Newspapers / French Broad Hustler (Hendersonville, … / March 11, 1909, edition 1 / Page 2
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INAUGURAL t 3t DeHvered by The New. President Upba 4 ;The Occasion of His Inauguration Outline of His Policies Clearly and Forcibly Set Forth. Hj Fellow Citizens:, '"Any one who takes the oath I liave just taken must feel a heavy weight of responsibility. If not, he has no conception of the powers and defies of -the. office upon which he. is about to enter, or he is lacking in a r- proper' sense- of the obligation which the oath imposes. I should be . untrue to myself,' to my , promises and to the declara- . lions of the party platform upon . which I was elected, to office, and .to may distinguished predecessor whose reforms are conspicuous if I . did not make the maintenance and en forcement of those reforms a most important feature of my administra tion. They were directed to the sup pression o the lawlessness and abuses of power of the great com binations of capital , invested in rail roads and in industrial enterprises carrying on interstate commerce. The steps which my predecessor took and the legislation passed on his recom mendation have accomplished much, lave caused a general halt in the vicious policies which created pop ular alarm, and have brought about , in the business affected, a much high er, regard for existing law. To. render the reforms lasting, however, and to secure at the same time freedom from alarm on the part f, those pursuing proper and pro gressive business methods, further legislative and executive action are needed. Relief of the railroads from ertain restrictions of the anti-trust law have been urged by my predeces sor and will be . urged by me. On the other hand, the administration is pledged to , legislation looking to a , Proper", federal , supervision and re striction ; to prevent excessive issues of bonds and stocks by companies owning and operating interstate com merce railroads.. Then, too, , a reorganization of the Department of Justice, of the Bu reau of Corporations in the Depart ment of Commerce and Labor and f the Interstate Commerce Commis sion looking to effective co-operation of- these agencies, js needed to secure a "(more rapid and certain enforce ment of the laws affecting interstate railroads' and industrial combina tions. ' . I hope to be able to submit, at the first regular session of the incoming Congress, in December next, definite suggestions in respect to the needed amendments to the anti-trust and the interstate commerce law, and the changes required in the executive de partments concerned in their enforce ment. Such plans must be formulated as Fill include the right of the people to vail themselves of those methods of combining capital and effort deemed necessary to reach the highest de gree of, economic efficiency, at the same - time differentiating between combinations ' based upon legitimate economic reasons and those formed with the intent of creating monopo lies and artificially controlling prices. The work of formulating into prac tical shape such changes in creative tork of .the highest order, re quires all the deliberation possible in the interval. I believe that the amendments to be proposed are just as necessary in the protection of legitimate business as :n ie clinch ing of the reforms which properly . bear the name of my predecessor. , ..Revision of the Tariff. A matter of most pressing impor tance is the revision of the tariff. In accordance, with the promise of the platform, upon .which I was elected, I shall call Congress into extra ses sion, to meet on the 15th day of March, in order that consideration may be. at once given to a bill re vising .the Dmgley Act. This should r secure an adequate revenue and ad just., the .duties in sueh a manner as to afford to labor and to all indus tries in, this, country, whether of the farm, mine or factory, protection by . tans equal to the difference between the .cost of production abroad and the cost of production here, and have & provision vrmcn snan put in rorce upon executive determination of cer j. j ' - i - i xain iacts, a signer or maximum tariff against those countries whose trade policy toward us equitably re quires such discrimination. It is . thought that , the. tariff above stated will permit the reduction of rates in certain schedules and will require the advancement of few, if any. It i3 imparatively necessary that a tariff bill be drawn in good faith in accordance with promises made be fore the election by party in power and as promptly passed as due consid eration will permit, It is not that the tariff is more important in the Ion" run than the ' perfecting of the re forms, in respect to anti-trust legis lation and' interstate commerce regu lation, ' but the need for action when -the 'revision of the tariff has been - determined' upon is more immediate to avoid ' embarrassment of business. Graduated Inheritance Tax. It is imparative that the deficit of the vss year, or .plUO.000.COO shall not A BUSY SUNDAY FOf Washington, Special. President elect -Taft attended divine services at the Unitarian , church. Then he sped over to the White House in an automobile for a conference with the President. After leaving the White House he went to the home of Sena tor Eugene Hale, of Maine, at 'Six teenth and K streets, for luncheon. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon he re turned to the Boardman House, where he and Mrs. Taft were the guests of honor at a large reception continue, and the framers of the tariff : bill must of' course have in mind the total revenues likely to be produced by it, and so arrange the duties "as to secure an adequate in come. Should it be impossible to do so by import duties, new kinds of taxation must be adopted, and among these "I "recommend a" graduated in heritance tax, as correct in principle and as certain and easy of collec tion. The obligation on the part of those responsible for the expenditures made to carry on the government, to be as economical as possible, and to bake the burden of taxation as light as possible, is plain and should be affirmed in every declaration of gov ernment policy. This is especially true when we are face to face with a heavy deficit. But when the desire to win the popular approval leads to the cutting off of expenditures really needed to make the govern ment effective, and to enable it to accomplish its proper objects, the re sult is as much to be condemned as the wasteof government funds in un necessary expenditure. The scope of a modern government in what it can and ought to accomplish for its peo ple has widened far beyond the prin ciples laid down by the old laissez faire school of political writers, and this widening has met popular approval. In the Department of Agriculture, the tisp of cfiept'fii; o---' -on a large scale, and the spread of miormation derived ironi metn W the improvement of general agricul ture, must go on. The importance of