The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-05

President Taft possibly labored under the greatest strain of any of the speak CTS at the Archibald Butt memorial exer- cises yesterday says the Augusta Chron- icle. for it was with difficulty that he was able to start his most touching tri- bute to his late military and social aide. The Presidents remarks were extempo- raneous, he stating in the beginning that he was unable to prepare anything on ac- count of his feelings, and came with the hope of the inspiration of the moment coming to his aid.
 The President was visbly affected by the exercises, and while his tribute was short one, it was one of the highest that could be paid. The President said
 MT. Mayor, and Ladies and Gentlemen
 of Augusta:
 "I am here to mourn with you for a friend After the beautiful and eloquent tributes which have been paid to Archie Butt by those who have preceded me, have very little to say to command your attention. l did not prepare anything for this occasion because 1 could not. l thought l would trust myself to say what the occasion seemed to me to call for in as few words as possible.
 ''I first knew Archie Butt in the Philip pines He was then volunteer in the ouartermasters department. with the rank of captain He was very active officer and had the reputation of being a very useful and faithful one. Everyone liked him. In the quartermastN' office in that far-off cline there were q great many favors in the way of comfort to dispense, and he dispensed them with jus tce and yet in such way as to endear him to everyone who came in contact lie 1fcpocitfo,, conditions that prevailed there was mar vicious, for in the tropics, and under the somewhat trying circumstances we were when he was there, depression of mind and spirits was a symptom of the cli- mate.
 ''Then he brought his mother there. and 1 had the pleasure of meeting her and hearing her crisp sentences on every thing that happened there and on much of what happened in Augusta. He loved her devotedly--it always seemed to me that he never married because he loved he- so, and the greatest sorrow of his life was when she left him.
 Roosevelt Made Him Aide Then he came to Washington after having been appointed as regular officer | in the quartermaster' department. He 1 there took the important duty of depot quartermaster at the capitol, and 1t was | there that he attracted the attention or l President Roosevelt, who made him his i aide. As in Malna, as in Augusta, so in
 Washington, he soon became to be. known | by everyone as Archie. It was not neces- sary to add the title or the last name. | Everyone knew whom we meant when
 we spoke of Archie
 "Then he became an aide. Now the duty of an aide to a President is very 1 hard to fill. It calls for great self-sacri- 1 fee A President is isolated He sees but
 few people continuously in a confidential and close way and his aide has to be with i him all the time when he is out of hu- nor and when he is in humor. and when
 he is silent and when he is talking The l aide has to do the best he can to con l tribute to the Presidents peace of mind, | and that is a burden, my dear friends. i that no one knows the weight of unless
 he has been an aide
 There is a description in a book which have seen of perfect aide. l I wish l could refer you 10 it, but lir described Archibald Butt. Lack in; nothing in self-respect, giving up noth- ing of what bv owed to himself. he