The Washington herald., 1912-09-22

One who signs himself "A Common Ac-
ouaIntance'' writes an intimate study OF
the three Presidential candidates-Wood-
row Wilson. William H. Taft. and Theo-
dore RooseveIt-in the September issue
of the Worlds Work. He says, in part:
This article is Intentionally a mere
collection of personal impressions: IT Is
confessedly subjective. l am gong, IN
to set down here recollecuons
of three evenings. one with each of the
rivals, and perhaps the most agreeable
hours l ever spent with them. They are
not to be described in detail. but OF the
general spirit of each occasion may
speak.
The first was with Mr.. Roosevelt.
soon after the close of his PRESIDENTIAL
term and near the end of the voyage on
the Hamburg. when he was enjoying his
first opportunity In many years FOR rest
and retrospect. The ship had passed
Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean.
We were steaming toward sunset along
the coast Of Spain. I Joined Mr.. Roose-
Welt for a walk on deck.
His Talk of War.
We gazed together at the purple
headIands. overhung by glittering snow
speaks of the Sierra Nevada. Mr.. Roose-
velt's spirits rose in sober elevation as
he gazed at the land which had been the
theater of the long struggle between
Moor and Christian, and turned from
that 10 look down at the sea tabled since
earliest history began. He talked OF the
Hellenic Adventures who had sailed out
the Pillars OF Hercules; of the ghostly
fleets of successive generations that had
glimpsed the splendid panorama Of the
shores-galleys of Phoenicians transports
OF Iberlans going to the Punic wars
down to the magnificent modern arIna-
das whose prows had cut the indigo
waters.
1T was a delightful hour, for Mr..
Roosevelt has a vivid martial and ro-
mantle imagination. But his talk was
all Of expeditions of war. descents on the
coast. burning cities. pirates heroic To-
ravs actions at sea This l Will say.
that he had to be reminded that the big
gest fleet that ever sailed these waters
a fleet at the sight of which Jason would
have swooned. and Villeneuve stared.
and Nelson been confounded-had been
there by his own orders / reminded
Mr. Roosevelt of that. and he stopped
in his walk and looked out over the rail
and back again, and broke into grin
and a chuckle. and exclaimed:
by George. that was me, wasn't II!
And then he woke TO real enthusiasm,
and told with uplifted fist and flashing
eve what that fleet would have done II
1t had ever had a chance. by George.
In Presidcnt's study.
The second was a late autumn after
noon at Beverly-by-the-Sea. II was on
the eve Of the long tour Of the country
which President Taft made last year.
Bv hard labor Mr.. Taft had got ahead
of his work Ia thing most unusual for
him. il may be said and had an hour or
two for rest. He used 1t sitting before
the dying log in his study and meditating
out loud on the subject that really lies
near his heart-the prospect OF tnterna-
tional peace.
81 was the only listener. For an hour
the President soliloquized. II would have
startled conservative patriots could they
have heard him. There was no length
TO which the head of the nation was un-
willing to go to avoid bloody conflict; no
length. I mean. in the direction OF sub
stituting arbitration for war. There was
no scorn which the tongue Of man can
savage, childish folly of standing men
up to shoot at each other because the
governors Of their countries have been
unable to agree.
THAT is all-Mr. Taft's thoughts. in his
evening hour, turned to peace. With
heat OF conviction of which those who
do not know him would not have be-
UeNed MIN Cdpdblc, HIS NSAiohNS
into the face OF the hollow popular senti-
ment that passes for patriotism. Mr..
Taft talked OF peace. Mr.. Roosevelt. on
another evening. watching the sun go
down, had babbled OF battles.
Evening at SeaEirt.
The third scene was an evening with
Woodrow Wilson at the cottage at Sea-
girt. There had been high sport at din
ner on the broad tellised piazza. and
Mrs. Wilson and her eldest daughter had
been laughingly bundled into the motor
car for an evenings entertainment at
Spring Lake, a mile or two up the coast.
Somehow, a different mood fell as We who
were left sat down In the gathering twi-
light In the big hall. There had been a
disputed quotation at dinner. and Miss
Jessie Wilson had slipped away and
brought back the volume In order TO
verify 1t. It lay on the table now, an
anthology Of verse-not Palgrave's nor
any that I know-and Mr.. Wilson took
1t up and fingered it lovingly. The other
daughter. Miss Eleanor, went over and
perched on the arm of his chair, and In
a moment he was reading bits Of poetry.
and soon we were all swapping our ia
vorites.
"Everybody's favorites, I suppose they