The National tribune., 1909-08-26
THE SUMNER CAPITAL AT BEVERLY.
Public Business Pushed Right Along the Midst of Golf and Auto
mobine-The Presidents Western Tour and Its Probable
Political Aspects-The BaningerPinchot Controversy.


various States. Many of the names
have not yet been determined. The
politicians are not taking a tremendous
interest in the work, because the Presl-
dent has warned them in public letter
that if a Census Supervisor or Census
EnumeratoT is caught being politically
active he will be dismissed forthwith.
In like way other Cabinet officers
have been given their Summer tasks by
the President, which is keeping the De-
partmental wheels rotating. Attorney
General Wickersham has just left Bev-
erly after an important talk, which the
President said was not only about par
don cases, but about the legislation that
the President contemplates asking OF
Congress this Winter. Considerable OF
the investigation work is on subjects
the President intends putting into his
annual message. He will not write II
till he returns to Washington in early
November. BY that time his Cabinet
officers will have completed inquiries
into certain matters, the results will be
laid before him. the President can pass
judgment upon the facts as presented
and incorporate into his message what
suits him. 1t probably will not be a
long document. The President is averse
to such outputs, preferring to sum up
concisely what he wants.
But in the long interim he will be
cleaning many ideas from the people
he meets and talks with. He keeps
very careful watch of the newspapers
and magazines, even on his vacation, to
famiIiarize himself with the trend of
public opinion. He is improving to the
utmost the opportunities for getting out
among the people and learning their
views.
The Presidents Golf.
m, Of
great local interest for time, and the
newspapers paid as much attention to
them daily as to the affairs of stne
which the President transacted every
afternoon following luncheon. But the
news interest in those games has now
Jagged. There are several golf clubs in
this section of Massachusetts,, and all of
played only at Myopia and at the Essex
County Club, and apparently will not
play anywhere else. There was a great
rush of expectancy to participate in golf
games with the President; but, as
matter of fact, he has had very few
partners and has shown no disposition
to take in outsiders. The Presidents
foursomes, mostly played at the Essex
links. have comprised himself and John
Hays Hammond on the one side and
w. j. Boardman, of Washington, and
Gen. Adelbert Ames, of Lowell, on the
other side. The Boardmans are old
time friends of the President, and he
and Mrs. Taft have been down there to
luncheon since their arrival on the
North Shore. Recently John Hays Ham,
mond, who was at Yale with the Presi-
dent and who has a Summer home
down Gloucester way, fell ill, and there
have been no foursomes since the ply
sician advised Mr.. Hammond to desist
for awhile. The President has played
golf witt. Mr.. Hammond more than with
any othei since he arrived here, but he
personally likes the big mining engi-
neer. and is going to take him along on
the Western trip. A few days ago he
vert tforyn to Gloucester to take lunch
ident's brother. Charles p. Taft. and
his wife have. been here for about
week, and Charles was taken into the
golf game. Then, one day, when the
partners such as the President wanted
seemed to be few, Robert Taft, the
Presidents son, was given a chance to
show his skill. Capt. Butt, the Presi-
dents Aid, plays an occasional game
with the President When Secretary of
the Navy Meyer returned from his fish
ing trip on the Restagouche River.
Canada, to his home at Hamilton, hard
by here, he became golfing favorite,
and has been playing with the Presi-
dent. The Lieutenant-Governor of Mas
Mr.. rockingham. hinted
that he would like to play with the
President, and in a devious way it was
circulated that the Governor and the
Leutenant-Gove of Massachusetts
were to be the Presidents antagonists
at golf; but, all the same, no invita-
tions from the President have been
The Photographers.
There has been considerable trouble
with the photographers in connection
with the Presidential golfing. One of
President Roosevelt's maxims used to
be: Never allow yourself to be photo
graphed at golf or tennis. The people
regard them as rich mems games"
Probably no man in public life was ever
more than President
Roosevelt. He reveled in photographs
There were snapshots and posings, pic
lures on horseback, on the plains in
camp, at his desk in the White House,
and so on thru a long category. But
no camera ever caught the President
playing tennis. He kept big screen
around his tennis court. He did not
play golf.
President Taft has not been so for
tunate. Some one caught him at golf
on the links at Chevy Chase, near
That picture got into cir
quite generally before efforts
were made to suppress 1t. He allowed
many photographs to be taken of him
and also of Mrs. Taft when he came TO
Beverly, but he fought shy of cameras
on the golf links. All the same, they
caught him. One part of the Essex
County course comes near to the public
highway, where everybody is privileged
to so. The Secret Service men drove
away the camera fiends. who swarm out
rom BostoD, but that did not entirely
succeed. There is an old barn near the
Essex course. The camera fends one
day secreted themselves in the hay,
made an opening thru the boards, and
when the President came down that
way they snapped him and printed
their. pictures in the Boston papers.
Such annoyances as these and the
automobile speed criticisms have been
the exception, and on the whole every
thing has been as the President wanted
It, Quite likely he will return here. and
bring the Summer Capital with him
next Summer and succeeding Summers
because he is thoroly pleased with the
North Shore, but he has encouraged
none of the real estate people to think
that he will do SO. Hardly had the
President arrived In Beverly before
stories started that he was Interested In
a beautiful estate on Castle HilI, in ms
Wich, some 10 miles from Beverly. He
had driven there because Of the beauti-
ful view to be had from the ton of the
hill. The President denied that he had
any intention whatever of purchasing
that or any other estate. He did NOT
have available money for any such VEN
ture. Then IL was put out that his rich
hFnfhar ID rref