Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-06-05
To REORGANIzE
WASHINGTON, D. c.
PRESIDENT TAFT MAKES 1T
CLEAR THAT HE DIsAP.
PROVES PRESENT
SYSTEM.
WAS DINED TO CONVERT HIM.
Incidents of Washington Life-Taft
is ALSO OPPOSED TO Won.
ans Suffrage-His
Speech.
WAS DINED TO CONVERT HIM.

Washington, ID. C.-The city Of
Washington had been awfuliy anxious
To get along well with President TAFT,
but ON the whole II can be said tn
have quite done So.
Soon after Mr.. Taft was inaugurated
the Board of Trade of Washington de-
veloped a Plan to give a grand banquet
for him. lie was asked II he would
accept an invitation, and II was duly
sent. The big business men Of Wash.
| ington. with only select few OF the
officials and statesmen, were invited,
and banquet to cost some fabulous
amount per plate was widely heralded.
Now, between the Presidents ac.
! ceptance Of that invitation and the
banquet itself two incidents took
place First, the Associated Charities
of the town got into financial straits:
about for means to raise 1t. Second,
President Taft permitted the fact To
! become known that he Is generally
dissatisfied with the present form of
government In Washington, and thinks
n reorganization necessary in order
to get economical and efficient admin.
istIation This plan didn't very well
please the Board of Trades friends,
who are not friendly to having a reor.
ganization of the municipal admin.
istratiOn just at this time.
The first sorrOwful jar to amiable
relations between the President and
the town was caused by the appear.
ance of cartoon which represented
the President and the Board OF Trade
dining AT S25 Plate, and over ag inst
this was the poor and emaciated As.
ISOLATED Charities pacing the hat for
small contributions.
The cartoon got wide circulation
and caused . sensation.
And r!gh, atOp Of this came a worse
blow to an!ty. Leading people in the
Board OF Trade thinking that they
could take advantage ol the banquet
to get the President to withdraw his
scheme OF rcorgonizing the municipal
government plrccd on their pro
gramme Judge STAFFORD of the District
ISupreme Court. Judge Stanford Is an
IeXcellent SPEAKER Gnd an able man
and when he started out to speak
his function being 10 Introduce the
President he launched into speech
In which he vigorous y declared
against the plan Of government which
It was understood the President want
ed, and In favor OF the particular plan
which. It was well known, the Presi
dent emphlticaiy opposed. The Presi
dent had made II plain that he Is
especially opposed TO gaming suf
frGge to the District OF Columbia; and
Justice Stafford ma lie strong pro
Isuilrage speech.
The President Gdgeted a good deal
throughout the Stafford speech, which
was enthusiastically applauded
The result was that by the time
Judge Stafford had done talking and
the blnquetters had done cheering
him, the President was called upon
very much disrleased with the enter
tainment he was getting He launch
ed into a reply to Judge Stafford. In
the course of his speech he expressed
IN unmistakeable terms his sentiments
toward the suffrage movement IN
Washington declaring that he would
not give his assent to any such reor
gauiZation, and made clear that, de
, spite the opposition of some local In
tereats. he was disposed to so ahead
and carry out his own IDEAS, so faI
az possible, OF improving the admin
istration OF the city.
II resolved itself into joint debate
between Judge Stafford and the Presi
dent In which the crowd was with the
Judge but the power is all with tbs
President. When they went home the
business men were dubious In the ca
IRENE as to whether they had gained
anything worth while by the clever
scheme OF committing the President
to their plan.
Washington is governed under Con
gress, with three commissioners az
executives, The term of the chairman
of the commission recently expired
and the President declined to reap
point him or to name any other MAI
because OF the hope that the form o.
government would be changed by
Congress. This brought the matte,
to u crisis, with the result of the sor
rowful incident of the banquet.