New-York tribune., 1910-05-01

l am very much honored TO be made
member of this club. but l should IKE
to ask one question: ] understand this
club is made up of those who advertise
and those who are advertised I would
like to know in which class you In
Clude me.
Very early in my administration had
call from an earnest correspondent
and reformer-for we unite those quail
ties In Washington-who chided me for
a number of defects in my administra-
ton, the chief one of which was that
did not sufficiently use the pulpit that
was mine to mount Realizing that,
think you must allow me to take my
rank among those who are advertised
rather than those who advertise.
/ thank you for your very cordial re-
ception. I am glad to come in behind
the scenes and see you personally and 10
feel that have a personal welcome from
you. The personal touch, after all, is that
which makes life worth living. For the
first time in my gyrationS about the
country I have subjected a member of
the Cabinet to the same sort OF treat
ment, and 1t has been a great reiief 10
me TO have the Secretary of State with
me and to know that II there are any
pitfalls into which I may precipitate
myself he Is here to advise me against
them 1t is Just as well to cultivate
the diplomatic. and as that is his busf-
ness l thought l would bring him along
to see that at least while my legislative
measures are pending In Congress
should do nothing to intsSfere'with their
passage.
Secretary Knox Speaks,
Secretary Knox said:
When got up this morning the Presi-
dent. with that kindness that extends to
all people, inquired of me what kind OF
a night / had had and told him a very
bad one; that 1 had only slept about
three hours-but did not tell him why
didn't sleep. 1 am willing to admit him
to my confidence now. I was laboring
under the impression that We were TO
lunch to-day with a newspaper CLUB.
Gentlemen. do you wonder that did not
sleep? If the President will pardon me
for using the Illustration here that / had
occasion to use once before In his pres
ence| am always paralyzed and ad
monished when l get into the presence
OF newspaper men. because recall what
you will all recognize to be a truthful
statement Of the situation, story OF a
man who tried to get by the colored por-
ter at the door of the Supreme Court and
he insisted that he had right as an
American citizen to enter into the pres
ence Of that august tribunal which, after
| all, was the peoples court.
But the coiOred gentleman looked at him
| and said: MY friend, you don't want to
make no fuss around here. If you gets
into contempt of that organization, dere
| amt no appeal for you 'ceptin to God
| You can imagine my qualification as
we'll as my relief at finding that you are
| SO different. But of course you are go
| ing to lose that speech that l prepared
| in the night for a newspaper club.
! You are not the men. as now under
stand It. and therefore will speak freely.
| who make the news, some of whom-l
| said ''some," and therefore no one can
/ take offence at my ObservatiOn-n1ight
| with propriety be indicted under the
! pure food law. because 1T is my belief
| that people. especially the people of the
| United States. are as we'll entitled TO re-
| CeiVe undiluted news as they are to par
| take of undilutAd food. especially IL that
| dilutfon springs from malice or an at
/ tempt to nlisrepresent, and especially #
| the newspapers forget that IL is more
| difficult to perform than it is to criti-
| else. and that while criticism is right
and proper and necessary 1t has its obli-
| cations az we'll as peTfOTnanCe-the Obli-
| cation to deal fairly and truthfully, and,
when dealing with the country's affairs
| patriotically,
The President and Secretary Knox
reached Buffalo from Washington at
7:25 a. m. They had breakfast at the
home of Ansley Wilcox, after which
President Taft spent two hours at hard
work with his assistant secretary in the
library of the Wilcox home, where in
1901 Theodore Roosevelt took the oath
of office as President of the United
States following the death Of President
Mckinley a. few blocks aWay Mr. Taft