The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-02-15

10, 1909.
becoming more independent but also
more cautious. as might be expected, Of
one who finds himself approaching the
great responsibilities of the presidency
Although he knows, as does the coun-
try, that he put away denomination
which could have been his without the
asking and which in all probability
would have been as good as reelec-
ton. President Roosevelt does not al
together enjoy the contemplation of re-
tirement to private life. He did not
altogether relish Mr.. Taft 5 failure to
honor his request in behalf of Mr..
Loeb. The President has not been par
ticularly sensitive about it, although the
realization that Mr.. Taft was not to
bring Mr.. Loeb to his cabinet table
was rather new sensation for man
who has been accustomed to having his
own way for over seven years.
The Presidents enemies and those
who do not approve of his administra>
ton have been filing the public eve
ever since last November with pfedic-
lions that Mr.. Taft would be more con-
sentative than his predecessor and that
the country would have much nee ded
rest. Of late the President has not
been unmindful that there are infiuen.
tial men in Congress and out of it, who
feel so intensely. that they are offer
ing up thanks at the close of every
day because the time till March 4 has
been reduced by twenty four hours. He
fought Congress vigorously in the hope
of impressing its members with the
fact that they could not regard him as
dead lion during the short session.
He stirred up deal if hostility and
the country rallied to his side of the
controversy. but after all the President
accomplished nothing in the way of
legislation. Congress has enacted no
reform laws this winter. It's leaders
lrnever intended to.
Cooling Towards Successor.
The President believes in Mr.. Taft,
as he always has, and leaving Wash
ington, will wish him well. But, after
all is said, he is not so enthusiastic now
about the work of his successor in of
fee as he was three months ago. This
may be due quite as much to the praise
that Mr.. Roosevelt S enemies have been
extending to Mr.. Taft as to anything
Mr. Taft has done himself.
Credits Tennis Cabinet.
Testing the country over at the ex'
pense of the tennis cabinet finds no
responsive chord with President Roose.
welt He has not hesitated of late to
let people know as much. To the men,
who have been playing tennis with him
at the rear of the White House Offices
for several years, the President at
tributes much OF the success he has had
in urging forward reforms that have
been a feature of his administration.
Of course some members of the tennis
cabinet have been members of the real
cabinet but it is quite possible that the
President would ascribe to the former
| body quite as much credit as to the
| latter, who are his constitutional adj
visers Some of his words of late would
| indicate as much. He picked them for
! the tennis cabinet for two reasons. One
was that he wanted to keep in close
touch with men who were thoroughly,
/ loyal to him and to his ideas and who
! We're resourceful in putting into opera,
| tions the plans that he and they favor
ed. The President has stated that OF
course the members of the tennis cabi-
net had to know how to play tennis at
j least a little. That was the second
consideration he had in mind in invit-
ing them to the White House tennis
/ court.
/ The last member of the tennis eabi-
net to become a member of the real
! cabinet is Secretary of State Bacon
who is to be the premier of the last
month of the Roosevelt administration.
(, He is already holding office, having been
nominated to the Senate and confirmed
there, the same as all Secretaries OF
State are. Mr.. Bacon wanted the honor
of being a Secretary of State, which
he will now enjoy till March f.. With
/, his entrance into the cabinet there are
| really four members of the tennis cabl-
net sitting around the table at the
/ biweekly meetings in the White House
Offices. Secretary of the Interior Gar
field, who is soon going back to ONO
; to resume the practise of law, is one
of them; Postmaster General Meyer is
/ another, and Secretary of the Navy
| Newberry is the fourth. The last two,
especially Secretary Newberry, have
/ played in the tennis cabinet but little.
The President has been generous
enough to give these and others of his
| tennis PLAYERS credit for much of the
work that the public has bestowed up
on him. Possibly to none of his tennis
players is he more grateful for assist
ance than to Mr. Clifford Pinchot. Chief
Forester. But Mr.. Pinchot is likely to
remain in office anyway as the chief OF
that bureau has been holding office
without regard to the beginning and
the ending of administrations. Mr.. PIN
chot has been the moving spirit behind
the President in the extensive con
servation work of the last two or three
years as he was in bringing about the
Farmers Uplift Commission. He served
as a member of both commission, and
was fertile in good ideas and sugges
tons.
The fun that has been poked at the
Uplift Commission does not disturb the
President at all. He expected that II
would be laugh at but he reasons thai
long after people have forgotten t.
laugh at jokes cracked at the expense
of the uplifters they will be bordering
over the recommendations that the com
mission has made. And he expects tina
the agitation over the Improvement o.
, the conditions of farmers will resul
} in new thought on that subject and IL