Southwick

I always look forward to Albert Southwick's column every week in the T&G.  It's one of the few pieces on the editorial page that doesn't make me cringe.  (I understand why Michael Reagan's 'magical' last name and not his talents as a writer or deep thinker give him an audience.  How does Tom Purcell cut it as a syndicated columnist?  I'm baffled.)

It's not often that I find a historical error in Albert Southwick's columns, but he had a major one in Thursday's column:

"1910 had been quite a year. In March, William Howard Taft was sworn in as the 27th president of the United States, and the Great White Fleet that President Theodore Roosevelt had sent around the world to demonstrate America’s naval power was steaming toward home. The last U.S. troops were coming home from Cuba. The war with Spain was over except for the Philippines, where the natives remained in rebellion. They apparently had thought that the overthrow of Spanish control meant freedom for them."

William Howard Taft was elected in 1908 and inaugurated in 1909, not 1910, and the Great White Fleet returned in 1909.  (Great White Fleet sounds like a description of Sean Casey, Doug Mirabelli and Kevin Millar's running abilities, not a naval excursion.  Yes, I miss baseball.  Just a month and a half until spring training!)