The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-05-28
FATE OF THE Fishermen

the Saturday Evening Post show why |
President Taft's friends are falling
from him like leaves from a tree in an
autumn storm:
Take for example, the episode OF the
Massachusetts fishermen. When the
fight over passing the reciprocity
measure was on, urgently supported
by Mr.. Taft, a dozen or so fishermen
from Massachusetts went 10 Washing
ton to protest before the House and
Senate committees against the fish
provisions in the measure. These men
were all Republicans. So were their
fathers. They were fishermen-not
dealers in fish, but men who go out
in the boats and get the fish-hardy,
intelligent men who believed their
rights, as they saw them, were not
being conserved by their party and by
their President. and who wanted their
say in the premises.
A Government official, who is one
of the Taft managers and is Loyalty
for Mr.. Taft, knows most Of these men.
He sailed with them when he was a
boy and he has kept in touch with
them. He likes them and they like
him. When they got to Washington
he hunted them up and looked after
them. He gave them a little dinner,
took them to the theater, drove them
about the city, showed them the sights
and was agreeable as he could be. A
day or so after they came he suggested
| that he would like to take them up to
see the President.
What's the use?" asked one of the
fishermen. The President is against
us and we have nothing to say to him"
"But there's no harm in going up and
having a talk with him." urged the
Taft friend. Hes a good fellow and
he'll be glad to see you; and maybe
you can tell him something he doesn't
known about the fish situation"
The fishermen caucused on the pro-
position and finally voted they didn't
care to go. The Taft official was not
discouraged. He continued his atten-
tions to the fishermen, showed them
a good time; and the night before they
left he preached the subject again.
| Come on, boys" he said; Tets go
up and see the President. You ought
to pay your respects to him anyhow:
and 1 know he will welcome you and
listen to your side of this story. Come
on
The fishermen caucused again. They
decided, inasmuch as their friend put
lit so strongly, they would go to the
| White House, call on the President
and, as it had been said he wanted to
hear their side of the fish story, tell
him what effect they thought recip-
rocity would have on their industry
The official much elated. He
hurried away and made arrangements
for the reception of the fishermen
at the White House. He persuaded the
President to give them a special au-
dience-by explaining how politically
important the fishing vote is in certain
districts in Massachusetts,.
At the appointed hour he proudly
escorted them to the White House
Presently the President came into the
room where the fishermen were wait
ing. They had protested that they had
no common ground on which to meet
the President, but finally decided to
go to the White House because of the
assurance of their friend, the Taft Of
fetal, that the President would be
glad to listen to them and really want
ed to see them
| The Taft official ranged up his fish
ermen in line and presented them to
the President, who shook hands with
each of them. After this ceremony,
tDeIOT6 any one cOulu say WOTu, the
President stepped back and said: "Of
course I am glad to see you men, but
really there was no need of your COM
ing here. My mind is made up about
this question and nothing you can say
will change it. So any discussion
would be useless. Glad to have met
you. Good night And he walked
out. You have one guess as to how
those fisherman and their friends voted
in the Massachusetts primaries and for
whom they worked.
Then there was the case of the West
ern business man, who is important
very important-in politics. The pres
ident had written to him some time
before and asked him to come to Wash
ington for consultation. He wrote
back he was very busy and couldn't
possibly come until after a certain big
matter was settled. The President re-
piled that it was important for him
to the Western man, and asked
whether he couldn't make the sacrifice
and come anyhow. The Western man
wrote back that it was impossible then,
but he would come as soon as he could
though his affairs made it almost i'm
possible for him to leave home.
The President told him to come at
the earliest possible moment. The big
matter in which he was interested
came to a head and he wired he would
be in Washington on a certain Friday
for luncheon, but must leave on the
afternoon train and hurry back to his
business, as he could hardly afford to
spare the time and was coming only
because the President was so insistent
An Open Secret.
He came and went TO the White
House. The President greeted him
warmly, told him how good it was Of
him to come and took him in to lunch
con, where the talk was to be held.
Just as they sat down a the table Miss
Taft and four or five girl friends came
in. The President had places at the
table prepared for them. The girls
sat down and the Western business
man and the President chatted with the
girls for hour and a half. Then
the President rose, excused himself
and left for an automobile ride; and
the Western business man hasn't seen
him since He left on the afternoon
train for home in a frame of mind that