedingly bad and de-
layed him. lie claims that he walks at
the rate of five miles hour and walks
ten or twelve hours each day. San Fran
cisco and New York are over 5000 miles
apart. Manster is not accompanied by
any one and has little money. He is de-
pending on the sale of photograph OF
himself to furnish money TO carry him
through.