The morning journal-courier. (New Haven, Conn.) 1907-1913, 1908-05-18


dents cabinet, United States senator's
and members OF The house of repre-
sentatives, governors, heads Of great
educational institutions, scientists Of
note, newspaper and magazine men
from every section OF the country,
architects and Industrial and labor
leaders moved about with the freedom
Of club membership and made com
mon acquaintance. Each was at lib
erty to introduce himself to his neigh
hor 1t was Il superlatively modest
and retiring man who failed to meet
and chat with the delegate or COVER
nor who appealed to his sense Of In
tellectual, political or social affinity.
Presiding over this democratic gath
ering was President Roosevelt the In
terest in whose presence was Increased
by the fact that he faced as many
presidential candidates as there arc
fingers upon ones hands, The one not
able absence Of presidential POSSIBLE
ties was Secretary of War Taft, who
was In Panama at work upon a sue
eessful diplomatic errand. The Roose-
welt whom the conferees met was
Roosevelt, the diplomat. the human and
the tactful The Roosevelt whom the
senators bow to In the White house
only to shake their fists at on the out
side was not present. The only glimpse
we had of the strenuous Roosevelt,
who carries everything before him with
his lmpetuous will, was when he re-
marked to the conference In COM
planning mood, that congress had not
compiled with his modest request for
money enough to keep alive the wa
ter-ways commission. Lowering his
printed address and raising his closed
hand he declared that he would find
way 10 get the money In spite of con-
gress. 1t was not mixed audience,
susceptible to the fascination OF def,
which greeted this declaration with APP
plause, but an audience made up Of
men Of conflicting political ideas and
mature judgment. one OF the many
gllmpses given of the human Roose-
Welt was when he announced that ow-
ing to the limited time at the disposal
OF the conference, and the number of
speakers, II had been decided to limit
the formal speeches to twenty minutes
and the informal speeches to ten. The
bell will sound three minutes before
the finish" said the president, an an
nouncement which was received with
roars Of laughter "A sporting PROPOSE
ton. gentlemen, he quickly explained
amid more laughter
1t is not an exaggeration TO calmly
assert that the Roosevelt, who was In
control of the conference through the
sheer force Of his magnetic personality
| excited a lively feeling of reciprocal
lriendliness between himself and every
| delegate In the room. His attitude
throughout was well balanced, consld-
crate of the rights and feelings of all
earnest in It's interest in the questions
discussed, but never insistent upon per
sonal views, at times serious and at
tentive, at other times merry and boy
/ ish 1t was a study to watch his face
when a speaker threw himself unex.
/ leCleuly INTO PAT VI ulllOItStti
phraseology. When Mr. Bryan serious
ly declared his inclination TO address:
the conference because he was with.
out a fixed constituency Presiden
Roosevelt held himself until the dele
gates, themselves convused, gave him
4 the chance TO roar with good humor
/ Many Of such incidents could be men
toned, each testifyng TO the humanit!
of the man on the other hand, the skill
and adroitness with which he let thu
i opposition to the proposed declaration
/ of purpose wear itself out were as not
able as the extreme good nature ant
] uneoncealed satisfaction with which h
registered the fact that the conference
4 had adopted the declaration without
a dissenting vote. These things are Il
be mentioned in connection with hi!
courteous and solicitous interest in tn
presence Of Mr.. Bryan, and with tn
heartlness with which he listened L
the papers Of Andrew Carnegie. Jane
! j. Hill and John Mitchell. He was from