Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 78, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 March 1909 — NOW SEEMS TO WORRY TAFT [ARTICLE]

NOW SEEMS TO WORRY TAFT

At Threshold of Presidency lie’s AU Good Nature. NAGEL PAYS HIS RESPECTS At Philippine Dinner, Arranged by Mias Mabel Boardman and Representative McKinley of Illinois, Ara Gathered a Number of Distinguished Personages Who Made the Trip Which - Brought Together Mr. and Mrs. Longworth and Bourke Cockran and Hie Wife. Washington, March 2. — A rush of morning callers, Interrupted for a long walk in the afternoon and attendance in the night at a special dinner In hie honor by the “Taft Philippine expedition,” brought the president elect to within two days of his inauguration. The apparent splendid physical condition, the universal good humor and absence from worry and nervous strain of Mr. Taft make a uniformly gratifying impression on the many statesmen, politicians and friends who are received by him dally. Charles Nagel of St. Louis, with Mrs. Nagel, is here, and they paid their respects to Taft. Dinner at the Willard.

The Philippine dinner was arranged by Miss Mabel Boardman and Representative McKinley of Illinois, and was the most pretentious of the enjoyable occasions which this famous party indulge in every year. There were present seven United States senators and twenty-four members of the house of representatives besides a number of otherwise distinguished personages which sailed to the Orient with Taft in 1906. The trip attained most of its fame because of the matrimonial accomplishments resulting. Representative Nicholas Longworth and Miss Alice Roosevelt became betrothed; Representative Bourke Cockran met Miss Ide, daughter of Judge Ide of the Philippine commission, who is now Mrs. Cockran; and Representartive Swager Sherley of Kentucky met Miss Mignon Critton of Staten Island, to whom he became engaged. The dinner took place tn the banquet hall of the Willard hotel, which was rich in decorations and floral setting.

Mentions Japanese Emperor. The president elect was in a particularly happy mood as he recalled the various places pf visit and the lasting memory which had been left His conclusion was not only a most cordial invitation that the members of the party should 'always find a welcome at the White Houpe during, bis occupancy, but an expressed desire that the Philippine party might be to the incoming administration what the “rough rider” organization had been to the last. "Circumstances never will fit themselves for another such a trip,” he said, “any more than can the four or five honeymoons which resulted from it be had over again. “I have often wondered what it waa that made our party such a uniform success from the beginning. I never wanted to get to Honolulu after we embarked on the Manchuria; certain ft was that our party received an impetus of good fellowship from the hospitality that was shown to all of us by the emperor of Japan, that lasted, until we reached home. I think there was not an exception in the love we all had for each other when we came home —every one loving every one else and also loving a particular person.”