Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-07-06
CHIEF JUSTICE TAFT
DELIGHTS BRITISH
Speeches and Jokes and Genial
Personality Warm the
Heart Of English.
Baltimore Sun.

Howard Taft. Chief Justice OF the
United States. has been having a won
derful time here for the past three
weeks.
90 has his host, Col. George Harvey
the American Ambassador. For quite
a while they have been the most con-
spicuous figures in England. The |
newspapers have daily teemed with !
their comings and soings, their
speeches and stories.
Banquet has followed banquet with
bowildering swiftness. There has been
an unceasing stream OF lunchcons, re-
captions, dinners, visits to country
houses honors, orders and decorations.
From tho King down. everyone in
England apparently has tried to make
Mr.. Taft happy-and 1t has not been
hard Job. lie il the perfect picture
of happy man. lie fairly exudes
enjoyment.
The tremendous warmth OF his well
come and the amazing pace he has
| had to travel would have brought
any ordinary man to the point of col
lapse. Mr.. Taft has thrlved on It,
With his visit almost over. he is still
going strong. shedding felicity in every
direction and accepting invitations
with both hands.
His midrif1an chuckle has been
worked as Il was never worked before
and II has not failed to ring the bell
every time. His stock of stories being
entirely new to the British, they have
gone big" His serious Constitutional
stuff" haa brought forth literally
thousan ds OF hearty British "henr,
hear" while the resolute and impress
sive way in which he has laid down
the principle that the future OF the
world rests upon American-Brttish
friendship has aroused tho most en-
thusiastio response, and made 1t seem
almost as IL he We're saying some
thing wholly new and original And,
in the frankest manner in the world.
Mr.. Taft has enjoyed it Just as much
as his audiences.
It il perfectly accurate 70 say that
no ono haO better time when MI.
Taft is making speech than Mr.. Taft.
It is also pleasant to Gee how very
much he has frightened our Ambassa-
dor. This has been generally noticed
| and commented upon.
to have shaken off much of his
! saturninity. He no longer seemr
/ morose. There are times when he Is
really gracious. and there have been
moments when distinct traces of
genialty were discernible.
Before Mr. Taft's arrival the cor
respondent heard Mr.. Harvey make
a number OF speeches over here aud II
= would not be correct 30 say they Were
either Interesting or amusing. They
read well the merit day because any
thing he writes Is wsll written anc
worth reading, but listening 10 then
one got the idea that Mr., Harvey was
= mad about something or other-tha
he WINS sore about having 70 come. and
that he didn't much care whether hi
audience had any better time than h
was having.
II is not soips too far 20 say tina
Mr.. Harvey did not have the reputa
\ ton in England OF being a good speak
| or. Since Mr.. Taft came. the chang
} in the Ambassadors manner ant
method is amazing. There is q sparkle
a zest, a vibrancy, not only 10 what h
e says but in the way he says Il, tina
were wholly lacking before.
In the form he is showing now MI
Harvey, while making no pretense a
eloquence and entirely devoided
u oratorical tricks, is AS well wort
e hearing as any man IN England.
;. At the Fourth OF July dinner Of tn
u American Society. held al the SAVOY
u. "a, ~ "a
e guest OF honor. There were other dis
: tinguished speakers. but the America
. Ambassador was easily the star OF tn
=. night. He "kidded" Mr.. Taft unit
;. the Chief Justice had TO hold his ia
n sides and the big crowd of American
d and Englishmen roared with apprecia
ton. He described him again as tn
e worst licked, least sore and best-hke
J. President we ever had"
e With a delicate and delightful br
10 thoroughly good-natured satire b
touched upon various things that ma
l. been done to America by the Europea
he countries represented by their Arnbai
sailors at the dinner and closed with
Is ringing declaration Of his gratific;
IN ton over the fact that the Germa
1e Ambassador was among the guest
OF adding the hope that by next year II
n Russian people would have rid then
+ selves of their Authorizations and mat
- it possible to include Russian repr
- sentative among those present.
y The audience rose to him. He WI
~ a bigger hit than Mr.. Taft himsa
a a Every time he got on his feet he sa
:. something worth while. All Of whiC
. goes to prove that Ambassador Ha
oil vey has the goods" as a public speaI
he er and can deliver them when co
n ditions are right. Why he has Il
done so beforehand ne certainly h
O. not-is not clear. Perhaps somethil
he woke him up. Perhaps 1t was I
ali deluge OF criticism back home. for o
of thing and another. Perhaps it w
Is just because he genuinely likes n
le- Taft and his presence puts him in
p better humor with the world.
cir It is. Of course. true that Mr.. He
or vey is nothing like as popular oV
he here as his predecessor, John w. DaV
ne The chances are he never will be.
ne it IS a fact that he has in the il
IS six months gained in popularity a
ne prestige in England. One mo Iona
'ea hears the kind of quiet talk about h
that it was impossible not TO he
- last year.
o In the first place, his undenin]
-, ability has forced recognition. At
&c Foreign Office IT is conceded he
m very much con his Job" that hs kno
eel his Job and attends TO his job. He
'ic they say, an easy, a satisfactory,
tx. sound and q safe man with whom
Ell do business. There is very real gra
e" fication that he has made 1t posi-