The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-01-19
PRESIDENT WANTS
To TAKE THE SOFA
Mrs. Roosevelt Has Aloha for
Piece of White House
Furniture.
Bv Ernest G.. Walker.

of a fuss is likely to be made IN Con-
gress over a request by President
Roosevelt to remove certain furniture
from the White House and the White
House offices on March +, when he re-
tires to private life. If trouble comes,
however, it Will be largely because Of
the unfriendIy relations that exist be-
tween the President and Congress-
Senators and members say the Presi-
| dent has improved every possible OPP
portunity to cast reflections upon them
and he ought to expect no quarter in
return from them.
Not long ago the President wrote to
| Speaker Cannon a letter that has been
! referred to the House Committee on
appropriations. 1t stated that when he
retired to private life he wishes to take
away the chair at the head of the
cabinet table, where he had presided
| and also. the chair at his Office desk
in the corner room. Mrs. Roosevelt, the
President added, would like to take
away sofa, which was the first article
of furniture that she purchased for the
White House.
| Furthermore the President said he
would like to permit the members of
| his cabinet to take away chairs they
had used at the council table. He did
not mark the letter "persOnal and
therefore it was referred to the appro-
priatiOn committee.
Will Probably Grant the Request.
1t is not probable that the House
or the Senate will refuse the Pres1.
dent S request but pains have been
taken at the Capitol to look up the
cost of the property in question, espe'
cally of the chairs. 1t seems that the
government paid $75 each for them.
The cost of the sofa, to which the
| President refers is not known at the
Capitol.
Last winter the President wrote a
letter to Speaker Cannon about appro-
priations for furthering the operations
of the Hepburn law and also in behalf
of the Secret Service. He marked that
letter "persOnal' and yet as soon as
the wrangle between the Congress and
the President began to grow warm Sen
atOrs and Representatives became aware
of the fact that persons in the Treas
ury Department, including Chief Wilkie
were making much of the Speaker s
failure to make that letter public
Plainly the House leaders think the
President has not intended this letter
! should be public but as he did not mark
it confidential they are allowing it to
follow routine channels.
The President writes to the Speaker
that it has been customary for his pre-
J decessors to take away certain articles
of furniture 1t is claimed at the
CAPITOL that no record of such prece
dents can be found. However, it has
been the custom for the retiring Vice
President to appropriate certain furni
ture of his room at the north end OF
the Capitol and it is matter of RECORD
that those officials have taken away
some very costly pieces.
Trekking Toward Georgia
The pilgrimages Of statesmen into
Georgia are becoming something of {
: feature in the political happenings Of
| the hour. Some have already been call
J ed thither to confer with the President
elect. Senator Lodge of Massachusetts
one of the four men who probably die
most to further Mr.. Taft S nomination
for the presidency, has just returned
from Augusta where he had long tall
over the situation, especially with refer
ence to New England.
He is the special champion for the
retention of Postmaster General Meye,
in the new cabinet AS it is taken fo1
granted that Mr. Taft viii name a
! least one New England man, other thar
! National Chairman Hitchcock, to the
| cabinet and that that other New Eng
lander will be a Massachusetts mar
the Bay State senators are keenly con
cerned as to who that man is to be
There is some rivalry between Repub
Iican factions in Massachusetts, as t.
whether Mr. Meyer shall be retained
in the cabinet or whether Representa-
tive John w. Weeks, of Massachusetts
> shall be named as Secretary of the
I Navy. 1t may happen that some othe
l New England State will bear away The
| plum.
1 The President s Secretary, Mr.. Loeb
I is to be in Augusta within a few day!
l and it is expected that the prospective
President will talks things over will
l him. Mr.. Loeb was one of Mr.. Taft :.
1 most active friends during the cam
/ paigns for the nomination and election
/ Mr.. Taft thinks very highly Of him
| but thus far Mr. Loeb has had no as
surances that he will be invited t
have a seat at Mr.. Taft 5 cabinet table
| Knox Will Be Starting Soon.
Senator Knox. who is to be the new
] Secretary of State, is also starting