The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-09-13
KEEPS HANDS OFF
TAFT DOES NOT BOTHER ABOUT
 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
Unlike Roosevelt, Presept Exeeutiye Allows Commissioners to Run Washiagton Government--
 Aged Man Learns to
 Like Tomatoes.
BY ALFRED J. STOPPER.

Washington. Sept. l2.-(Special. )--- In some respects the residents of the District of Columbia find, according to talk heard here, quite a difference be- tween former President Roosevelt and President Taft.
 MT. Roosevelt kept pretty sIInrn eye on things that were happening io- cally as well as in a. national sense. So far Mir. Taft has not bothered with local things worth speaking of.
 Last year quite a number of mad dogs were roaming the suburbs and causing consternation among the peo- pie. Appeals were made to the Dis. trict Commissioners to have all dogn muzzled for a certain period
 Now it happened that the wife of one of the commissioners under whose ju- risdiction this matter came has been for years an active member of the hu. mane society. She thought iu would be just too awfully awful to have the dogs generally muzzled merely because | few had gone mad and misbehaved. and it was conimon talk that she in- duenced her husband to turn deas ear to the appeals of the peeple. Sew era1 citizens laid the matter befora President Roosevelt. Immediately ia directed that the dog-muzziing order should be Issued and that the canines should be muzEled, too. or he woula soon know why 1t had not been done. It is superfiuous to add that the order was promulgated in a hurry. and dogs that were not muzzled were caught and taken to the pound, and if the owners did not get them out and pay the fine for not muzzling they were sent to their eternal rest.
 They have here in Washington very heavy garbage carts which make the rounds in the early morning hours. The lids were slammed down SO hard by the men collecting the garbage that a terrible racket was caused. interfer- Ing with sleepers, and most harrassinp to sick and nervous folk This nuIs- ance was also brought to tho attention of President Roosevelt and he busted himself until rubber was placed on the carts so that the shutting of the ids would be noiseless. Now the rubber Ia practically worn off and the noise is terrible again.
 Among many of the ex-congressmen who have located In Washington since quitting public life Is one who though approximately 70 years of age, had never until two weeks ago tasted q toe mato. owing to the fact that he had c violent prejudice against this popular vegetable. Finding that he liked it after waiting the natural life of man to get up courage enough to taste one of the things. this retired statesman
 
 admits how much he has missed Hon. Robert E. Doan of Ohio Is the man who discovered that he conld eat to- matoes and has suddenly become so fond of them.
 It came about in this way. He was in a restaurant and the assortment of vegetables did not strike his fancy, and he told the proprietor so, The latter said he would send In something likely to tempt his appetite and In came shortly the most delicious sliced to- matoes seen here this season, ait smothered tin ice. MT. Doan says he did not like to tell the restaurant keep CT he had never tasted a tomato be- cause he had a prejudice of his boy hood days against 1t. so he just deter mined then and there to shut his eyes and try his best to gulp down a piece or two. To his great surprise and de. light he found that he greatly relishee what in his juvenile existence used to be called out In Ohio Hove apples" and nobody in his part of the country would eat them. because they said they could not be worth eating, for the reason that even hogs declined them.