New-York tribune., 1908-06-19
NEUyS At THE VAR OFFICE
Secretary attending to OHc'of
Duties-Family Present.

vyasbinston .June 1S-"Words do not find
themselves at a time like this. l do not deny
that 1 am very happy
This was the response of Secretary Wllilan
H. Taft to a request for an expression OF MS
views on his nomination for the PRESIDENCY
The sentences did not come easily. Throughout
the afternoon preceding the announcement OF
his nomination the Secretary had been labor
ing under suppressed nervous tension Inc
+o.,bara of his office was electric with ex-
citement.
Notwithstanding the great personal interest
which he had in the proceedings at Chlcago' d
thousand miles away, Secretary TART ala not
allow politics to interfere for moment Win
his transaction of official business as Secretary
of War In the intermissiOns of the receipt
of bulletins from the convention he disposed Oh
several important departmental questions ana
when his nomination for the Presidency was
announced his desk practically was cieaieu Vi
| important official business
MRS. TAFT IN HUSBANDS OFFICE
Shortly before II o'clock Mrs. Taft arrived at
the War Department. She scanned careIully
the bulletins which had been received from tlie'
convention and distinctly manifested her pleas
ure at the result of the action of the convention
regarding the platform She is a CLOSE anu
accurate observer of things political and is
| throughout the preliminary campaign for the
Presidential nomination
shortly after o'clock. before the nominating
speeches Of the Presidential candidates had been
concluded, Miss Helen Heron Tart, the oscre-
tarv's daughter, Joined the group in MT Iait
nrfvate office. The Secretary laughingly ex
plained that she probably would have been there
sooner If she had not been too nervous to with
stand the strain. Miss Taft was inclined to re-
sent this comment. but it was apparent that she
was infected with nerves." as all others
In the office.
lust before the beginning of the balloting in
the convention Secretary Taft announced that he
had reached an agreement with Monsignor
Ayersa the Apostolic Delegate to Cuba, provid-
ing for the purchase of all the Catholic Church
holdings by the government in Santiago prov
ince Cuba Governor General Wood practically
reached an agreement several years ago for the
purchase of these holdings for $J35,oO. This
agreement was approved by the Palma gov
ernment. The matter has been hanging fire
since that time. The agreement reached to-day
bv Secretary Taft and Monsignor Aversa needs
ONLY the approval of President Roosevelt to make
It binding 1t is expected that the President will
approve the agreement tomorrow. 1t provides
for the purchase of the lands at cost OF $780,
600 and will finally settle matter that has been
pending between TINS government anu the ' at
lean for several years.
SYMPATHY WITH CANDIDATES.
one of the bulletins received from the conven-
tion indicated that speaker while nominating
a candidate had been greeted with jeers. When
Secretary Taft read 1t he frowned.
II am compassionate" said he looking out
of a window of his office, toward any one who
goes through nominating experience in a con-
yention"
BY this time the situation in the Secretary's
office had become tense The door between
Mr. Taft's private office and Secretary Carpen-
ters office thrown open In the former
stood Secretary Taft. surrounded by members
of his family and personal and political friends
Among them were Mrs. Taft, Miss Helen Taft.
Master Charlie Taft, General Oliver. Assistant
Secretary OF War; Mr.. Newberry, Assistant Sec
retary of the Navy; General Bell, chief of staff,
and Mrs. Bell, General Edwards. chief OF the
| insular bureau; General Murray. chief OF ar
tllery: General Aleshire. quartermaster gem
eral; General Noble Joseph B. Bishop.
tary of the Panama Canal Commimssion. and
James j. Williams, jr., one of the assistants in
| the Secretary's campaign. In the outer room.
with Secretary Carpenter were twenty-five or
thirty Washington correspondents, each hanging
on every word that came from the telegraph
instrument
GETTING THE RESULT.
As the balloting began in the convention the
atmosphere in the two rooms seemed to be
charg- with excitement Scarcely word
spoken. Men who ordinarily ere not affected by