The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-06-19
HOW TAFT. HEARD
In His Office Surrounded by
Family and Friends
The Secretary Received the
News of His Nomination.
LAUGHED LIKE A BOY.
Shock Hands With Everybody
Within His Reach.
And Then Went With Root to
the War College.


Washington, June 19.-"Words do
not find themselves at time like this.
do not deny that am very happy"
This was the response of Secretary
William H. Taft to a request for an
expression of his views on his nomina-
ton for the presidency. The sentences
did not come easily. Throughout the
afternoon preceding the announce
ment of his nomination the secretary
had been laboring under suppressed
nervous tension. The atmosphere Of
his office was electric with excitement
Notwithstanding the great personal
interest which he had in the proceed
ings at Chicago, a thousand miles
away, Secretary Taft did not permit
politics to interfere for a moment with
his transactions of official business as
secretary of war. In the intermissions
of the receipt Of a bulletin from the
convention the, secretary disposed OF
several important departmental Ques-
lions and when his nomination for the
presidency was announced his desk
practically was cleared Of important
official business. Throughout the af-
ternoon the private office of Secretary
Taft and the office of his private secre-
tary, Frederick Carpenter, were
thronged with members of his family,
intimate personal and official friends
and newspaper men.
Mrs. Taft Arrives.
Shortly before IL o'clock Mrs. Taft
arrived at the war department. She
scanned the bulletins which had been
received from the convention and dis
tinctly manifested her pleasure at the
result Of the action of the convention
regarding the platform. She is a close
and accurate observer Of things polit-
ically and is one of the best advisers
the secretary has had throughout the
preliminary campaign for the presi-
Dental nomination.
Mrs. Taft remained in the secre-
tary.s private office throughout the
coming suit of 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 Secre-
| tary and Mrs. Taft-little Charlie
whose special function 1t 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 bull
letin he stood at the desk of the tele-
1 *
! the fateful ticking of the instrument.
AS each bulletin came from the OPP
orators typewriter he scanned 1t
quickly and rushed with 1t into his
| fathers Office It was to- Mrs. Taft,
ordinarily that he presented the bull
| letin rather than to Secretary Taft
and he listened while his mother read
| the bulletins to the secretary's assem-
| bled guests. s9
Miss Helen Comes In.
| Shortly after o'clock-before the
nomination speeches of the presiden-
! tial candidates had been concluded
| Miss Helen Heron Taft, the secre-
tary's daughter. Joined the group in
Mr.. Taft's private office. The secre-
tary laughingly, explained that she
probably would have been there soon
er. If she had not been too nervous to
withstand the strain. Miss Taft was
inclined to resent this comment, but
| it was apparent that she was infected
with nerves as were all others in the
office
One of the bulletins received from
the convention indicated that a
speaker while nominating a candidate
had been greeted with jeers. When
Secretary Taft read it he frowned. II
am compassionate" said he, looking
out a window Of the office, toward
any one who goes through a nomin-
ating experience in convention"
The remark Of the secretary was q
side light on the man. He knew what
| it meant to pass through SO grave ar
experience as campaign for a preS1-
Dental nomination. Secretary Taft ha6
| arranged to visit the war college with
| Secretary Root at o'clock, but at the
| last moment he naturally concluded tt
await the result of the ballot which
| was about to be taken in Chicago. By
| this time the situation in the secre-
| tary's office had become tense. The
| door between the secretary's private
office and Secretary Carpenters office
was thrown wide open. In the formel
stood Secretary Taft surrounded by
menbers of his family and persona
| and political friends. Among then
were Mrs. Taft, Miss Helen Taft, Mas
| ter Charles Taft, Assistant Secretar!
| of War General Oliver. Assistant Sec
rotary Of the Navy Newberry; Genera
! Bell. chief of staff; and Mrs. Bell; Gen
| Edwards, chief of the insular bureau
| General Murray. chief of artillery
General Aleshire, quartermaster gen
| eral: General Noble, Joseph H. Bishop
secretary of the Panama canal com
| mission, and James T. Williams, Jr.
| one of the assistants in the secretary
| campaign. In the outer room with Sec
| rotary Carpenter were 70 or 81 WASH
! ington correspondents. each hanging
| on every word that came from the tel
| egraph instrument.
When BaIloting Began.
AS the balloting began in the conven
ton the atmosphere in the two room
| seemed to be surcharged with excite
| ment Scarcely a word was spoken
Men who ordinarily are not affected b,
nervousness hung over the TELEGRAPH
instrument. as if their lives depende,
] upon the words which the stolid tele
grapher was ticking out on his tyne
1 writer. Something went wrong witt
the official dispatches The first an
/ nouncement was that Massa chusett
had cast 80 votes for Taft. Then tn
| announcement from Michigan with 1T
4 one for Cannon.
i At this moment Carpenters tele
l phone iingled and W. PANEL, Secre