Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-11

| OF StT Deehiy uTLfCfeS III UfLtCH MT. 4
| of TAFT and his administration
~ EFORE me is letter from the
- late William Howard Taft, dateC
Pointe -au-Pic, Canada Septem-
IL Der 10. 1927, acknowledging my
congratulations upon his seven
tieth birthday anniversary.
1T is a great pleasure to go back with
you to the old days, my dear friend" ii
reads in part; and it is those "old days
with which these chapters in the life OF
Mr.. Taft are chiefly concerned.
They were the days of his presidency
| days of doubt and disilluSion, per-
plexity and turmoil; eliminating, after
| defeat for reelection which might
we'll have relegated an ordinary man to
obscurity, in the attainment of his life'S
ambition-to which the presidency was
only a prelude--the Chief JuSticeShip OF
the United States.
1t was the writer's privilege during
| this period to share the friendship and
\ confidence of Mr.. Taft: not so much on
the political as on his human Side-that
! ! 1T of him in which the man was dis
/ ISOLATED from the President-with his
strong likes and dislikes, his patience,
\ his loyalty to friends, his cheerful resig-
4 nation in the face of adversely, his I'M
| common common sense, and above and
beyond all his broad sympathies and his
| unfailing sense of humor.
Travelled With Taft.
AS a newspaper. correspondent in
| Washington / was in frequent contact
1 with Mr.. Taft, not only IN the Executive
| ONCE for l accompanied him ON sue
cessive long Journeys, covering months
of speechmaking, to all parts of the
| country, to Panama, Mexico, etc.
| afo oil Ixr Ia
caSions in the privacy of the White
House, too, and later in. his Washing
ton home after he had become Chief
Justice, when Mr.. Taft'S frank discus
| sion of men and measures strongly EN-
| phasized that human quality which was
| his most characteristic trait.
His exalted judicial position isolated
| him from former contacts and he keenly
enjoyed shutting himself up In his study
! with q friend or two and thinking
| out loud" on current political trends
and issues.
1t was my privilege, likewise, and at
| times melancholy one, to have during
| the same period of friendship of the
late Theodore Roosevelt. 1t was through
| this that became acquainted with Mr..
Taft-an introduction by telephone, in
cidentally. The careers of the two dis
| tinguished Americans are inextricably
linked In American history and 1t is
| from notebook entries, personal letters
and unforgettable memories Of asSoci-
alton with them that these chapters
are put together.
Met ut Yale Reunion.
My first meeting with Mr.. Taft was at
q reunion of his class at Yale in June,
1908, Immediately following his nominal
ton for the presidency. He wore
fantastic paper cap and was participant
ing in high jinks with the boys of '78
on the University foot ball field. He
was rotund and jolly and trimming
over with the spirit OF the occasion.
"Oh. yes" he said, wiping the per-
spiration from his forehead as I halted
him. THE President phoned me you
were coming. I hope we'll see lot Of
each other during the campaign. Just
now" he chuckled Enthusiastically
and rejoined his old classmates.
I remained with Mr.. Taft most of
the campaign OF 1908. Following his
| election in that year he went to Vir-
ginia Hot Springs for rest and recre-
alton, and there emerges from that
ance, tolerance and prudence in which
Mr.. Taft Is the central figure.
On the night of the Thanksgiving
Gay succeeding his election Mr.. Taft
was the guest of honor at q dinner
given by Senator Jonathan Bourne of
Oregon In the Homestead Hotel Mr..
Tafts first act on taking his seat at
the table was to turn down all the
glasses encircling his plate except the
water goblet. He did it without osten-
tation, and the gesture was almost I'M
noticed. His indulgence In wines and
| liquors had never been more than social
and casual and I think the act was
generally attributed by those who OBJ
served 1t to regimen he was imposing
upon himself in preparation for the
heavy task which lay ahead.
Newspaper Describes Incident.
When the New York newspapers ar
rived the next day one of them car
ried dispatch from Hot Springs de-
scribing the incident and suggesting
that the President-elect had Topped to
the drys. The following morning /
was summoned to his cottage. AS I
entered his study he pointed to heap
OF letters and. kilograms on side table.
See theseY he. demanded. II am
being deluged with all sorts of lauda-
tons as a result of that COMPOUNDED
story. They commend me for the
courageous stand have taken on the
drink question"
1t was quite evident that Mr.. Taft
was annoyed, but there was an unmis-
taxable twinkle in his eyes,
Here's one praising my brave de-
termination to Danish liquor from the
White House when I am established
there" he continued. II have no such
purpose. The plain truth is that 1 do
not want to die either of Bright's
disease or diabetes. That was my sole
reason for turning down my glasses.
Il wish you would send out a story
to that effect. But please don't quote
me. That would get me into more
| trouble. But you may say on au-
| thority that while am in the White
House my guests will be entertained as
| guests have always been entertained
there. It's no part Of the presidential
function, as I see it, to set up drinking
habits for the American people"
Wine Served to Guests.
sent out the story, and to complete
| the record 1t may be said that at all
! White House functions during Mr..
Tafts administration there was wine
for those who desired it. But Mr.. Taft,
| / am quite certain, never again in
| dulged.
Fourteen years went by before the
| liquor question again came up in con-
| Versation between us. Mr.. Taft had
and had been elevated TO the Supreme
Bench. The eighteenth amendment
had been in force three years. / had
secretary, to see the Chief Justice at
IL O'Clock the morning of May "a,
1928, at his home. 224l Wyoming ave-
| WASHINGTON