The evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942, 1912-06-24
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

buster that ever prcsidcntcd at tn,
White House. Il didn't look like
Roosevelt had left a single. solitary.
msasly, little precedent unshattcrcd
when William Howard Taft moved
into the white House, Remains Of the
dead and dying prccedcnts Uttered
the lawn. or we're dcccntly packed
away In the cellar with a miscciiaue-
Gus collection Of SS3 big sticks, which
adoring friends had forwarded to the
Unprecedented Predecessor.
Hurricdiy moving over to the cx.
ecutive offices, with a copy OF the con.
stitution under his arm. Taft started
right In on March 4, 1909. for a little
precedent punishment himself Dur
Ing the next three years TAFT has
ljuggernauted over more prcccdents
than r. x. ever dreamed OF doing. As
a matter OF fact. before he made that
trip to the executive ONCE with the
crnstitution under his arm he had
already scored one. Nobody ever
heard OF a presidents wife ever rid.
ing down Pennsylvania avenue with
hcr husband following the Inaugural
tion, Is wasn't customary. Hut Taft
saw that IL was done. He always ad-
tnitted that II II hadn't been for Mrs.
Taft he would have accepted Colonel
Roosevelt's opportunity to place him
ON the supreme bench. and never en-
tered the presidential race. So he
wanted Mrs, Taft to enjoy his inaugu.
ration.
Just as he was getting acquainted
with the Job. Taft discovered that
T. II. had made Il a precedent that a
chief executive should write ionE mes
sages to congress. Several thousand
words was about right
hut Taft's nrst message. convening
an extra session Of congress, was n
measiy little $50 words. Credible wit
nesses assert that when Secretary
Latta. his arms all sinewy with the
hefting OF ponderous communications
under the old regime. almost tainted
when told that a single sheet OF paper
was message.
Well, Taft kept that precedent
busting stunt up, He attended pri-
yate dinners NJ the home OF friends I
In Washington--some stern 7
never permitted before. He |
congress, rather than buliied |
IL. He made General Leonard Wood. |
n doctor and not a West Pointer. head |
Of the army. lie served refreshments I
NJ the state receptions. He discarded |
White House carriages. and persuad-
ed congress TO appropriate for auto
mobiles. He appointed two democrats /
10 the supreme bench. making one Of
them chief Justice. He started the
no luncheon" fad. He added n COW
10 the landscape features OF his back
yard. He put an economy commission
10 work. He got congress to lay out
, fine boulevard on the Potomac. and
,rdered the Marine band to play there
regularly. He cut out foreign SER
rants at the White House. and In
tailed sons OF Ham. He busted to
nhniteslmal molecules all previous
ecords for presidential travelling. He
made r. RS strenuous feats Of train
look like frayed imitation.
There are so many other little pre-
edents all dead and gone that II
would require the space OF one OF
he Roosevelt messages to chronicle
hem.
And the peculiar part OF II is that
'at never did very much precedent
before he became president.
lie had the judicial temperament"
ie came by II honestly and naturally.
lis father was a lawyer. and at one
line secretary Of war. The son start
d as a lawyer. after graduating with
Ionors, and at the age OF 81. from
'ale. in rs. He got his first p0iit-
cal Job In 1881. and has been holding
Dpointiye or elective offices ever
ince.
He was "Roosevelts candidate" for
he presidency. The Strenuous One
ot behind him. helped his campaign.
nd rejoiced In his election. II Roose-
elt has his renown for certain dental
characteristics. Tafts smile has be- !,
ONE a catch phrase. II is contagi-
us--that smile-It begins with an Z.
inward chuckle that wobles the third
nd lowermost presidential chin, and
hen crops out with subdued Choir
le. A grayish moustache doesn't
ide II. either.
One Of the precedents that T. r.
that was continued around I
he White House was the physical
ulture stunt. But where Roosevelt Z
nixed 1t with jiu jitsui artists. wres-
IL v.rixa NUhtora Houcoro In tha