New-York tribune., 1908-08-03
NCLEARY SEES TAFT
.C4ILS NORTHWEST SAFE.
Second Assistant Postmaster Gen
crdI at Hot Springs.
CRy Telegraph to The Tribune9

CRy Telegraph The TribuneD
Hot Springs. Va. Aug with the arrival
of lanes T McCleary. Second Assistant Post
master General, TO consult with Mr. TAFT to
SAY a political flavor was given TO the gossip
bout tbe resort Mr. McC1eary. who was un-
III he took his present office a member OF Con-
rress from Minnesota. assured the candidate
that everything was all right up that way
and that a large Republican majority could be
-ac,ed for the state and national tickets
..,rbe o,l-- hope of the Democrats is To per
sua6e Johnson to run again. and Johnson is too
wise 10 do IT." said Mr. McCleary. He knows
that if he does run we'H lick him good and
hard II he runs and is beaten. he also knows
that it will kill him off a Presidential posi-
riitv in 1912, and that is what he is look
ins forward 10 now don't believe that they IL
GET him into the race. 1 understand that John
son has already made contract with some
lecture bureau. and soon as his term expires
will start out on the road. He expects OF
course to- popularize himself with a large num-
her Of people in this way. and II he goes uraN :
cling will probably make quite nuIn0er %
friends for he is a most engaging fellow But
neither on the lecture platform nor anywhere
slse will Johnson ever be caught expressing an
.soo He will never say a thing that VIII IN
any rossjble way make an enemy. NO one mas
,,s- YET gained from any speech Of his what
-, ha,ieves on any subject under the sun mat
.;+ of his character will make him lots OF
,-,ends at first but If he ever comes UP as a
1,-.-,5en+ial candidate it will make him a
-,ivb+v easy man for the Republicans to beat
.s7-hs democrats are building great hopes of
= Brvan victory in Wisconsin IheE peheNe
49, because f971an is a good deal like La Fol
1ette the la Toilette Republicans VIII vote Tor
lin n this they are going TO be mistaken, l
/ IN sop
. -oo5 hard battle fought there Wisconsin
In ba tre Interest and most hotly contested
field in the Northwest
In wisconsin Mr.. AIc-ieary added. he could
see the good effect of the speech Of acceptance
already. The handling 10y Mr. Taft of the rail
road question had pleased the La Toilette wing
~ the party in that state
Mr.. Taft is in daily receipt Of letters of ad-
vice from all over the country All of them are
evidently prompted by the kindiiest sentiments
and il is safe to say that each one Of the Volun-
teer political guides is convinced that unless his
suggestions are followed the Republican cause
will 20 down to defeat in November Once in a
while however the candidate gets letter that
he regards as not only i'll advised but impudent.
The writer's Of such missives usually get an EYE
opener" by return mail. one Of the latest of
such letters was from writer in New Eng
land who "deplored the fact that Mr. Tafts
daughter Miss Helen. was visiting in Savannah
BY allowing her to sojourn in the South, the
writer asserted. the Republicans viii surely
lose the negro vote.
MI Taft wrote a sharp little note in reply,
saving that if the visit Of his daughter to Savan
nah or any other place was going to alienate the
negro vote. he did not want the vote
Mr. Taft attended morning services with Mrs
Taft at ST Luke's Episcopal Church. and
listened to sermon by the Rev. John g. Scott.
the rector. ARISE and eat, because the journey
Is too great for thee was the text, from
Kings from which MI Scott drew the les
son that frequent spiritual food was as neces-
sary for the present day Christian life as was
the literal command to Elijah which he had
quoted.
In the afternoon the Tafts went for drive
with General and Mrs. Corbin and Senator
Bourne.
Just call me Mr. Taft. and if you drop into
coIoauialisr, call me Bill This Mr.
Taft's laughing reply to-day when granting an
audience TO a number Of newspaper men, who
had severallv addressed him as Mr.. Secre-
tary,' Governor Judge and Mr. Taft"
Il first got the name Bill" at Yale con-
tinued Mr.. Taft, replying to a question. Be
fore vent there had been Willie in my home
and among my Cincinnati boyhood friends But
when got through school L called VIII at
home Ny younger brother Harry, however,
never called me Willie after happening one
day at college. We roomed together on the top
floor Of Farnam Hall. Our room just over
the middle entrance. Harry was freshman, l
Junior. He had gone out and forgotten TO take
with him book he wanted. He came back to
The entrance and, looking up the outside,
yelled. oh. WilIie,' Well, in a second there was
head out Of every one Of the four hundred
windows. and it seemed as though every one
yelled at once. At any rate there was one long
chorus Of oh, Wiiet' That cured Harry. He
has called me Bill ever since
How about the four hundred Students"
"oh. they called me Bill just the same. You
see. weighed two hundred then"
This cable dispatch from Governor Magoon of
Cuba was received by Mr.. Taft to-day:
Many thanks for YOUR exceedingly gratifying
message. The thanks of the Cuban people are
cue for laying out the course. The suggestion
which came from you that electoral administra-
uon be placed in the hands of electoral boards,
partisan in their majority but with paru-
saa representation thereon, finds expression in
me new electoral law, and has contributed
largely 10 its successful operation.