The National tribune., 1908-05-21
THE HOUSE OF GOVERNORS.

THE HOUSE OF GOVERNORS.
The President Presides Over the Confer
ence-A Great Gathering-Many Social
Functions.
The House of Governors is the out
growth of the Conference of Cover
nors' which was held in the White
House last week, probably the most
momentous conference ever held in the
White House. Certain it is that that
big white mansion never before turned
itself into Convention hall. The great
East Room, which takes a special weave
Of $50 yards of carpet to cover it, has
been many things by turn, but never
before a political meeting place?
Note well the question mark. It was
not called a political meeting; oh, dear,
no. But when four or five Presidential
candidates and Governors of Al States
meet for a gabfest you can Just warble
there will be politics.
That East Room has had some queer
experiences. When it was, oh, very,
very young, Abigail Adams hung her
clean clothes in that room to dry. The
clothes hung on the south side in the
sunshine from the big. old-fashioned
windows, and the washing went on in
the other end
Ht DDultS OF fTeSluenI llncOln, OIL
Garfield and of Mckinley lay in state
in that room, while half Nation bowed
in grief passed with solemn step and
slow past the funeral bier Sweet Nellie
Grant, the beautiful Francis Folsom
and charming Alice Roosevelt were
married there. Oh, there have been
great doings from first to last in the
East Room, but never before anything
like this congregation of Governors,
Mi ~, 1al kIx
dent of the United States, Theodore
Roosevelt. A President of the United
States never did anything of that kind
before, but President Roosevelt delights
in showing how many things a Presi-
dent can do that people have always
thought he must not do, just because
he is President.
President Roosevelt is the youngest
President who has ever filled the chair
of Chief Magistrate. Yet as he held
the gavel over that conference he faced
some rs men, each one of whom has
achieved success in political life, and
most of whom have figured to some
extent in the financial world Yet most
of those men were Ioafing round the so
figure in age. A few, it is true, are
getting along. There was big Jim
Hill, the great railroad wizard, grim,
rather ragged of outline, but vigorous
intellectually and physically, the hero
of many financial and Industrial battles
in which he came off winner.
Then there was Andrew Carnegie, the
rich, small, rather rotund, fine of voice,
but vigorous for his years, which show
in his whitened hair Hughes was there,
Gov. Hughes. of New fvrk, whom some
people would like to have sign his
name president, u. S. A. but who
didn't look to be caring Tall, slender,
suave, thought cold, but very business
like. There was that other Presidential
candidate, Gov. johnson, of Minnesota.
Tall, very slender, not handsome, rather
loOse-jointed, just a mite carelessly
dressed, his hand in his pocket good
deal, and a grave look on his face when
in repose, but the kindliest smile imag-
Unable when he is pleased He had a
lot of people around him wherever he
went. People seemed just to want to
touch him, or at least get look at
him. And there was another Presiden-
tial candidate, the perennial one. Will
liam Jennings Bryan, the Talker. He
was portly, expansive, smiling as al
ways, and made a speech that ought to
have been his opportunity" but which
fell below his usual efforts in interest.
There was another near-candidate
for the Presidency in young Gov. Folk,
of Missouri. He was the particular Gov
ernor who fostered the idea of having
House of Governors" Gov. Hoch,
of Kansas, the apostle of prohibition,
was prominent John Mitchell, the
great labor leader, was there. Vice
President Fairbanks was another Presi-
Dental possibility. Say, if you did but
know it Vice President Fairbanks is one
of the most affable, genial men living
to-day. He doesn't go round putting
his arm round you. nor does he slap
you On the back and call you "BilI' on
sight. but his hand-grasp is cordial, his
hospitality proverbial. Oh, yes; one
must not forget Judge George Gray. of
Delaware. who Is in the may rum
class, tho he strenuously denies that he
has any aspirations. and declares that
rounding up his political career with
a highly honorable record in the United
States Senate
There We're members of the Cabinet
there, but the Secretary of War was
absent. Could it have been SO planned,
maybe?
The Justices of the Supreme Court
were there as invited guests, among
them two veterans, Col. O. w. Holmes
and Col. John M. Harlan. The former.
with gallant military record. small and
looking much like his distinguished
father, and the latter big of body. as he
is big of brain, his powerful frame as
responsive to his will as tho he was
just beginning his career instead of
about rounding out life that has been
tremendously well lived. But 1t Is useless
to try to tell the characteristics of all
who were there AS have said, their
names are almost household words, for
they were without exception men who
have done things that have been talked
about.
OF course, the East Room had to be
arranged for the comfortable seating of
the Governors. There is never a chair
in that expansive apartment of the
White House. A few long, cloth-of-
gold covered benches are ranged around
the room at intervals, and these will
seat perhaps four people each, but that
is the extent of the seats in the room.
The gold-leafed piano bearing the coats
of-arms of the several States in exquis-
ite painting, stands in one corner, and
that is every scrap of furniture in the
East Room. The floor Is polished hard
wood. and you walk mighty easy on it,
or you fall and run the risk Of breaking
a few of your bones. There are four
fireplaces in the room, with way high-up
mantels, each in a different kind of
marble, and none of 1t single bit pret-
ty, and all looking out of place in
semi Colonial room; above each of these
is a big mirror, but you can't see into
these, because they are SO high up. OF