The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-02-13

fort: bly, in a brUuS'ia.l behind ;wo
magnificent horses-fSea.tter Foraker ul
Ohio. OR il may be a ai,rI-ap,naring.
stern little man. who y;tSrrisifl;- ia his
carriage ami hardlyjgia.fces to he right
IT to the left-Secretary ''orte,veu rid
ing fror, his modest resideiee on Wash
;uston flights 10 the Treasury rcpars-
m'pt. 10 be whisled Up an electric eie-
yator to a little corHef rseAi on the sec
ond floor. Likely enough = may be
Speaker Cannon-"Uucie Joe"-Step-
ping out of his front door on Vermont
avenue some morning a black cigar
between his teeth, back siouch hat
upon his head, getting a Start for his
d1, /, work at the Capita. OR It may
be ruddy little man. 5oyish- looking
With face almost as round as The
neon. skidding along in a French auto
mobile-Senator P,,ilander Chase Knox
of Pittsburg, generally conceded for
shear ability TO be the smartest Re-
publican running for the Presidency
the possessor of more gray matter in
his top than any OF his rivals.
One really ought to add another for
there is still another Presidential can
didate in Washington for the Congress
sonal months. He may be seen fire.
quently walking along the streets, wear
ing a heavy beaver overcoat and a
square sort of derby hat. He is gen
orally accompanied by "a big, fat man,
quite as big and quite as rotund as his
rival Secretary Taft 1t is his secre-
tary, the secretary of Senator Robert
La Toilette, the smooth-faced, keen
eyed, actorlike, pompadour statesman
from wisconsin. He lives less preten-
dously than any of the coterie of would
bes in comfortable, but not palatial,
hi o.! Inn, iDhf fox
blocks away from the residence of Sec
Every man of the six. or of the seven,
is frequently spoken 10 as he passes
along. for the population of Washing
ton becomes familiar with the faces OF
notables, and a word of salutatiOn is
generally, bnt not universally, regarded
here as matter Of etiquet. AS Vice
President Fairbanks stalks along he
stops in the middle of a step, at half
rod measure, shakes hands, and says
in a round, nasal voice, How do you
do, Mr.. Blank. Gle is very good at
remembering names.) 1 am very glad
to-see you," and with q minutes con-
versatien he resumes his walk on the
half-rod point. Senator Foraker mods
that gray head quickly when he is
spoken to and makes q courteous bow
that one Is apt to remember. Secre-
tary Cortelyou acknowledges the greet
ing little stiffiy. but cordially. behind
the glass windows of his official car
riage. big Bill' Taft. if one catches
him on the way between the War De-
partment and the White House Offices
or anywhere else, has How de do
and genial smile. The Knox automo-
bile goes by 80 rapidly that there Is
hardly more than opportunity for a
formal bow from the great lawyer of
diminutive stature. Uncle Joe" has
the hearty Western air. and is very
smart in conversation when 1t is once
started. but he is curt III his greetings.
A simple ''How-de" is his usual form.
The candidates are neighborly In
Washington. because they are mostly
personal friends of long standing, and
because, with the exception Of Foraker,
Corte1you and La Toilette. their houses
are close together. Vice President Fair
banks could almost throw open the
window Of his X street residence and
call out to Secretary Taft so that the
latter would hear him. Taft's house is
on K street in an adjoining block, and
Knox's house is only block and a half
away. Speaker Cannon lives just around
the corner from Senator Knox, the
Speakers residence being on Vermont
avenue. EE .I
The candidates meet dozen times a
day. Knox and FORAKER and La Fol-
lette are all pretty constant in their
attendance upon the Senate. They al
most touch elbows in their seats, and
the sessions of these three men and
their colleagues is presided over by the
Vice President. That makes four Pres
idential would-bes right in one cham
Der four or five days of every week.
Knox and Foraker are good friends, but
not chums. Both are brilliant lawyers,
and each has q profound respect for
the knowledge and ability of the other.
Senator La Toilette herds more by
himself, but he is newer to Washington
than the others, and has not been SO
long in Congressional life. The Sena-
tors who aspire to the Presidency some
times wander over to the House side.
They have the privilege of the floor,
and they rarely go that way without
looking up the Speaker, whether he be
in the hall of the House or tilted back
in the chair Of his private room in
front Of a little mahogany desk.
The two Cabinet candidates meet at
least twice a week around the Cabinet
table. The Speaker and the Senatorial
candidates get around to the War De-
DdTtfHeHt occasionally ana 10 the Treas
ury Department frequently to ask for
fayors for their constituents. So the
friendly interchange goes on, and Ii is
little wonder that Washington enjoys
the sight of 1t, because IL Is so rare that
Washington has so many Presidential
candidates here in ore season There
are no personal feuds among the aspi-
rants. as far as known. Even Secretary
Taft and Senator Foraker, both resi-
dents of Cincinnati. are pretty good per-
sonal friends, altho there is a hot po-
litical fight on in which they are the
two principals. When Secretary Taft
first came to Washington Senator For
aker gave him a big reception, to which
all official Washington was hidden.
One does not like to say that dog
shelter" is an unnecessary luxury: but,
honest Injun, it does look so to one
who has to hustle for living and
hustle hard. There has been for sew
eral years dog shelter" in Washing
toms suburbs. which was more or less
supported by society. but mostly by a
maudlin lot of women who would wall
over sick dog. weep over a NANCY cat,
but turn in disgust from a poor, little,
spindling kid that needed food, clothes,
a father and a mother, and was bound
Gevilward unless somebody
stepped in and stopped 1t in its career
down toward crime and a criminals
end. In other words, in this great big
world. where there is SO much sickness,