“I favour bestowing upon women every civic right, but I should like to put in a prohibitory clause debarring them from running for office. If women should indulge in a scramble for office, I think that the natural scheme would become disjointed and the aim of the home destroyed. I can see nothing unfeminine in women casting the ballot, but it seems to me for the present that it is impracticable to dissociate the right to vote from the right to hold office.”
It was while her husband was Secretary of War that Mrs. Taft showed her resourcefulness on that long journey which they took with their ten-year-old son Charlie. The Philippines were opening their first Assembly and had called “Santa Taft,” who had given them their government, to come to see what they had done with it. Next, he was to cross Siberia over the new railroad and return through Europe. Helen Taft was at the Cathedral School outside Washington, and Robert, the older son, was at his Uncle Horace Taft’s school at Watertown, Conn. Few women would have cared to make that trip, crowded with important entertainments, where one must always look well, through a climate ranging from Siberian cold to Philippine heat, without a maid, and with an irrepressible youngster who must always be kept in presentable condition. But Mrs. Taft did not hesitate. Her place was with her husband, and it was an opportunity for little Charlie to see the world. As usual, she was the most charmingly gowned woman at every function they attended. And best of all, they all had a good time.
It was during this eventful trip that Mr. Taft, in alighting from a train, snagged an ugly hole in his only pair of dress trousers. This was tragedy, as he had an appointment to be received by the Czar of all the Russias. Mrs. Taft did her best, but although her husband stepped carefully, the cloth gave way again, exposing the knee. Rumour claims that the imperturbable gentleman merely donned a long coat and entered the Czar’s presence with it on, and later told the Emperor the whole story and produced the proof. At any rate, no international complications ensued with Russia on the grounds of the implied discourtesy of the American representative in being very late for his appointment.
Among the many accomplishments Mrs. Taft brought to her régime at the White House was her skill as a linguist. During her extensive travels she had devoted time to the study of languages in the countries she visited, and her ability to converse with some of the diplomats in their own tongues was a source of great satisfaction and pleasure. Mrs. Taft kept pace with her husband in public affairs and during her occupancy of the White House was thoroughly conversant with political questions that were paramount in interest. But she limited her discussions and expressions of opinion to the privacy of the family group. Instead of concerning herself with politics, she devoted her energies to the changes she wished to bring about in the management of the forty-room house which Uncle Sam had given her for a temporary residence. Beginning with the front door, she substituted coloured-liveried butlers for the blue-uniformed police who formerly guarded this entrance, and then, at her request, the position of steward was abolished and replaced by that of housekeeper, paid by the government at the rate of $1,200 annually. Mrs. Jane Jaffray, recommended by some of Mrs. Taft’s friends in New York, was appointed to this position, which was one of great responsibility, as the housekeeper supervised the servants, all being of equal rank under her authority. She had charge of the linen and silver, for the cleaning of which Mrs. Taft installed an electric silver-cleaning machine, which lessened the labour and saved time. Mrs. Jaffray also had charge of the china, the pantry, and the refrigerator. The morning before inauguration, Mrs. Taft took Mrs. Jaffray to the big centre market and made the rounds of the stalls with her, explaining her methods and acquainting her with the food the family liked. All of the marketing during the Taft régime was done by the housekeeper, not only for the family and the servants, but for the formal entertaining. All of the catering for the state functions was done in the White House kitchens, even to the ices and confectionery. Mrs. Taft had always been a practical, capable manager. Under her direction, the purchasing of staples was done in wholesale quantities.
Mrs. Taft planned and carried out an elaborate social programme. She was persuaded that Washington City should be the social centre of the country and did her best to carry out her ideal, which she explained in an interview for the New York American as follows:
“It seems to me that, geographically and logically, Washington should be the representative social city of the land. Here are the headquarters of the country’s official and diplomatic life, and every distinguished visitor to our shores comes to Washington for a time. The home life is more representative, too, than it is in any other city. No city in the entire country is more beautifully laid out or has more natural charm during the months given over to official and social life than Washington. I hope one day to see it the recognized social centre of the United States.”
To assist her in her social duties, she followed Mrs. Roosevelt’s example of engaging a social secretary, and Miss Alice Blech filled this position during the first part of the administration.
President Taft was the first of the Executives to receive the increased presidential salary. After much discussion, Congress had finally raised the yearly stipend from $50,000 to $75,000, with an additional $25,000 for travelling expenses.
Upon his induction into office, President Taft was asked his views upon serving liquor at the White House functions. He referred his questioner to a letter he had written to be read in the Sunday schools of the country a few weeks before. It read in part:
My dear young Friends: