The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-06-11
HARRISON AND TAFT.

1T did, when 1T did, and the whole
country Will share his. regret Such
things are never very pleasant, and the
average good -natured citizen does not
relish personal bitterness between Off
GERS of the Government. Such clash
is particularly unfortunate in this
case, because Mr.. Taft has a deserved
reputation for urbanity and is really
one OF the last men in the world tol
raise a personal question with any
man, be he Congressman or artisan.
OF course, Harrison is indignant,
snd he will doubtless be cunning for
the President as long as the New York
people have no better man to put in!
his place, but awhen Harrison's pre-
vious conduct is considered. we do not
see how he could have expected any
thing else The President is fair
mark, to be sure and he is legiti-
mate target for Congressmen,-esp
cially for those who wish to get
their names on the front pages of the
papers and have no other claim to-
thing. When Mr.. Harrison charged
that the President had conspired with
the Acknowledgement to furnish to
Congress misleading information, that
limit was reached and passed AS an
honest man, Mr.. Taft naturally resent
ed such a&charge, and had he been q
member ofHhe House or private cit
izen the chances are that he would
at once have tried personal conclu.
sions with Mr.. Harrison. AS it was
he had to be President while he held
his personal opinion as a man, and he
had no other way OF showing what he,
as man, felt towards Harrison than
the way he, as President. acted to-
wards Harrison.
The wrathy brethren, however, will
rise up and say that the President
should not have Inundated Harrison
at the White House. Had not the
President authorized Carpenter to
make an engagement for Harrison tc
call. and was not Mr.. Harrison il
the White House as the invited caller
of the President? What sort of hos.
pitality is it that will invite a mar
inside and then kick him down the
steps? Besides, Harrison's friends
will say. has not every Representa-
tive the right to call on the President?
Is it not a part of his duty, and has
the President the authority to deny
himself TO a government officer, call
ing on government business?
If these brethren will keep their
had no other place in which to meet
Harrison If Harrison had been at
tackled by the President he would
probably have risen up in the House
on point of personal privilege and
would have defended himself, telling
the Presideitt wha' he thought of him
Nobody would have objected to this,
and nobody would have blamed Harri-
son. The President was in precisely
the same position when he showed
what he thought of Mr.. Harrison. He
was not in his private rooms or in his
own house; he was in his Executive
Office in the Nations house, where he
should have been. III he had not
spoken there he could not have spoken
elsewhere.
So far as barring Mr. Harrison from
official intercourse with the Presiden,
is concerned. the incident Thursday
will not be a great loss to the country
He never called often and he never
had much to say when he did call
and if he has business in the future
he can probably send friend to act
for him. The President will not mind
for he is mighty good natured.
Still. it strikes us that the country
is excited about a very small matter
1t really will not affect the November
elections, and il may not even cos
Harrison his seat. Such Incidents have
occurred before. and in another ad
ministration they were so common a.
not 70 excite passing interest. w,
wish II had not happened, though. OF
ii it had TO happen we wish Mr.. Taft
had taken Mr.. Harrison il a bach
room, where nobody could have over
heard him, and had then told hin
what he thought about him. Little
differences of this sort can Away.
be settled best when there is nobod,
looking on.
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