The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-10-04
Merely HOw-De-DO and Pump
handle Grip of L. r..
G. 0. P. PEACE Dove BUSY
Mere Reporters Not Allowed to
DeSecrate Scene.
Root and Crane and PenrOSe
Also at Love Feast.

Z New York, Oct. 4.-Strains from the
ex-presidents' Harmony Duet" still
cloyed the atmosphere around Repub-
lican headquarters today William H.
Taft and Theodore Roosevelt had met
shaken hands and spoken.
Two years ago they met at "a fu
neral. Last night it was a sort of
christening bee. The christenee was
Harmony The Union League club
was the christening spot. No mere
reporters were permitted to desecrate
the scene-but-
Roosevelt and Taft did shake hands
They both asked How do you do,"
but neither answered the question.
There was not anyone who heard any
Dear VIII" or Dear Theodore" stuff.
The two merely nodded, Taft stuck
his hand out. Roosevelt grabbed it,
gave it one up and down pump and
dropped it Then the two with
Chauncey NJ. Depew standing between
them, stood in line while all the big
republicans in New York City passed
along behind open-faced suits and
with hands outstretched that itched to
be shaken by two former presidents
and Would-be president-he was
Charles Hughes-on the same night.
Reporters Outside Looking In
That much is agreed today by every
one who was inside while the reporters
were Kept outside, looking in.
AS to just who got the colonel and
Judge raft together, there is differ
ence of opinion. Taft arrived before
Roosevelt and had taken his place in
line when Roosevelt, shaking hands
right and left, appeared Some say
Governor Whitman hooked his arm
thru the colonePs, led him over to
Taft and said:
Mr.. Taft, here's Colonel Roose-
veIt
Some say George R. Sheldon did the
oeed- AT any rate that's all there was
10 II insofar as Taft and Roosevelt
were concerned. Some said they were
cordial Others said neither smiled
This later was refuted by still others
who said it would have been physical
| ly impossible for either to keep from
grlnnlng. But there We're other lit
tie high spots that made it almost as
interesting as if the colonel and Taft
had hugged each other. For in
stance, when Roosevelt got in the ele-
vator, who should have been crowd
ed against him but w. Murray Crane,
who is said to have accumulated az
many unsatd words as he has dollars
The Colonel Meets Root.
The two spoke-but Roosevelt
alone spoke above a whisper. When
he said ''Howde-do," Crane leaned
carefully over to the colonePs ear
some say it was the colonePs right
ear; others the 1eft-and moved his
lips. Roosevelt, according to eye
witnesses, pretended to hear Crane
and in turn leaned to Cranes ear. His
lips moved. Crane smiled, nodded his
head and once more whispered in
RooSevelt's ear Roosevelt smiled.
That was all of that.
Then Roosevelt ran against Elihu
Root, VINO guided Taft's tank" at
Chicago in 1912. Both smiled broadly
and shook hands. This act brought
much buzz-buzz of approval and some
handclapping. There isn't any more
of that.
But the incident no one forgot to
mention when the neWs-hungry re
pprters were being tossed the official
scraps of information was the meet
ing between-well, you'd never guess
between Boise PeErose and Roose :
welt. Penrose ponderously paraded
! to the receiving line and got a real
smile, so everyone insisted.
| William Barnes was a late arrival,
He said the crowd was SO thick he
| was unable to get close enough to the
| colonel to speak.
Marshall Dubious on Love Feast.
Chicago, Oct. 4.-Vice President
Marshall is still skeptical about the
handshaking between Colonel Roose-
welt and ex-President Taft last night.
You cannot change a mans heart
by touching his hand" he said here to-
day THE whole thing is just a bit
of pyrotechnics. that's ALL
!