The San Francisco call., 1908-10-08
KNIGHT WILL SPEAK
WITH JUDGE TAFT
National COmnnitteemanaAccepts
Invitation to Share Platform
With Candidate

Cslifornia's premier republican ora
tor National Committeeman George A.
knight. has accepted an invitation to
speak with William II. Taft at Madi-
son Square garden, New York city,
October IS.
The honor of sharing the platform
with the presidential candidate at the
greatest meeting Of the campaign.
which is but little less than that Of
seconding the nomination of Secretary
Taft in the Chicago convention. will
fall to knight. Either assignment
would be considered sufficient honor for
all time by hundreds of prominent party
spellbinders who would willingly sacri-
fee their eye teeth for a chance atone
OF those invitations
Knight appreciated greatly the honor
conferred on him. and through him
upon the republican party of California,
by his selection for a star role at Chi
cago. Ii is doubtful, however, il that
honor was half as welcome as was
the one he accepted yesterday. Knight s
acceptance Of the pressing invitation
to speak with Taft in New York city
relieves him of the necessity Of placing
himself and his voice at the disposal
OF the California state central COM
mittee.
Let it not be understood that Knight
lacks an abiding interest in the sue
cess OF the republican party in Cali
fornia. Knight loves the republican
party. but he has no use for the state
central committee as represented by
its more or less ornamental captains
and generals
knight told some of his friends sew
eraI weeks ago that he would have
nothing 10 do with the state central
committee and that If that aggregation
Of "mummies and old women" tried to
put him on the stump he would prompt
ly accept the national committees in
vitations to make a big city eastern
tour. Knights pet aversion on the
state central machine was General
George Stone whom the orator various
ly describes. and with some heat, as
fossil. mummy. old woman" There
was also some casual mention of Cen
eral Debility" as q fitting alias for the
splinter SCARED veteran of the sur
veyor's Office.
knight was uncomfortable. He did
not want to go on an eastern tour
He did want to make a few speeches
for some Of his personal friends in the
state, but ne did not want to make
them under the auspices of the state
central committee He was fortified
with bundle of national committee
invitations. which he said he would
accept if the "old women" attempted
to draft him for war.
1t was announced by the state central
committee yesterday that Knights ac-
ceptance of the invitation to speak in
New York with Taft had compelled it
TO cancel most of knights California
engagements. No previous announce
ments of engagements for Knight had
been made but with his departure for
the east the public was permitted to
discover that the pride of Humboldt
had been booked for numerous meet
ings. All of which may explain
knights departure for the east, and it
tends strongly to prove that Knight
meant what he said when he DECLARED
that if the committee attempted to
draft him he would promptly accept
the eastern invitations.
The loss of Knight was only one of
the disappointments suffered by the
committee yesterday. Senator Beve-
ridge wired from Roseburg, Ore, last
night that he had broken down and
would be compelled TO cancel his en-
gagement to speak at Sacramento to-
night The Sacramento meeting to-
night was to be after the Dolliver
meetings. the big feature OF the cam
paign Some Of the state central COM
mittee workers permitted their disap-
pointment to conduce TO the idea that
Beveridge's breakdown was not SO
serious as was what they described as
his "sourbalr' over being billed for
Sacramento instead of San Francisco
A prior engagement made it impos-
sible for Senator Perkins to go to Sac
ramento tonight and 1t was arranged
to send John McNab.