The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-24
MANY PRECEDENTS
BROKEN BY TAFT
Roosevelt's Great Record
Eclipsed by That of Pres
emit Chief Executive.

| Washington. June 23.-Somebody
once said Colonel Roosevelt was the
| greatest little precedent buster that
I ever Presidented at tho White House
1t didn't look like Roosevelt had left
II single. solitary, measly little prcce-
dent unshattered whom william
Howard Taft moved into tho White
House. Remains of tho dead and dy-
ing presidents Uttered the lawn. or
were decently packed away in the
cellar with u miscellaneous collection
of 6oS big sticks, which adoring
friends had forward the unprecedent-
| ed predecessor.
cutive offices. with copy of the Con-
stitution under his arm, Taft started
; right in on March 4. 1909 for u little
precedent punishment himself Dur
Ing the next three years Taft has
juggienautcd over more presidents
than Theodore Roosevelt ever dream
ed OF doing. AS matter of fact. be-
tore he nude that trip to the execu-
tive Office with tho Constitution I'M
der his arm) he had already scored
one
Nobody ever heard of u Presidents
WIFE riding down Pennsylvania Ave-
nue. with her husband following tho
Inauguration II wasn't customary.
But Iaft saw that it was done. He
always admiVtesa that IL 1t hadn't been
Tor Mrs. Taft he would have accepted
Colonel Rooseveips opportunity IN
place him on the Supreme Bench. and
never entered tho presidential race.
30 he wanted Mrs. Taft to enjoy hi,
| inauguration
Just as he was getting acquainted
with the job. Taft discovered that Il.
! X had made IL a precedent thar a
chief Executive should write long
messages TO Congress. Several thou
| sand words was about right
But Taft's first message. conyeni,r
an extra session of Congress, MAS :,
measiy little 100 words. Credible wit
nesses assert that Secretary Lauta, his
arms all sinewy with tho netting Of
ponderous communica tons under the
Old regime. almost tainted when told
that a single sheet of paper was a
mes saye''
Well, Taft kept that precedent bust
Ing stunt UP. He attended private DIN
iiers at the home of friends in Wash
inston-someth!nG stern custom"
| mover permitted before. He nlade
General Leonard Wood. a doctor and
not West Pointer. head of the army.
and when Congress tried to throw
Wood out OF his job the President
vetoed the entire army appropriation
bill. He served refreshments at the
state receptions. He discarded White
House carriages. and persuaded Con-
gr'ess TO appropriate for automobiles.
lie appointed two Democrats to tho
supreme bench, making one OF them
Chief Justice. lie started the mo
luncheon" fad.
He added COW TO the landscape
features of his back yard. He put an
economy commission to work. He got
Congress to lay out a fne boulevard
on the Potomac. and ordered the
Marine Band to play there rcgula rly.
lie cut out foreign servants at the
White House and Installed Sons OF
Ham He busted to !ntinltess.mai
molecules all previous records for
| presidential travelling. He made T.
RS strenuous fcats OF train hustl!nS
| look like a frayed imitation.
There arc so many other little pre-
cedents all dead and gone that 1t
would require the space OF one OF the
Roosevelt messages to chronicle them.
And the peculiar part of it is that
Taft never d'd very much precedent
smashing before he acame Presi-
dent.
| lie had the judicial temperament"
He came by IT naturally. His father
was a lawyer. ana at one time Secrc-
tary of War. rho son started n law
yer, after graduating with honors, and
at tho age OF twenty one, from Yale
in rs. He got his arst political Job
In 1851, and has been holding APP
pointive or elective offices ever since.
lie was "Roosevelt's candidate" for
the presidency. The strenuous one
got behind him. helped his campaign.
and Joined in his election II Roose-
welt had his. renown for certain dental
characteristics. Tafts smile has be-
come catch phrase. 1t is contagious
that smile-it begins with an inward
chuckle that wobbles the third and
lowermost presidential chin and then
crops out with a subdued chortle.
srayish mustache doesn't hide IL.
| either.
One OF the preceden,s Theodore
Roosevelt established that was con-
tinued around the White House was
the physical culture stunt. But where
Roosevelt mixed 1t with jiu 1itsu
artists wrestlers. prize lighters. and
iencers in the White House gym,
TAFT has an exercising expert"-Dr.
Barker. 1t Is one long, continuous
battle with TAFT to keen down b,s
weighs $50 pounds. He doesn't look
1t, because he Is large all over. He
aicts. too. He doesn't smoke xnd
never touches even the lightcst kind
! of vines
The physical culture stunt has kept
/ Iaft in perfect physical trim. Except
Tor insignificant colds. he hasn't had a
SICK day throughout his administration.
| stout as he is. he likes to hustle over
the golf links. and plays q hefty game.
The President likes theatres. On an
| average no has attended at least one
performance every week throughout
his term. RE delights in automobiI!ng
ana Is SO used to 1T that he can sleep
comfortably sitting upright in the ton
neau on his long trips.
There never was man In public life
! who stuck to those he believed in more
than Taft; witness Ballinger. He is
even tempered and ordinarily soft
spoken but on occasion he can mako
Things hot. He carries the judicial
attitude always. lie never permits
himself to hurry. He takes his timo
visuaiizes everything. debates 1t to him
L xoAc Il In.