Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-18
TAFT'S EAR TO EARTH
In Constant Touch With Con-
vention Happenings.
HAS HIS PICTURE TAKEN
Satisfied With Changes in Party
Platform.
BOTHERED BY GUARDIANSHIP
Bombarded With Dispatches, But
Will Not Take Up Matter Until
Adjournment.
BY GUARDIANSHIP

President Roosevelt and Secretary Taft
today had their fingers on the pulse of the
| Chicago convention.
| Shortly before 10 o'clock Secretary Taft
reached his private Office in the War De-
partment and Immediately plunged into
the business of the day. Private Secretary
Carpenter presented to him several rou-
tine matters concerning the War Depart
| ment
In the course of the disposition of these
Secretary Taft was requested by a photo
grapher to pose for picture.
"All right he responded, genially I'm
posing now
Never Uses Phone.
After the instrument was partially ad-
justed. the photographer asked the Secre-
| tary to sit at the telephone
Il do not sit at the telephone" replied
the Secretary. laughing. Telephone mes
sages are taken by somebody else. I'll
not do anything unnatural
The photograph was taken while the
Secretary was sitting at his desk trans
acting the governments business.
Awaiting him on his desk Secretary
Taft found bundle of kilograms from
Chicago and from various other parts of
the country. nearly all of them relating
to some phase OF the convention proceed
ings. He received with particular graft
fication the information that the commit
tee on resolutions had agreed upon the
platform substantially in the form he de-
sired it to be.
Changes Are Satisfactory.
Overnight exchanges of kilograms be-
tween the President and Secretary Taft
and their leaders in Chicago had indi-
Gated that Il few slight changes had been
agreed upon at the meeting of the reso-
lutions committee. These changes were
not unsatisfactory to either the President
or to the Secretary.
In the early morning exchanges the in
dications were that no contest over any
expected on the floor of the convention
from members of the resolutions commit
tee.
Already the matter Of the national chair
manship has been taken up with Secre-
tary Taft He is bombarded with tele-
grams in support of various men. 1t can
be said that no determination yet has
been reached respecting the craftsmanship
of the committee. and none will be reach
ed until after the convention shall have
adjourned.
Taft Sees Root and President.
After disposing Of such business as was
on his desk when he reached the War
Department and receiving two or three
visitors Secretary Taft went to the ex-
ecutive Offices for a conference with Pres
ident Roosevelt. They were Joined few
minutes later by Secretary Root, and to-
gether they discussed the situation as it
was reported to them from Chicago.
Mr.. Taft was with the President about
10 10
said he had not called to discuss any
matter concerning politics. but did not
indicate whether he had kept strictly to
this purpose while in the executive Office.
The President spent a busy morning.
and between discussing matters with his
callers and reading bulletins from the
convention as they were brought into him
he had no spare moment.
Taft Seems Unperturbed.
If Secretary Taft was alarmed over the
Roosevelt demonstration yesterday after
noon he did not betray 1t to any of those
who met him. either at his Office or at
the White House, after the receipt of the
news.
Following the example of the President,
Secretary Taft went out horseback rid
ing yesterday afternoon. His companions
were Gen. Bell, chief of staff. and Gen.
Edwards. chief of the insular bureau.
Mrs Taft manifested her keen interest
in the convention proceedings today by
joining the Secretary in his private office
and getting at first hand the reports from
Chicago. She remained throughout the
afternoon. and scanned closely all of the
dispatches received. 1t was a novel eX-
perience for her to be SO closely in touch
with a great assemblage nearly a thou
sand miles distant.
Means Of Communication.
Special arrangements have been made
by Secretary Taft for obtaining the ear,
lest and most accurate news concerning
the convention proceedings in Chicago.
Direct telegraph and long-distance tele-
phone lines have been run into his pri-
vate office in the War Department. \
direct Telegraph wire also runs into the
executive csc at the White House.
BY these means both the President and
Secretary Taft are in constant commune
cation with the convention leaders Con-
hdential telegraph and telephone operators
are on duty at the Chicago end Of the
wires. and not move is made on the
floor of the convention which is not In
SANITY reported to Washington.
secretary Taft was in communication
To-Day with his managers in Chicago and
kept apace with the situation as 1t de-
Veioped from incident to incident Re-
ports OF the committees to the conven-
tlon which had been forecasted in the
early private advices, were received with
satisfaction both by the Secretary and
by the President
important exchanges between Secretary
laIt and his Chicago friends were made
YESTERDAY as TO the platform, especially
DIS 10 the anu-inJunction plank.