The National tribune., 1911-04-20
OUR ATHLETIC PRESIDENT.
He is a Patron Of Healthy,
Wholesome Outdoor Sports.

AS patron of healthy. wholesome.
outdoor sports President Taft has just
rounded out quite a weeks record. He
inaugnrated the baseball season by in
viring Senator W. Murray Crane. Of
Massachusetts. the biggest and most
enthusiastic baseball fan in public life.
to accompany him out to the American
League Park on the opening day. There
the President tossed the ball out to the
pitcher. and thus officially gave the
word to go ahead.
Shortly thereafter the President load
ed his golfing togs into one of the big
governmental automobiles and chugged
out to the Chevy Chase links. whore
he took UP his own favorite game again
for another season. That was a great
event to many golfers in Washington
and thereabouts who do not regard the
golfing season as begun It'll the Presi-
dent tees his first ball at the Chevy
Chase links. OF course. there are some
old-fashioned folks who play golf all
Winter long at Chevy Chase and at
other country clubs in the vicinity OF
Washington, but it is not till well along
toward the middle of April that the
grass has grown enough and the sward
is sufficiently firm TO permit Of the use
of the permanent greens.
The Chevy Chase Links.
The Chevy Chase links, where the
President will probably play frequently
from this time on till he goes to Bev-
erly, have been improved very much
during the last year. A great deal of
money has been spent on them. The
course has been changed materially I'm
some parts. New bunkers have been
erected. additional sandpits dug as de.
fcnses for the putting greens, and
everything possible done to make the
course a professional one in the best
sense of the term.
Ordinarily it is an 1S-hole course.
bur during the Winter II has been, and
still is, 15-hole course. because the
club authorities are unwilling to per-
nit some of the greens, where the
Sward has not formed to be used yet
awhile. In a couple of weeks, however,
the entire course will be thrown open
10 play, and the President cannot find
a more picturesquely beautiful scene in
all the vicinity of Washington than. the
club where he will go for physical rec
reation and exercise from his favorite
game of golf Also before very long a
ma agnificent new clubhouse will be
opened. and this will add something to
the attractions of outdoor sport for the
President and other members.
incidentally the President has been
disposing of quite a bit of important
business of recent days Especially has
he made a number of important nomi-
nations. The big nominations OF the
week have been that OF ex-Gov. Curtis
Guild, of Massachusetts, to be Embas-
sador to Russia. and Of w. w Rock
hill, who has been and is ambassador
to Russia. to be Embassador at Con-
stantiuople. The court at st Peters,
burg is probably the most expensive In
nd hA
transferred to some post where It
would cost him less to live. The Gov
ernment has been granting a goodly al
loWaItce to the ambassador at st. Pc
tersburg for Office rent, which will be
continued for ex-Gov. Guild. As the
Offices of an Embassador are usually in
his residence, the allowance reduces
materially the cost of his residence.
on the heels of these nominations
cameh the resignation of Or David
Jayne Hill. Of Rochester, N. Y, as F:m-
bassadOr TO Germany. No reasons are
given3 and Dr. Hill will continue his
duties = "o'd. till July l next. There
has b speculation about the
cause f.- -uexpected resignation,
but. IL T. - -sn great secrecy. Some
think ne to too aggressive
pole H ADJ ing the American case
with reference % the potash contro-
versy. This, however. is officially de-
MED. DR. Hill is not very rich man,
rs that term is generally understood.
and the expenses of the Embassy at
Berlin have been severe tax upon his
resources.
The war in Mexico has assumed
phases that the President has had to
recognize especially the fighting of a
battle near the line at Douglass. Ariz..
and the killing of two or more Ameri-
can citizens by stray bullets that flew
across the boundary. He has dispatched
more cavalry to the border and warned
President DiaZ that such things must
not recur. Two or three weeks ago
such happenings would have stirred
Washington and the country Profound
ly. Now they appear to have made but
little impression, because there is a
conviction that American troops will
likely not be sent across the border.
In any event there are not likely to be
any complications which will lead to
war between the United States and
Mexico.
But the American people are pretty
well aware now that the insurrection
in Mexico is making great headway.
1t seems to be only question of time
when the DiaZ Government will fall
Presumably this will happen by the
triumph of the insurrectionist armies.
Knowledge of this situation takes the
keen edge off the desire of militant
Americans to see our Army cross the
border.
The japanese War Scare.
japanese war talk at Washington
has stopped short since the President
thwacked vigorously in the head that
last story of secret treaty with Mex
leo for a coaling station on Magdalena
Bay. There are some mysteries about
the Administrations dealings with ia
pan, mysteries that a lot of people
would like to see cleared up, but these
should not be confounded with the war
scare pure and simple, which has been
thru some exceedingly vigorous stunts
during the last four or five months
1t is now generally accepted in Wash
ington that this latest Japanese war
scare. which Jared forth so horribly of
a recent morning, with many details
about Embassador Wilson discovering
the secret treaty between Mexico and
Japan. rushing to Washington to ac-
quaint President Taft and the Cabinet
and the Immediate orders to troops 10
proceed to the Mexican border. was
conceived and written right here in
Strangely enough. almost
identical stories appeared in different
papers with different date lines. Some
of the, stories were dated from Mexico
City and others from San Antonio. 1t
is also known that naval officer here
in Washington was trying to fill the
heads of some of his newspaper friends
with just such a story some days in
Of the morning when it ap-
peared.-
Apart from the serious aspect of Jap
anese ,problems, such as immigration
and the prohibition Of rights to aliens