The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-06-19
Summer Residences Galore Ready
for Mr.. Taft, Who Cannot
Well Accept.

Washington. d. c.. June is.-It is
becoming the fashion now to propose
summer homes for President Taft.
has been in receipt Of offers, formal
and informal, and local pride in every
part OF the country is backing them
UP. at least twelve definite propo.
sitions have been made to the Presi-
dent from as many different places,
while visitors at the White House
have verbally suggested great many
others. The President of course, has
no power to order the building OF n
summer home for himself at the ex-
pense of the government. and at the
present time he does not care to do
SO at his own expense Towns which
arc now engaged in tho task of try
Ing to get him as a summer resident
are being referred to Congress.
II a summer home for Presidents of
the United States is ever built Con-
gress will have to authorize It and vote
the money. Then 1t will become the
property of the government and can
be used through one administration
after another. no matter who the In
cumbent of the White House may be.
But the difficulty about this is that
II would be taking 1t for granted that
all Presidents are fond of the same
summer recreations and the same eli
mate Presidents, when they are able
to get away from washington for a
few months, are In the habit of seek
ing some resort where they VIII get
the greatest amount of recreation and
rest, and also n complete change from
the climate of the capitai. Mr.. Taft
may enjoy one part OF the country
while another President would possess
totally different ideas OH the subject.
That would be one of the difficulties
about an official summer capital. Some
Presidents would use 1t and others
might not go near 1t.
Then, too. Congress would not care
to tackle the problem of deciding upon
the location. Once 1t became known
that such a proposition was being Sc
riously considered, there would be
deluge of applications from every
quarter OF the Union with a rivalry as
Intense as that which existed between
San Francisco and New Orleans over
the Panama Exposition. And the
problem could not very well be turned
over to the President. because, while
his own ideas might be well defined.
he would hesitate about attempting to
dictate the vacation plan OF his sue
cessor
Yet there is no doubt that summer
capital would possess some advantage.
The President OF the United States is
one of the hardest worked men in the
country, and when summer comes he
is usually tagged out. In the ordinary
course OF events there are three or
four months in the year when the
President can get away from Wash
ington without In any way neglect
Ing public business. Unless he hap
pens to possess a country place OF his
own the summer home problem is a
large expense to him. In addition to
that he is importuned every year to
go to different place. and he cannot
satisfy everybody If there was an
official home these opportunities would
cease n
In the present instance most of the
offers which President Taft has re-
ceived are from the West and Middle
West In recent years practically all
of the Presidents have spent the sum
mer months In the East, and In their
leisure hours the West knows them
not. President Cleveland was a sum.
mer resident of Buzzard's Bay, Mass
But he also made use of a suburban
residence in the District OF Columbia
in the section now known as Cleveland
Park. President Roosevelt was one Of
the few exceptions who possessed a
beautiful country home of his own.
so he always went TO oyster Bay, Long
Island. President Taft has spent two
summers at Beverly, Mass. and Will
go there again this year. President Nc
Kinley usually returned to his home
in Canton, O.. when he took vaca-
1tion.
1t was not generally known that
until few years go there was a
suburban residence within the District
of Columbia owned by the govern
d. q . T.