Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1912-02-02

| III me uhyS Wuou hdE. ldll anu 1hks
Roosevelt were close friends and when
the Legislative policies Of one were be-
lieved to be absolutely the legislative
policies Of the other. the great "faunal
naturalist" attempted to interest Mr..
Taft, who was then secretary OF war.
In the subject of natural history.
1t isn't to be supposed that there Is
any harm in repeating conversation
which took place between Mr.. Roose-
welt and his secretary of war shortly
after high noon one day In the ofRe
room of the White House. Mr.. Taft
came in to say few words to Mr..
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 1t thought for a good part
of the morning But Just now" he
said. Il have another subject OF deep
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 a little quizicaIly at
his chief and said:
I'll 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
and she wolves, for ali Of me. can ret
their food in any way that suits them
| best"
Mr.. Roosevelt had been greatly in
terested In controversy which had
been waging. touching the question az
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 60 foraging for their own proven
der. He had his own views on the SUBJ
ject and thinking doubtless that q
matter Of SO much interest to him
mign 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-
tions of rooms for the two big
party conventions of next June. In
Washington present interest in legis-
lation is frequently Swallowed by inter
est in the coming conventions. It 10
not fitting here to write Of who 10
likely to be nominated or who Will
suffer the pangs OF disappointment,
but the leaders Of both parties seem
to be confident Hope is the prime
possession of politicians and while
they may not always feel 1t. they are
at pains always to pretend to feel It.
Next June the Democrats and the
Republicans. in their respective con-
yentions. will as usual view with
alarm" the past doings of their oppo-
nents. National conventions are ap-
pealing affairs not only from the pc
liticai 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 overzealous speak
er commits the blunder which ID
worse than a crime and says some
thing 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
II people don't like the work that is
planned they will show It by voting
for the other man. =
Cautious About Religion. y
II IL noteworthy how careful the
delegates to a convention are to keep
out 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 70 have the days ses-
sions one after the other. opened by
a petition to the Almighty offered In
turn by a Protestant, q Jewish and 9
Roman Catholic clergyman. The Jew.
ish clergyman II not always included.
but he Ia II the thought comes and
opportunity offers.
These things are supposed to have
their effect on the voters. Such rea-
soning of effect. however. argues .
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 a Republi-
can simply. and only because a min
lister 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-
ious matters the Republican party was
above political pre1udices.