Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-01
PRESIDENT TAFT VISITS
NATIONAL PRESS CLUB
Expresses Pleasure at Shar'
ing Prevailing Spirit Of
Good Fellowship.

President Taft, in accordance with his
custom since he has been the executive
head of the nation. paid his annual visit
to the National Press Club yesterday aft
ernoOn. AS he usually does, he delivered
brief address to the newspaper men to
assure them of his appreciation Of their
fair treatment and to let them know that
he was very glad to come and take tea
with them. An incident of the informal
gathering was the appearance Of Repre-
sentative Nicholas Longworth in the line
that filed up 40 shake hands with the
President Ass he faced the President
some mischievous humorist in the rear
announced him as the editor of the
Oyster Bay Gazette" The President, ap-
preciating the situation. laughed and
said, II hope you'll let me see your next
article before It is published"
President Frederick j. Haskin Of the
CLUB welcomed President Taft with a
happy address. and later introduced the
members as they appeared to shake hands
with President Taft.
Spirit of Good Fellowship.
"It is a very great pleasure to come
here and feel the inspiration Of the spirit
Of bohemianism and good fellowship that
you have among you, and l am glad to
share it." said the President. There
are some times when l do not feel a
full infusion Of that spirit, some times
when under the burdens of, not neces-
sarily official, business. but of what
comes into the White House, one would
be glad to be in position where his
mind can be diverted and not kept down
to that regular routine that does not
seem to cost at the time, and yet after
through an Of find
has been pretty burdensome.
People say to me they don't see how
| get through my work. ] don't have
SO much work. Executive ability, if you
enables you to put the work on some
body else and to distribute it so that
somebody elses shoulders shall help YOU
Decision Of Issues.
II do not claim to be an expert in that
matter, but l know experience helps along
In the distribution, SO that executive
work really does not take up so much
time as people suppose it does. OF course,
there is a good deal of reading to be done
in order to acquire information in indi-
vidual cases. but with that exception the
work is rather one of a trial Of nerves
in the decision of issues which must be
decided promptly, and which are decided
finally, than in the sustained mental ef-
fort that one has to put forth in the de-
cision of cases and the writing OF opin-
ions on the bench. That is the compari-
son l have to make, because l have had
so much experience In the other.
Il am bound to say that executive
work is a little more wearing on the
nerves, because of the responsibility and
the absence of aids to support that re-
sponsibility, because you don't have coun-
sci to argue both sides. and you have to
be counsel for both sides yourself. and
sometimes only counsel for one side, and
the effect of the decision Is not quite SO
unanimously acquiesced in as 1 think jul
dicial decisions ought to be-
Now, my friends. did not come here
to make a speech, but only to express to
you the comfort and pleasure I have in
feeling that in so far as you properly
may, consistent with your duty. in pre-
pairing and presenting the facts to the
public and that part of the public that
you serve, you have the good will that
makes me like to come here and receive
this evidence of it,