Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-19
TAFT OVERWHELMED
WITH FLUCTUATIONS
Offered by Visitors and Pour.
ing In Over Wires.
MANY GIFTS OF FLOWERS
Secretary of War Gives Expression to
His Happiness.
RECEIVED RETURNS IN OFFICE
Wife, Daughter, Son and Friends
With Him When Announcement
of Nomination Arrived.
RECEIVED RETURNS IN OFFICE
"Words do not find themselves nj q
time like this.
81 do not deny that . am very happy"

"Words do not find themselves nj a
time like this.
81 do not deny that . am very happy"
This was the response OF Secretary
William H. Taft last evening to a re-
quest for an expression of his views Of
his nomination for the presidency. The
sentence did not come easily.
Throughout the afternoon preceding the
announcement of the nomination, the
Secretary had been laboring under sup
pressed nervous tension. The atmos-
phere of his Office was electric with en-
element.
| Notwithstanding the great personal i'm
terest which he had in the proceedings
at Chicago. nearly thousand miles
away, Secretary Taft did not permit poll
tics to interfere for a moment with his
transaction of official business as Secre-
| tary Of War. In the intermissions of the
receipt of bulletins from the convention,
the Secretary disposed of several i'm
| portant department questions. When
his nomination for the presidency was
| announced his desk practically vas clear
ed of important official business.
1urouS IN his Omce.
Throughout the afternoon the private
! office of Secretary Taft and the office of
his private secretary. Fred L. Carpenter.
were thronsed with members of his fam-
ly, intimate personal and Official friends
and newspaper men.
Early in the afternoon Mrs. Taft ar
rived at the War Department She
! scanned carefully the bulletins which
| had been received from the convention.
md dist incl,y manifested Ter pleasure at
The result of the action of the convention
regarding the platform. She is a close
and accurate observer of things political
and was one of the best advisers the Sec
| rotary has had throughout the prelimi-
nary campaign for the presidential nomi-
| nation.
Mrs Taft remained in the Secretary's
| private office throughout the afternoon.
| She was attired in pure white and wore
| a big picture hat of pea green straw
adorned with seal brown and pale green
ostrich plumes
Accompanying her was the young son
| of the Secretary and Mrs. Taft-little
Charle-whose proud privilege il was TO
carry the bulletins received from the con-
| vention from the telegraph operator to
| the Secretary's desk. He was the busiest
person in the War Department.
While awaiting the coming of the bulle-
| tins he stood at the desk of the telegraph
| operator listening anxiously at the fateful
| ticking Of the instrument. He wore suit
| of khaki knickerbockers with "A blue and
came from the operators typewriter he
scanned it quickly and rushed with ii into
| his fathers office.
1t was to Mrs Taft ordinarily that he
presented the bulletins rather than to
Secretary Taft He listened while his
mother read the bulletins to the Secre-
tary's assembled guests.
Taft Shows Feeling.
One bulletin received from the conven-
ton indicated that a speaker. while nomi-
mating a candidate. had been greeted with
jeers. When Secretary Taft read it he
| frowneds
81 am compassionate" said he, looking
out of window of his Office. toward
any one who goes through a nominating
experience in a convention.
The remark of the Secretary was a
sidelight on the man. He knew what il
meant to pass through so Sruelng eX-
Yperience as a campaign for a presidential
nomination.
Secretary Taft had arranged to visit the
war college with Secretary Root at ;
| o'clock. At the last moment he natur-
ally concluded to await the result of the
ballot which was about TO be taken in
| Chicago.
| BY this time the situation i'm the Secre-
| tary's office had become tense. The door
between the Secretary's private office and
| Private Secretary Carpenters Office was
| thrown wide.
! In the former sat Secretary Taft, sur
rounded by members of his family and
personal and political friends Among
them We're Mrs. Taft Miss Helen Taft.
Master Charlie Taft, Assistant Secretary
| of War Gen. Oliver. Assistant Secretary
of the Navy Newberry. Gen. Bell. chief
of staff. and Mrs. Bell; Gen. Edwards.
chief of the insular bureau; Gen. Muir
ray. chief of artillery; Gen. Aleshire,
| quartermaster general: Gen. Noble. Jo-
| seph B. Bishop, secretary of the Panama
canal commission: Judge Charlton. Gen.
Witherspoon and James T: Williams. one
of Mr.. Hitchcocks assistants in the Sec
retary's campaign.
Mr.. Williams had the convention hall
on the long-distance telephone; but on
account of the confusion in the Coliseum
was unable to confirm the news. A min
ute SO later another bulletin from the
| first. was received and was followed inn
mediately by combinations from official
| quarters.
Nomination Is Confirmed.
| Scarcely had this news been conveyed
wire came the fash:
Taft is nominated.
Mrs. Taft rose from her seat at the
Secretarys desk and turned to her hus-
band, who was standing at her right. 1t
was eloquent handclasp they gave
each other.
Mrs Taft was bubbling over with hap
piness All evidence of the nervous strain
which had been in her face during the en-
tire afternoon had disappeared. The Sec
rotary himself laughed with the JOY
of boy.
Around both the Secretary and Mrs.
! Taft their friends crowded TO offer con-
| eratulations 1t was a happy scene-the
| realization of months of labor and tribu-
| lation.
Secretary Root was the first cabinet Of
| ficer to extend to Secretary and MRS.
/ Taft his concentrations on tne nominal
| ton.
| He remarked facetiously to Secretary
| Taft while the latter was shaking hands
with some of his newspaper friends, that
| he probably would find ii difficult TO
| shake" these men either during his
| campaign or after his election. Secretary