Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-03-19
CAPITAL CHAT
z-7
President Taft's TripWest
Moment0us Winter Event.
Chicago Is Rendezvous for
Leaders from All Over West.
The President will Have Chance to
See Many Leaders Du'ing Trip.

ciai) -rhc Waite House and the Capt
tuj nave been reminded that This is Tho
weed: of 81. Patrick'a day The Pres
i,rilt went a-journcying.
I.tti. wonder therefore that the Sen
ators ana Representatives who cailet
/ eariy in the week got 4 short shift
When the President goes a-journeyin&
! he rust nave some preparation there
! for. To be sure he does not DO very
! much packing There are plenty o
persons to do that for him. Capt. Ar
| chic Butt, the army aide, can summon
| a legion of helpers and assistants by
crGokinG his little finger. He can have
ii dozen @runks packed for the Presi
! dent liz :: jiTy and he can have il
done in the most approved fashion.
| But this little trip west, q short
swing around the circle, is a somewhat
momentous midwinter event for the
| President as well as for the thousands
of people who are to greet him. He
had q mission He is going to the Dor
der of the outspoken Western country
where he will say a thing or two that
viii Unrest his critics. He will cross
and recrosS those turbulant common
weaIths of Ohio and Indiana whore the
political braves are in war paint
Etharching back and forth menacirgly.
BY the time his locomotive pants east
ward from the vicinity of the great
lakes he will be meeting face to face
those pugnaciouS cheftainS of the
Empire State. He is TO penetrate to
their lair at Albany and participate in
festivities with them.
Hence it promises to be a momentous
midwinter trip, socially, politically and
otherwise. The President will gather
Impressions, the leaders will get i'm
pressions, mayhap the boys in the
trcnrhes will get impressions. The
Pros ident expects much OF the March
ionfanying to the Westward and back
to t'e Northward. In four or five
days absence from Washington, during
which Congress will be left to shift for
itself and to get along as best it can,
the President contemplates preaching
some sound doctrine, smoking the pipe
Of peace with numerous party sachams,
and all in all Installing some enthusi-
ans among the folks dwelling along
the extended line Of march. III short
nc hopes much from the trip. Con-
gress and the cabinet believes he will
realize his hopes.
The country has now had opportuni-
ty to ascertain something of the Pres
ident's earnest purpose in "clinching
the Roosevelt policies" Those We're
the words he used 4 year ago last Sep
temher at Cincinnati in an interview
with the writer about his plans at that
time, should he he elected to the Pres
idency, as he then expected to be. This
winter he mas had a long hard battle
keeping mis- "clinchcr" ideas before the
people and il, fighting down hostile
criticism. He has stood to that task
without flinching, has insisted that
Congress should not forget and go off
home without writing Il few "clinch
ers" upon the statute books, and is
still insisting.
While he is in the West the Presi-
dent contemplates driving a few nails
clear in to the head and then using the
nail sink" with few humping blows
Some one came forth with the an
nouncement that the President was 60
ing to open the Congressional cam
paign for the Republicans on this trip
He contemplates doing nothing Of thu
kind. He is tremendously in earnest
about the Congressional campaign bu'
he does not propose to outline the is
sues for that struggle for the present
At best he will wait till Congress has
finished it's work for this session an(
the case has been made up for the
verdict of the. country. The feremos,
thought for utterance on the West
ward trip has been about the .anti-in-
junction bill.
That was in the Republican plat
form. The President has great respect
for the platform on which he stood a.
a candidate for his present Office. H.
does not adhere to the old saying tha'
{. platfor,n for a party is like the plat
form of railway car--to help the can
didate to get in on Some folks aroun'
the Capitol poo-poo talk about tn
platform. The President does not hee'
them. He knows that no one can com.
out into the open and make a forcibl
argument against a platform plank. A
bill, drafted in fulfillment of plat
form declaration, has the stronges
possible argument behind it, in tn
Presidents opinion. IF do"hte~~
procrastinators approach. the Presi-
dent filings the plank right at them. He
has declared again and again his wish
to keep the party pledges.
1t is now sly months since the Pres
ident was in Chicago. He tarried there
for big festivities, just as he was far.
ing forth for his long transcontinenta
journey last September. They gave
him great time in Chicago, then. Dur
ing the winter he has made numerous
week end journeys over to New York
There have been a half dozen or NOR
of these trips over to the Metropolis
The President enjoys them nightly
He thinks nothing of whirling over to
New York of a Friday or a Saturday
Chicago. considerably farther ava,
from Washington, will feel bette
about this after the President has
shown her few attentions.
The President welcomes the oppor.
tunity TO emphasize his views, legisla-
tive and otherwise, because not onl,
the people Who hear him but the mucl
larger audience he reaches through
| newspaper readers will get a cleare
| perception of what he is doing Politi-