New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-08
From The Tribune Bureau

|
Washington. June L.
| PENALTIES OF GREATNESS.-"if 60
round to the large elevator and leave inc
Associated Charities Building by the main
door / am departing from my once os'e"-
tatiously II take the elevator heares'
my office and leave by the side door an,
slipping surrepttiously away remarked
ex-President Roosevelt last fall. And yes
terday at Baltimore he remarked on the
arrival OF several members ot Congress
IF go forward to meet them they II say
| I'm forward and If do not they'll say / m
| sulky" Such are the penalties OF great
ness Last night. after President Tart ana
| ex-President Roosevelt had met In Balti-
| more the secretary 10 the President look
| pains to say TO the newspaper men VINO
had accompanied Mr.. Taft to Baltimore
/ that nothing OF a political character nad
! occurred When asked the nature OF the
private conversation between the President
and his predecessor, which had lasted pos
sibly six minutes. Secretary Hilles SAID
| il concerned Mrs Tafts health, regard
! ing which Colonel Roosevelt had kindly
inquired And yet these frank statements
did not prevent the circulation OF story
indicating that the meeting between Mt.
Taft and Mr.. Roosevelt had had deep
political significance. intimatins. without
actually saying il. that Colonel Roosevelt
had agreed to support Mr.. Taft IN l9lZ ana
much more to the same effect. Inc purely
social visit which Secretary Meyer paid 10
Oyster Bay on the occasion OF his recehb
trip TO Newport was dragged in and mace
the basis foe the assertion that information
had reached the White House several days
ago. but had become known only yester
day. that under no consideration WOULD MI
Roosevelt permit his name to go pelore
the next Republican National Convention,
and this despite the fact that Secretary
Never has never even referred 10 MS WISH
TO oyster Bay In conversation with the
President The report has reached WASH
ineton this evening that Colonel Roosevelt
took occasion to say at SprinSheld to-day
that the story published this morning was
made out Of whole cloth This same
statement was made by President Tart TINS
morning when his friends asked what foun-
dation there was for the political signiil-
cameo given TO his meeting with MS
predecessor Yesterday. But such are the
penalties Of greatness Two men who loom
as large in the public eye as do President
Taft and his predecessor cannot meet,
either in public or in private. without tlelf
meeting being described as of deep poli'i-
cal significance and made the pasS Ior
elaborate aginary structures, a TACT
which should lead q discerning ruohc 10
accept such reports with a large measure
Of sodium chloride.
STEEL PROSECUTION.-The statement
given out last night by Representative
Stanley, chairman OF the House committee
which is Investigating the steel Corpora
ton. somewhat strikingly demonstrated the
assertion made in this column this morn
ing that the committee is wholly lncom-
petent. For instance, Mr.. Stanley respect
fully invited the attention Of the govern
ment'' TO the terminal charges agreed
upon between the railroads and the cor
poration. Apparently the chairman was
wholly unaware that four railroads, three
individuals and seven dock companies were
indicted on April 2s because of these very
terminal charges. Then Mr.. Stanley dweit
on the alleged unfair rates whch are
charged for the transportation or ore from
the Mesaba Range. Mr.. Stanley alluded 10
these things as having been brought u
light bv his committee. The fact is they
were brought 10 light long ago. In the
case Of these freight rates. the interstate
Commerce Commission has been engaseu
in investigating them for several months
Among those indicted in connection with
the terminal charges, it will he recalled
was Dan r. Hanna. son OF the late senator
| from Ohio. OF course. II Is entirely pos
| sihle that the investigation now being con-
Quoted may bring out new facts of which