Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-24
La Toilette Making Roadway
+ in Taft Territory.
GAINING IN NORTH DAKOTA
Fear Taft Is Too Conservative..De.
spite Roosevelt Affiliations.
STEWARDS VIEW
He Says Teddy or Taft" Sums UP
the Situation-Important Lunch
con Guests Today.

La Toilette is making Roadway as
presidential candidate in supposed Taft
territory. This has been brought out
from several sources. 1t was admitted
today by two of the callers at the White
House-Senator McCumber and Repre-
sentative Gronna of North Dakota. They
talked with the President some time on
subjects they did not desire to discuss
When asked as to the La Toilette move
ment in their state they admitted that
the Wisconsin senator has many friends
there and that these friends are prose-
lyting at a rapid rate arranging organi-
cations and getting ready to compete for
delegates in state nearly everybody has
heretofore accredited to the Ohioan. They
do not believe Taft will lose the delegates.
hoover Senator La Toilette has cam
paigned in North Dakota. and his radical
views as to public questions are declared
to suit the tastes of good many thou
sands of citizens who fear that Secre-
tary Taft is too conservative, despite his
affiliations with the Roosevelt admins
tration and the Presidents Endorsement.
What is true i'm North Dakota is said 10
be true i'll some of the other western
states. where The La Toilette people receive
acknowledgment from the elements OPP
posed to Secretary Taft. but too weak to
do anything on their own accounts. The
fact that Senator La Toilette is not bear
ing the handicap of a reactionary and is
supposed to be uRObject ionable as a
publican candidate. except for geographic
zeal location. adds delicate embarra sSment
to the labOrs of the Taft people They do
not dare to do anything that will arouse
he enmity of the La Toilette supporters.
They would like to have things SO that
the La Toilette vote will come to them
after the first two or three ballots. At
hQ f,v,H<. f1ntr Il
votes. and it is necessary for them to be-
come aggressive to- save themselves.
They claim that Secretary Taft has al
ready conceded too much in not going
into territory of the favorite sons, and
that they cannot afford to permit things
to go by the board in territory they be-
lieve to be their own. The opponents of
Taft are delighted with the idea that
there may be sharp clash between the
Ohioan and Wisconsin. Nothing would
suit them better. 1t is to try to smooth
over some things that there are to be
number of conferences.
Either Roosevelt or Taft.
Ex-senator Stewart of Nevada, an ar
dent admirer of the President, sums up
the situation, to use his own words, as
Teddy or Taft" He sees it this way:
IL they don't nominate Taft mighty
early in the game. they can depend on
getting Teddy. and that is a dead GER
tainty. There is no use talking about
anything else. If these people who are
doing all the scheming really know
what the country will demand they will
be good"
Gov GiIIett Of California was intro
duced to the President today by Sena
tors Perkins and Flint. He will have a
conference with the President before
he leaves Washington, which will not
be for several days. politics I'm our
state is not very hot" said the governor
Our fights over delegates will be; set
tied in primaries, and since the date
for these primaries was fixed there has
been no great amount Of interest We
are more absorbed in other things. The
rebuilding of San Francisco is taking
much of our time, and arrangements
for receiving the fleet of warships are
also interesting US did not come here
to talk politics with the President or
anybody else. L came to tell Congress
what d bad condition some of our riv-
crS and l1arborS are in. The San JOa-
quin and Sacramento rivers have been
slowly filling up from dirt displaced by
mining in the mountains. Instead of
having thirty feet of water i'm the chan
nelS in places where navigation lis i'm
perative. they have only eight or ten
feet. We are urging that some dredg-
ing and other improvements be made
as quickly as possible" Gov. Ciillett
said that his wife had been i'll, and that
after he fixes his work here he will
take her south for a short stay in the
hope of benefit.
Important Luncheon Guests.
Harry S. New chairman Of the republi-
can national committee; Secretary Taft
and Secretary Root are guests of Presi-
dent Roosevelt at luncheon today.
Col. Goethals and ex-senator Blackburn
of the isthmian canal commission talked
to the President this morning about canal
matters. Both of these officials will sail
from New York tomorrow to return to the
canal, where work is progressing salts
factorily to the administration.
Ex-senator John l.. Wilson of Wash
ington, who has been seriously i'll at
hospital in Baltimore, was received by the
President today. He is still weak from a
severe operation, but is improving Mr..
Wilson has been talked of for Secretary
of the Interior should Secretary Taft be
nominated and elected, but he said today
he knew nothing of this talk. Mr.. Wilson
has not announced himself as for any par
ticular candidate for President.
Ellis Sell a well-knOWn business man of
Greensburg Pa, who is often taken for
Senator .Depew, because of the close re-
semblance, paid his respects to the Presi-
dent He was introduced by Tracy L. JEFF
fordS of this city.
Aid for Agricultural Training.
President Roosevelt talked for half an
hour today with subcommittee of a COM
mittee of fifteen appointed by the National
Educational Association to further the
work of instruction in agriculture, manual
training and home economics in the nor
NAL schools of the United States. in sew
eral speeches the President has expressed
himself strongly in favor of training
teachers for agricultural education
throughout the country. He has said that
hands as well as heads should have edu-
cation The subcommittee was composed
of John r. Kirk of Missouri, Thomas {.
Miller, West Virginia; d. Il. Johnson of
South Carolina. III. G.. William of Ohio,
J. w. Olsen of Minnesota, l.. +. Balconfb
of Oklahoma and c. +. Bishop of Ohio.
The members of the committee told the
President that they wish To see the bill
of Senator Burkett of Nebraska become
law. They said that the aid proposed in
that bill would do for the normal schools
what the Morrill,. Adams and Hatch
funds have done for the state universe
ties, agricultural colleges and experiment
stations. The desired instruction is de-
manded largely in rural communities. and
to prepare teachers for the work the
normal schools would be able TO reach
larger proportion Of citizenship. The
President was requested to aid in tn
movement for efficient instruction along
TIE lines indicated The President gave
his hearty approval to the general propO-
sition and said that he believed much
good could be accomplished. He said that
there were two bills pending in Congress
fbo hills and he could