The San Francisco call., 1910-02-09
PRESIDENT HAS
LONESOME JOB
Great Sense of Isolation IS
Experienced by Taft in
White House
By IRA E. BENNETT


ed. unsung solitude, the presidency
Of the United States. according to
! the incumbent. has the desert of Sa-
nara beaten to a dull moan in dark
danl1 room.
NO merry villagers prance through
ms parlors. No village cutups caper
on his lawn. No boyhood friends hang
upon his neck. Nobody loves. him for
himself alone. Nobody
There is" says Taft, "a great sense
OF isolation in the White. House, due
to the fact that nobody drops in. Ev-
erybody who comes, comes by engage
ment, and YOU don't have that pleasant
surprise which comes from having
nelghbors drop in on you at odd times
and with the feeling that they have
the right to come"
Lonesome sport this being president
Something to be SHE'D at and stunned.
AS Taft indicates. it's a habit that
should be broken while the patient is
| still young. Once a mans character is
formed, it is difficult to break off the
presidential habit
Z
Ice to the country in exploding the pop
| ular fallacy concerning the presidency.
For years the schools have taught that
this office is the greatest gift at the
disposal of the people. Babies have
been crooned to slumber with that idea.
Young men, who otherwise might de-
veiop into enterprising burglars or eff
I f.afa
lege with the idea that they Will be-
come eligible for the presidency.
Thousands of young men have been
led on DO chop down cherry trees or to
split rails and infinitives in the hope
that they might become another George
Washington or Abraham Lincoln. Taft
himself was led on by the popular de-
lusion.~~ His parents used TO tell him
that outside of being a member of the
fire department OF Cincinnati. for which
he had a particular affinity there was
no job in the United States quite so
important and sociabIe as the presi-
dency.
As usual, it all came from falling
In with the wrong companions. If Bill
| Taft had never met Teddy Roosevelt,
been thrust on him. But Bill wan
dered into the practice of law and be-
came circuit court Judge. Then he
met Teddy. who was police commission
er of New York Teddy was fighting
the politicians and Bill advised him
1 how TO administer political poison to
them and still keep within the law.
And TEDDY. whose youthful ambition
had been to fight Indians and then
become president. instead became as
sistant secretary of the navy and then
went 20 a plain, ordinary war with a
bunch of Spaniards. And when he
came back they made him governor of
New York And on warm afternoon
they made him Hice president. And
when Mckinley died he became prcsi-
dent. just as his parents had always
predicted.
And having fallen in with Teddy,
Bill Taft was made secretary of wal.
He made a good secretary, while he
was about it.
How would you like my job. Bill?9
said Theodore one bright Thursday
morning.
Don't know" said William. thought
fully. Il like the way the White House
is painted and the porch looks as
though it might be cool in summer; but
is it a nice. cheerful job?
"As nice as any in the country, re-
piled Theodore
.IoneSome?" asked William
Holy smoke" exclaimed Theodore;
"its the most sociable thing I've struck
in All my life Why. you have a mass
meeting in your office every morning.
You arc holding a regular reception
all day long. The only chance ! get to
write my MESA ges to congress is slid
ing down the banisters to breakfast
every morning. Somebody dropping in
pevery minute, and Archie Butt is
family reunion all by himself
Well" said William, Il don't care
if l do
convention and campaign were ar
ranged and Bryan had gone through
the usual forma1ity of announcing tina
he would never run again. unless the
interests of his party demanded it.
Taft went to the White House with his
shaving set and steamer trunk.
Now he is president. just as his
parents predicted he would be- 1t just
goes to show the fatality of these pre-
dictions. Nearly every young man who
gets TO the White House can look back
and recall prediction of this kind.
1t illustrates how careful parents
should be about making such prognos-
tieations They never know what
blight they are bringing down on the
heads of their loved ones.
Lonesome as Taft is. however. he
does not consider the job wholly hope
less. At a private banquet the other
night. for instance, he was much
cbeered by a sociable wrangle with
Senator Tillman. 1t was at gather
ing of Philippine enthusiasts.
1T is all very we'll to have these
gatherings" said T'illman. in substance.
but what man here is not ashamed of
the part he has played in taking and
holding those islands? Every one of
you ought to be ashamed"
1t was a direct challenge to Taft,
who spent several of his best years
Strengthening out affairs on the islands,
and whose work there was cited as
one of the best instances of his ad-
ministrative ability when he was run
ming for president. The POSTMASTER
looked very worried. He, apparently,
was sorry he had called on Tillman.
But when the president arose to re-
spond, he began by commenting on the
toastmasters annoyance. 1T reminds
me-" he said, "of the farmer who
hitched himself to a hefer. The heifer
started to run down hill, and when the
farmer realized what was happening
lie yelled: Darn our fool souls, here
we come; won't somebody stop us?'"
A roar of laughter came from the
diners. Tillman was almost doubled
with mirth. 1t was some time before