Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-04-27

Pres. Taft Attends Many Ban
quets and Makes Speeches.
Committee on Public Buildings and
Grounds still Hard at Work.

WASHINGTON ID. G., April 2o.-NSpe
icial)-Nowadays the President seems
BIO no rounding 'em to. Matters APP
near TO be coming his way. even to the
demonstrations of the National Wo-
Imam Suffrage Association. These in
cidentally included Kisses and apollo
gies therefor.
The great governmental procession
lis moving on. Congress is doing
something the Departments are doing
something. Washington is a hive OF
spring industry and there is encour'
agement in well doing.
| The Presidents recent speeches have
contained some food for reflection and
| he will soon be out on the circuit
again with a fresh series. He goes
westward at the end of this month
| and already has planned for trip
| during June. He intends that snail
be his last till well into the autumn.
| But in the meantime the President
proposes to place his views well before
the American people and to give them
opportunity to contemplate upon what
his administration has accomplished
anu WHdl IL 10 planning W ~"
/, Not only has the President broken
l all records of his predecessors in the
number of miles he has Travelled and
1.-The number of speeches he has made
Hi atf,e last fourteen months but he has
broken all records for appearances in
the District of Columbia. More than
| any other President has done. Mt. Taft
| is making the city Of Washington a
forum for the dissemination of his
views on public questions: In these
days ~ rapid telegraphic communica
ton it makes little difference where
a President speaks. The country gets
the benefit of his opinions just the
| anne through the newspapers
In the times gone by Presidents
have accepted invitations to affairs
and functions in the District of Co
lumba rather charity. The most no.
ia bic appearance of the Presidents at
big dinners in recent, years has been
lat the Gridiron dinners. of which
there are two or three in a season.
But the speeches there are never given
to the public. President Taft, how
ever, attends dinners and functions
galore in Washington. Hardly a week
goes by that he is not out somewhere
in the District of Columbia and maxi
ing speeches. One night recently he
attended two dinners, but of course
he did not eat two dinners. However
he made two speeches. He went to q
banquet of District of Columbia bank
ers--a large and very representative
| function-and then he slipped away tC
banquet of the Psi Epsilon Greek
letter fraternity.
The college alumni associations have
big banquets in Washington annually
and the President has attended a
number of these. All the associations
are very glad. of course, to have a
| President of the United States, as
their guest and they are entirely
hppy if he comes in at the very tail
end of the banquet in time to make a
speech. 1t used to be that when an
organization of any kind in the Dis
trict of Columbia advertised that the
President was expecting to be with
them, people were sceptical. 1t gen.
orally happened that the President did
not come and persons who rushed
thither in the hope of seeing and hear
ing him were disappointed.
That has not been the case with
President Taft. He says he will
come and he does consequently a
little late-but he comes. Therefore
it is that when an alumni association
or a bankers association advertises
the old grads turn out in numbers, and
a
that night for feast of reason and a
flow of soul.
1t is something of tax upon the
President. not only to find the time for
these functions but to think up
speeches to make He is generally
equal to the occasion and. with rare
exceptions. speaks without prepare
ton. Not only has he been utilizing
many District of Columbia banquets
as forum for the exploitation of his
ideas about administration, but he has
run over" to New York several times
this winter for banquet occasions
Although the season is now well adj
vanced he has several more banquet
dates in the District of Columbia. One
is to be big and magnificent banquet
w tilt buSiItSS IIleU VI tie
Il new function i'm the President S
honor which was inaugurated last
year
or late the President has been max
ing addresses before several gather
ings Of women, His appearance at the
convention of the Woman Suffragists,
where he talked about the unfitness Of
the Hottentots for self government
and about the unwisdom of comforting
suffrage upon "a less desira ble'' class
of women, which moved some of the
impu,sive souls to hiss and boot and
then. as already stated to apologize. is
the most stirring experience in that
line the President has encountered.
But he is undaunted for he is address,
ing this week the Congress of the
Daughters of the American Revolt
ton
These frequent appearances have
greatly enhanced the Presidents
popularity in Washington. where it is
automatic that Presidents are unpopu-