Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-27
TAFT AT OYSTER BAY
ConferS With the President
and Gen. Wright.
Department AFFAIRS UP
Coaching the Next Secretary of
War.
NOMINEE CORDIALLY GREETED
Chucks Babies Under the Chin and
Shakes Hands With ALI
the Women.
Department AFFAIRS UP
NOMINEE CORDIALLY GREETED
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
OYSTER BAY. N. Y. June 27.-Secre-
tary Taft and Gen. Luke E. Wright, the
next Secretary of War. arrived here to-
day on the 1O:11 am. train and went at
once to Sycamore Hill to take luncheon
with President Roosevelt
Secretary Taft disappointed the people
of Oyster Bay today. 1t was expected
that he would arrive at noon. and ar
rangements had been made to give him
a rousing reception. AS a fact, he
rived much earlier. and comparatively
few people were at the station. AS the
Secretary, accompanied by Gen. Wright,
stepped from the train. he was surrounded
by persons who desired to greet him. He
chatted genially with those about him.
shaking hands with all within reach.
Among those who greeted him were fif-
teen or twenty ladies and children. One
little tot held up her Teddy bear to
him to look at. He patted the child on
the head and remarked: You're pretty
child and your Teddy bear is just fine"
The presidential nominee was cheered
Justify. There were more women than
men present and Mr.. Taft genially shook
hands with all of them.
Several Of the women brought their
babies and held them up for Secretary
Taft to chuck under the chin. The
| women all voted that Mr.. Taft was both
handsome and good-natured
Secretary, Taft and Gen. Wright were
| conducted to government automobile in
waiting for them and were whirled away
to Sycamore HILL
Might Refer to Politics.
| Secretary Taft laughingly remarked on
the way to Oyster Bay that he fancied
politics might be referred to incidentally
| at todayS conference, but declined to
| give any intimation of the nature of the
discussion He said frankly that no de-
| termination of the national craftsmanship
question would be reached today.
That matter" said he. will go over
until the eighth of July. when the SUBJ
committee of the republican national COM
mittee will confer with me, and, l hope,
with Representative Sherman in Washing
| ton"
/ Are you going to talk over the ma
ttonal craftsmanship with the President ?''
Mr. Taft was asked. as he climbed into
| the government automobile
were going to discuss several things"
| he replied, but / will not be able to tell
what it Is all about until / return''
chairman"
| Now, it's too soon to talk about that, -
| was the reply.
President Roosevelt arranged today's
conference at Sycamore Hill with the out
going and incoming secretaries of war in
order that a general understanding of
questions now pending before the War
Department might be acquired by Gen
| Wright. Among the matters to be dis
cussed is the situation in Panama. No
likely in the opinion of Secretary Taft and
Gen. Wright. The placing of 1.200 marines
| on the American zone of the iSthmus is
likely to prevent trouble at the approach
| n1nntinn Maf fln
| Philippines and Cuba also were to be con-
| sidered. Gen. Clarence r. Edwards. chief
of the bureau of insular affairs. brought
from Washington last night the latest in
| formation concerning developments in
| all American insular possessions Gen.
Edwards did not accompany the Secre-
tary and Gen. Wright to Oyster Bay, but
will join the Secretary in New York and
| return with him to Washington.
Taft's Return to Washington.
1t is the intention of the War Secretary
to leave Oyster Bay this afternoon at 2:40
o'clock. He will arrive at Long Island
| City at o'clock and will hurry across
the river and through New York city in
an effort to catch the 4:55 train for
Washington at West I'D street. He re-
marked this morning that it would be a
race against time.
Other visitors at Sycamore Hill today
| kellogg of Minnesota and w. l.. Ward of
New York; District Attorney Simpson of
| New York, whose visit is purely a per-
sonal one; Robert Bridges and Lincoln
| Steffens.
Kellogg in a Hurry.
| Mr. Kellogg, known as the trust
| buster'' and Mr.. Ward came to discuss
politics with the President and to give
their views as to who the new national
chairman should be. Both men. it is
! said, favor Mr. Hitchcock for the place.
| Messrs. Kellogg and Ward reached here
| on the noon train and drove at once to
Sycamore HILL Neither would discuss
politics in any way. Mr. Ward was so
| anxious to get to the hill that he did
not even wait for the government auto
| mobile but jumped into the first hack,
dragging Mr.. kellogg after him.
| Drive as fast as you can commanded
the committeeman, we've got to get to
| Sycamore Hill in hurry"