The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1912-01-19
TAFT AS A SHOPPER
Makes His Purchases Like an
Ordinary Citizen.
sspoPKEEPERs WELCOME HIM
Se~~-sheives Of Present President and
HEs Predecessor contrasted--An-
other Sorrow for Mrs. John a.
Logan In Death OF Her
Grandson.
~ GEORGE CLINTON.

by aEOHGE CLINTON.
4 Washington. President Taft oc
casionally goes downtown afoot to dc
hss odds and ends OF shopping. He
las made several trips to the business
senter recently, mingling with the
street and the shopping crowds and do
ING things generally like the ordinary
american citizen. When the presi
Gent goes Into a store, OF courss, he
instantly Ia recognized and there ia
evidence OF anxiety on the part OF each
clerk that at his counter the presiden
SaaIi do his shopping.
Mr. Taft makes liberal purchases
ana as his patronage carries with 1t
something In the nature OF an adver-
usement storekeepers hall his coming
Will good deal of satisfaction. Bust
ness comes pretty near to a standstili
10 the smaller shops when Mr.. Taft APP
pears. and this is not the fault OF in
attentive clerks who. after the first
minute of the presence" turn back
again to their ordinary customers who
prefer 70 turn from the counters to
Wasch the president while he buys
Things. II must be rather q trying POI
sition In way, but doubtless by this
time the president liz used to II It 10
mis- custom to make liberal purchases
ana this custom wa5 carried out to the
fun during the days Just before Christ
mas. and even now Mr.. Taft In making
up for certain forgstfulnesa before
Christmas by laying In greater store
OF presents TO send 10 friends
Books OF Two Presidents.
Theodore Roosevelt used to 20 shop
ping In the same way that William H.
Taft does. The former president
bought all kinds OF things, but his IA
yorite shopping place waa q certain
book store where he would 30 and
spend an hour or two every little while
looking over the new books and old
books. giving perhaps greater part
OF his time to ancient volumes. many
OF them secondhand. in the hope OF
finding something of interest not only
because of it's text. but because of Its
rarity.
President Taft's White House once
library consists almost entirely of law
books There were not more than two
or three law books in the once OF for
mer President Roosevelt. for he was
no lawyer and was willing to admit 1t.
In the White House proper today In
the study OF Mr.. Taft there are books
of all kinds. poetry. fiction. history.
essays and miscellaneous works. On
the same shelves when Mr.. Rooss-
welt was president was great col
lection OF nature books. He had
works on birds, mammals. moilusks
and in fact on every form which living
nature assumes. including vegetable
life. II must not be supposed from
this that Mr. Roosevelt did not have
poetry. fiction, history. essays and mis-
cellaneous works, for 1t 10 generally
admitted that he was the greatest
reader who ever served as president
of the United States and he had and
has a remarkable faculty OF remem-
bering everything that he reads.
Mrs. Logan's AffilctIons.
The body Of Captain Logan Tucker.
Mrs. John A. Logan's grandson. who
died In New York the other day. has
been buried in the tomb of his grandfa-
Their, General Logan, in the Soldiers
Home cemetery. Mrs. John A. Logan,
who was in good many respects the
strong right arm OF the general during
his lifetime, still lives In Washington.
She writes for the press and the mag
axines occasionally and despite her
years is still an exceedingly active
woman. She has had more sorrows
In recent years than ordinarily fall to
the lot OF womankfnd. Her only son
was killed in battle in the Philippines.
Mrs. Logan accompanied the body to
this country, Now her grandson, also
an army officer. is dead. Mrs. Logan
is deeply interested in everything con-
nected with the armed services of the
country. Her hair Is pure white, but
she keeps the appearance OF youth.
Plans Of National Press Club.
One of the thriving Washington
institutions is the National Press
club in which virtually all the cor
respondents and local newspaper
men have membership. with q great
nonresident list on which the names
appear of hundreds of the well-known
newspaper men Of the United States.
The club has had great holiday time
OF it in properly quiet way. Hospital
ity has marked the season as 1t
should
During the next few months there
viii be many entertainments at the
press club. and they promise to be Of
character which will excite country
wide interest, Last year at the club
there was a debate as to the compare
~~I~~~-~S~~-~-~~~~-~N
Complimented by the federal court
at Indianapolis for having rendered
a great service to his country" VIII
liam ], Burns, the detective, on