Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-03-31
In The Old Days When
White Was Big And
Taft Little
Mr.. While COULD NOT
GET Taft AN INVITATION
Affair Was Too Exclusive - He Got
Pass for Museum and That
Was All--Times Do
Change
tey AIfred henry Lewis.l

Washington, Mar li.-Ambassador
White IL tn step down and out dipln.
matlcilly aud another Is to have his
place ut the French capital There Is
q moral In this passing Of Mr. White
and the story thereof, n story which
extends In It's chapters over more than
twenty years. should teach the reader
to be careful Of the stranger within
his gates. lest in that stranger he en-.
terrain, all unaware, an angel or one
who. sprouting subsequent wings, Is
to become an angel II was IN 1886.
Mr. and Mrs Taft had Just been mar.
ried and were travelling through
Europe, wrapped in those rainbow
folds of sentiment folk called Il
honeymoon
Snubbed the Wrong Persons.
The Tafts In the course Of their en-.
rapturCd rambles came to Vienna
There they found among other mat.
tCrs of moment. more or less. MIR.
White. The latter gentleman was sec.
rotary of the legation for the United
States at the big city on the Danube.
II has ever been the custom of Mr..
White to transact his greatest bust.
ness at other peoples expense. A
mustard seed for manhood, he likes
power, loves position for the chance
It offers of snubblng, neglecting, in.
sultinE those who come to him for
official help or favors.
Also on this Vienna occasion in 1886
he snubbcd, neglected, insulted the
wrong folk. There was some function
coming OF upon near afternoon. Mr.
Taft thought he'd take the iust.made
Mrs. Taft to see II. He asked Mr.
White, secretary of legation, to sec
about an invitation. To procure such
invitations was not among things i'm
possible. Mr. White could have had
them b a mFrest hint.
Only TO 'he Important.
The opportunity to disappoint some
one was. however, too good. Mr.
White embraced II. Upon the morn
ing of the royal function Mr.. White
sent a note to Mr.. Taft. It ran IL
practically these words:
81 am sorry to inform you that wa,
unable to accomplish what you asked
The affair is very exclusive. The nun
Der Of invitations is limited and the,
have been ordered sent only to per
sons Of Importance and distinction.
inclose however, tickets to the muse
UNI and trust that Mrs. Taft and your
self will spend a pleasant afternoon.
Mr. TAFT still has that White letter
II has become, although not filed, tn,
big document in what might be called
THE Case of Ambassador White"
Mr.. White has forwarded the usua
/ formal resignation. This was dont
the moment Mr.. Taft was inaugurated
and 1t arrived the other day. It vii
be accepted at once, although sucl
acceptance will come periliously nea
breaking the ambassadorial heart o
| Mr.. White, who likes his job.
Mrs. Taft Has Memory.
That White Vienna letter of 1888,
will be the reason, the real reason
Of the diplomatic letting out of Nj
White. Mr.. Taft, whose good natur,
Is as big of belt and as rotund as hi
body, might forgive and forget, bu
the resentments of Mrs. Taft are o
bitter temper. 1t is she who insist
upon the dismissal of Mr.. White.
Also she Will have her way. An,
why not? Vengeance Is but the othe
mate place In nature. What 1
either but a paying of debts? A maj
helps you and you help him; he hurt
you and You hurt him; and the fac
that the original helping or hurting
happened twenty.three years ago ha
nothing to do either to diminish o
| a nh