The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-10-04

IS within an arms length Of rresl-
dent Taft as long as that official has
his collar and shoes on.
The Doctor Who Advises Taft.
Without medical attention it would
hardly be possible for any human to
travel from September Is TO Octo'
Der l, eating all kinds Of grub, speak
ing every day, and many days
dozen times, without the attention OF
physician. Even if President Taft
has the reputation Of being the best
travelling president the nation has
ever had, he is never without medical
attention on Saving" such as is in
progress at present.
To DR.. Thomas L. Rhoads falls the
Gargauntan task OF keeping the pres
ident in voice and appetite.
And if you think DR.. Rhoads is
having vacation on this trip, ask
him.
Ever try speaking in the open air
so a few thousand people could hear
you, say for half an hour? Presi-
dent Taft has been believing forth
condemnation of the democratic tariff
bills, praise for the peace treaties
and condoling the supporters of the
reciprocity pact, and other plain and
assorted topics for twenty days now
and he is still there with the carry
ing voice and the healthful pink in
his cheeks This means that the
doctor has been on the double-quick
In America, you know, we Show
appreciation by stutfing a mans hide
full of sustenance. If it's in New
Orleans, crawfsh bisque, perhaps:
Boston, more sea food; New York,
still more sea food, and possibly some
mushrooms, sous .cloche; Montana
venison; Des Moines, the best cow in
the world, and so it runs. The pres
ident is no SLOUGH as an epicure. He
has a large frame to keep fired up
and eats generously. Isn't it Won
der that he stands up under it? DR..
Rhoads is the answer. He is there
with the pills and the throat oil. The
president tells DR.. Rhoads what he
consumed at the banquet. and DR..
Rhoads is forewarned. He has to
keep his ear close to the ground. At
the presidents table in the private
car he is the "official taster.' If the
doctor says: 81 think, Mr.. Presi-
dent, it would be inadvisable for you
to take on that ham and cabbage"
the president leaves it alone.
Handling the Copy on the Wires.
The majority Of President Taft's
speeches are prepared in advance, but
many are built while en- route and
Mr.. Mischler and Mr.. Wagner handle
the shorthand for the speeches and
the presidents business dictation
Guarding the safety of the nations
head as watchfully as cat guards a
mouse, the three arms of the secret
service are vigilant twenty-four hours
of every day. Sloan and Jervis wear
no epaulets or brass buttons like the
handsome Major Butt, but they are
ever in sight Of the president, watch
ing the crowd. They are the armor
plate that would have to be pierced
before harm could come to President
Taft.
"Do they keep you busy?" I quer-
led Of H. E. Taft, the representative
of the Western Union Telegraph COM
pany on the trip.
Taft looked for blunt instrument
with which to shy at the questioner,
and replied:
con, no, if have good luck, l can
get two hours Of uninterrupted sleep.
l have thousand things to think
Of"
At every stop the wires are bur-
dened with a mass of copy tha'
keeps the whole country informed to
the minute of the presidents doings,
The company aims to keep line
open from Washington to the presi-
dents train, so there will not be the
loss of second in the transmission
of important public business. This
in itself is no small sob. Of course
all the newspaper men want to get
Cnelf Slull W lllt WIRE uISI.
When President Taft cuts loose an
important utterance on which there
is no advance copy, the wires are
showed under.
Remember President Taft's Wi
mona speech on his last gallon
through the middle west, when he
threw roses at the Payne ldrich
tariff bill in that little Minnesota
city? Thousands and thousands Of
words were dumped into the tele-
graph Office there. The operators
never knew there was so much copy
in the world A lot Of papers got
their stories late, and there we're &
lot of sore correspondents, but the
instruments couldn't clatter it ali
out at the same time.
1t is maintaining peace in the
ranks of the newspaper men, getting
their copy out as fast as possible
and keeping the presidents business
in the air, that holds Mr.. Taft on the
chair edge with his brogans on.