Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1908-08-07

with swagger.
'Then, gentlemen" said the secre-
tary, twill you kindly step over to that
table and write out your resigna-
tions?"
The men didn't want to resign. They
eeconsidered. The upshot was that
they went back to work. Taft investi- /
gated their claims and after due con-
sideration determined not to grant
them the increase until such time as
all other classes Of labor employed on |
the canal could have a proportionate !
raise in pay.
Though Mr.. Taft's home has been in
Cincinnati all his life and he still votes
in the city where he was born, it is
probably fact that no man ever con-
sidered for the presidency of the United
States has been such globe trotter.
Mr.. Taft has been nearly everywhere.
He is essentially a world citizen, hav-
ing hobnobbed with kings and COM
mons. with princes and peasants. IN
various countries. 1t is estimated by
a careful statistician that in his official
capacity since his appointment as
chairman Of the Philippine commits
sion Mr.. Taft has travelled approxi.
mately 10000 miles, or half dozen
times around the earth. 1t seems as
easy for him to undertake journey
halfway around the world as it is for
the average person to make a hundred
mile trip. And Mr.. Taft always works
hard right'up to the last minute. When
he was about to start on the Journey
to the Philippines which became ia
nous as the matchmaking trip" be-
cause the presidents daughter and
other young ladies found their life
romances en- route the secretary Of
war was exceedingly busy. He had
much work to do In his Office in the
war department.. A messenger noti-
fed him that it was but twenty min
utes to train time.
Gail right" cheerily responded Taft.
continuing at work.
Five minutes later the messenger an
nounced the flight Of time.
YAH right" said Taft.
When there were but ten minutes to
spare second messenger rushed in
and tried to hurry up the chief person
age connected with the journey.
'Train leaves in ten minutes, Mr..
Secretary"
VERY well.' said Mr.. Secretary, still
| working at his desk.
! About eleven minutes later the first
messenger walked in and remarked:
Your train has Just pulled out Of the
| station. Mr.. Secretary.'
''Fine" cried Taft, with the Taft
laugh. He knew very we'll. of course,
| that his train would wait for him, and
he was not worried. Twenty minutes
later he bundled up the department pa
pers on which he could work en- route.
stepped into his carriage and went to
the railroad station.
"A train can watt" he remarked to
his private secretary, 'but the United
States war Departmental business can't"
Though Mr.. Taft is a. very busy man.
he finds time to keep we'll acquainted
with his family. He is fine family
man, with fine family. Mrs. Taft, the
first lady in the land in the event of
her husbands election to the presi-
dency. is daughter Of John W. Her
ron, who was President Hayes law
partner. The Hayes and Heron fami-
lies were on terms Of close intimacy.
During the Hayes presidency young
Miss Helen Heron, now Mrs. Taft,
spent the Christmas holidays in the
White House, the president being ''un
cle'' to her and Mrs. Hayes 'AMnt
Lucy" This visit remains Mrs. Tafts
pleasantest recollection of gfrlhood
times. Nothing in my life." she has
said, reaches the climax of human
bliss which felt as a girl of isixteen
when I was entertained at the\ White
House."
Mrs. Taft is handsome, intellectual,
talented, witty and vivacious. She has
been student Of music all her life
and for seven years was president Of
the Cincinnati Symphony orchestra.
She believes in the higher education
for both men and women, and 1T is her
proudest boast that all her children
are studious. Her daughter, Miss
Helen Heron Taft, now sixteen, has
elected to take 4 full college course
and is at Bryn Mawr. The eldest son,
Robert Alphonso Taft. is nineteen and
is Junior at Yale. He took two en-
trance prizes when he entered the uni.
versity. He has chosen the law as his
profession. The other child is Charlie,
a boy Of ten, whoInow, dreams of West
Point.
Il am old fashioned enough" says
Mrs. Taft, ito believe that woman is
the complement Of man, andsthat what
is most feminine a]bout her Is most at.