The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1912-02-02

1
Roosevelt about some Legislation
pending before a committee of the
house, and in which the administra
ton was interested.
The president told the secretary that
the legislation was of Importance. al
most vital Importance, and that he had
been giving it thought for a good part
OF the morning. But just now" he
said, Il have another subject of deer
interest In hand. matter of natural
history. By the way, you ought to
study natural history, VIII; get into It,
and you won't let 1t drop"
Mr.. Taft looked little quizicaIly at
his chief and said:
S"I1l have to tell you right now that
you can't convert me by sending me
any scientific treatises on wolves to
read. | went through the pamphlet
you sent me the other day as in sort
OF duty bound, but tell you squarely
that don't care rap whether the
dog wolves go skirmishing to find food
for the she wolves when there are
young in the den, or not. Dog wolves
and she wolves, for all of me, can ret
their food in any way that suits them
best"
Mr.. Roosevelt had been greatly in
terested in a controversy which had
been waging, touching the question as
to whether or not the dog wolves look
ed after the care of the females of
the pack when there were young to
be fed, or whether the she wolves had
to go foraging for their own proven.
der. He had his own views on the SUBJ
1ect and thinking doubtless that a
matter of 80 much interest to him
nigh interest the secretary of war.
he had sent Mr.. Taft a pamphlet on
the subject. He probably never sent
any more wolf treatises to the war Of
fee.
Stir over Conventions.
Politicians and newspaper CORE
spondents are raining in kilograms
to hotel proprietors in Chicago and
In Baltimore asking for reserva-
tons of rooms for the two big
party conventions of next June. In
present interest in legis-
lation Is frequently Swallowed by inter-
est In the coming conventions. 1t is
not fitting here to write of who Is
likely to be nominated or who will
suffer the pangs of disappointment,
but the leaders of both parties seem
% be confident. Hope is the prime
of politicians and while
hey may not always feel 1t, they are
It pains always to pretend to feel 1t.
Next June the Democrats and the
will as usual view with
alarm" the past doings Of their oppo-
tents. National conventions are APP
'ealing affairs not only from the po-
itical point of view, but from that of
human interest. The speeches made
In conventions ordinarily count for
comparatively little in the campaign
proper unless some over-zealous speak
or commits the blunder which is
worse than a crime and says some
hing to arouse creed or racial ami
mostly. Planks in party platforms
count for much. for they are pledges
that certain work Is to be done, and
Il people don't like the work that is
planned they will show 1t by voting
Tor the other man.
Cautious About Religion.
1t is noteworthy how careful the
delegates to a convention are to keep
put of the proceedings anything that
might even by forced Interpretation
excite prejudice. More than this, in
the matter of prayers it Is the ordi-
nary custom to have the days ses-
sions, one after the other, opened by
4 petition to the Almighty offered In
turn by Protestant, a Jewish and a
Roman Catholic clergyman. The Jew
Ssh clergyman is not always included.
but he is II the thought comes and
offers.
These things are supposed to have
their effect on the voters. Such rea-
soning of effect. however, argues a
weakness OF mentality on the part of
those to whom the appeal is made.
There are few thinking men, for in
stance. who will vote for Republi-
can simply. and only because a min
lster of their own religion happened
to pray on the day Of the Republican
At one Republican con-
vention an Episcopal clergyman. who
always has been Democrat. offered
one OF the prayers. This was one
way Of trying to show that in relig-
lous matters the Republican party was
above political prejudices.
In a general way a national conven-
ton is conducted, so far as the order
OF proceedings goes. after this man.
ner: When the delegates are chosen
they assemble at the call Of the ma
tional committee, which has charge Of
the organization OF the convention.
Prior to the assembling of the conven-
ton the credentials of the delegates
are submitted to the committee.
Organizing the Convention.
The convention is called to order by
the national committees chairman. A
temporary organization is effected by
the election of a temporary chairman
and secretary Each state selects one