Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-06-27
TAFT AGAIN TURNS
TO POLITICAL FIELD
FUNMAKING OF COMMENCE
MENT WEEK OVER
Secretary of War Leaves New Haven
for New York-Has Conference
with Booker T. Wash.
lnqton


by Associated Press.
NEW YORK. June 26.-Secretary
Taft has passed from pleasure to poll
tics. The transition, inevitable In a
way, was really not distasteful to him.
During the fun making of commence
ment week at Yale he had a pretty
strenuous time. He really is greatly
fatigued.
The change, therefore, from purely
personal to purely political affairs was
In the nature of a recreation,
The change came between New Ha-
ven and New York city. After bidding
farewell at New Haven to some of his
Oldest friends, he boarded the 1851 D. m
| New York, New Haven G. Hartford
train for New York. The trip was quite
uneventful. After. reading for a time
| the secretary chatted incidentally with
He was unaccompanied except by a
| newspaper friend.
Embracing the opportunity to obtain
a little rest on the trip, he dropped to
sleep in his chair and was not awak-
ened until he reached the Grand Central
station. There he was met by James T.
Williams, jr., a member of his political
staff in Washington, who accompanied
him to hotel.
AS the secretary left the station for
the street he was given a cordial greet
ing by the hundreds of people who had
assembled to see him. Once more he
was a presidential candidate and not
merely the "Bill" Taft of Yale.
For four days 1t has been "Bill, Bill,
Bill" Tonight it once more is Mr..
Secretary" and he is being greeted not
merely because of his personality, but
as the standard bearer of great polit-
ical party. The secretary was driven
directly from the station to the Man
haitian, where apartments for him had
linz
Der of people in the hotel lobby who de-
sired to pay their respects to him, the
secretary went to his apartments.
There he received a few friends while
he was preparing for dinner.
Shortly after o'clock, accompanied
by Jacob G. Schmidlap of Cincinnati,
he left the hotel for the st. Regis, where
he dined as the guest of Mr.. Schmidlap.
1t had been arranged that Gen. Luke
Wright, who is to succeed Secretary
Taft next wednesday, and Clarence
Edwards, chief of the bureau of insular
affairs, should be guests at the dinner,
but they did not arrive in time. Those
who attended the dinner besides Secre-
tary Taft and Mr.. ,Schmidlap We're A.
c. Coffin, head of the General Electric
company, and Ralph Peters, president
of the Long Island railroad. Both are
old friends of Secretary Taft The din
ner was practically an informal func-
ZION ana WITHOUT pOlltlCdI slSIllHN dhNC'
At it's conclusion the party had an
automobile ride about the city.
1t was 1920 p. m. when the secre-
tary reached the hotel. Politicians
were buzzing about the lobby like bees.
The secretary greeted all friends with
cordially, but begged to be excused
from any extended conferences tonight
Among those who paid their respects to
him was John Hays Hammond. HIS
conversation with Mr.. Taft was purely
personal.
Soon after the secretary reached his
apartments he had a conference with
President Booker T. Washington of
the Tuskegee institute, Alabama.
Mr.. Washington came to New York
to attend a meeting Of the board or
trustees of the institution. He asked
Mr.. Taft to deliver at least two for
NAL addresses during the approaching
campaign. particularly to the negroes
of America. No definite conclusion was
reached, but 1t is not unlikely that at
least one address of the kind indi-
Gated may be delivered by the secre-
tary before the close of the campaign.
Ex-Governor Luke e. Wright ar
rived at the Manhattan shortly after
8 o'clock, directly from his home at
Memphis, Tenn. A few minutes after
ward General Edwards arrived from
Washington, accompanied by Frank
B. Kellogg, Republican national COM
mitteeman for Minnesota and special
counsel for the government In the
proceedings against the Standard Oil
company. He will go to Oyster Bay
tomorrow to have conference with
President Roosevelt, although he is
not directly connected with the party
of Secretary Taft.
Secretary of the Treasury Cortelyou
was also a guest at the Manhattan to-
night. He was at the funeral at Prince
ton today of ex-President Cleveland.
He saw Secretary Taft late In the
evening, but their conversation was
purely personal.
Tomorrow morning Secretary Taft,
with General Wright and General Ed
wards, will take an early train for
oyster Bay to confer with President
Roosevelt. The purpose Of the con-
ference is to discuss questions now
pending before the war department and
Ex-Governor Wright's new duties as
secretary of War.
Politics also will be discussed, par
ticularlys the selection of a chairman
of the Republican national committee.
Secretary Taft hopes to conclude his
talk with President Roosevelt in time
to enable him to return to Washington
tomorrow night.
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