supervisiner business of great railways and indus trial combinations, and the necessary investigation and prosecution of unlawful business methods, are an other necessary tax upon government which did nof exist half a century ago. Conservation of Otir Resources. . The putting into force of laws which shall secure the conservation of our resources, so far as they may be within the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, including the most important work of saving and restoring our forests, and the great improvement of waterways, are all proper government functions which must involve large expenditures if properlv performed. While some of them, like the reclamation of arid lands, are made to pay for them selves, others are of such an indirect benefit that this cannot be expect ed of thera. A permanent improve ment, like the Panama Canal, should be treated as a distinct enterprise. and should be paid for by the pro ceeds oi bonds, the issue of which will distribute its cost between the present and future generations in accordance with the benefits derived. It may well be submitted to the serious consideration of Conerress whether the deepening and control of the channel of a great river system, like that of the Ohio or of the Mis sissippi, when definite and practical plans tor the enterprise have been approved and determined upon, should not be provided for in the same way. The Army and the Navy. Then, too, there are expenditures of government absolutely necessary if our country is to maintain its proper place among the nations of the world, and is to exercise its pro per influence in defense of its own trade interests, in the maintenance of traditional American policy against the colonization of European monarchies in this hemisphere, and in the promotion of peace and inter national morality. I refer to the cost of maintaining a nronar Armv. a proper per Navy and suitable fortifica- tions upon the mainland of the Unit ed btates and in its- dependencies. We should have an Army so or ganized, and so officered as to be cap able in time of emergency, in co operation with the National Militia, and under the provisions of a proper national volunteer law. rapidly to ex pand into a force sufficient to resist all probable invasion from abroad and to furnish a respectable expedi tionary force, if necessary, in the maintenance of our traditional Amer ican policy which bears the name of President Monroe. Our fortifications are yet in a state of only partial completeness, and the number of men to man them is in sufficient. In a few years, however, the usual appropriations for our coast defenses both on 'the mainland and in the dependencies, will make them sufficient to resist all ' direct attack, and by that time we may hope that the men to man them will be provided as a nenessarv nrHrmc.t. What has been, said of the Armv may be affirmed in even a more emphatic way of. the Navy. A modern navy cannot be improvised. It must be built and in, existence when the emergency arises which calls for its use and operation. My distinguished predecessor has in many speeches and messages set out with great force PRES - ELECT TAFT. given by Miss Mabel Boardman. Larger crowds than usual attended both the Grace Reformed and the Unitarian churches Sunday morning on account of the final attendance .of Mr. Roosevelt at Grace church and the presence of : Mr. Taft at the Unitarian. President Roosevelt walked to and from his church, while Mr. Taft used an automobile both ways. Rev. Dr.: Edward Everett Hale, ' chaplain of the Senate and a Unitarian assisted in the services, ' and striking language, the necessity for maintaining a string navy com mensurate with the coast line, the governmental resources and the for eign trade of our nation ; and I wish to reiterate all the reasons which he has presented in favor of the policy of maintaining a strong navy as the besfc conservator of our peace with other nations and the best means of securing respect for the assertion of our rights, the defense of our in terests and the exercise of our' in fluence in international matters. ' , The Maintenance of Peace. Our international policy is always to prdmote peace. We shall enter into any war with a full conscious ness of the, awful consequences that it always entails, whether successful or not, and we, of course, shall make every effort, consistent with national honor and the highest . national in terest, to avoid a resort to arms. We favor every 'i .-instrumentality, like that of The Hague Tribunal and ar bitration treaties made with a view to its use in" all international contro versies, in order to maintain peace and to avoid war. But we should be blind to existing conditions, and should allow ourselves to-become fool ish idealists, if we did not realize that with all the nations of the world armed and prepared for war, we must be ourselves in a similar con dition in order to prevent other na tions from taking advantage of us and of our inability to defend our interests and assert our rights with a strong hand. In the international controversies that are likely to arise in the - Orient, growing out of the question of the open door and other issues, the United States can main tain her interests intact and can -"secure respect, for her just demands. She will not be able to do so, how ever, if it is understood that she never intends to back up her asser tion of right and her defense of her interest by anything but mere verbal protest and diplomatic note.. For these reasons, the expenses of the army and navy and of coast defenses should always be considered as some thing which the government must pay for, and they should not be cut off through mere consideration of economy. Our Government is able to afford a suitable army and a suit able navy. It mav maintain them without the slightest danger to the Republic or the cause of free insti tutions, and fear of additional tax ation ouerht not to change a proper policy in this regard. Protection of Americans in Foreign Lands. The policy of the United State in the Spanish War and since, has given it a position of influence among the nations that it never had before, and should be constantly exerted to se curing to its bona fide citizens, whether native or naturalized, re spect for them as such- in foreign countries. We should make every effort to prevent humiliating and de grading: prohibition against any of our citizens wishing temporarily to sojourn in foreign countri.j because of race or religion. Immigrants. The admission of Asiatic immi grants who can not be amalgamated with our population has been made the subject either of prohibitory clauses in our treaties and statutes, or of strict administrative regula tion secured by diplomatic negotia tion. I sincerely hope that we may continue to minimize the evils likely to arise from such immigration with out unnecessary friction and by mu tual concessions between self-respect-in? governments. Meantime, we must take every precaution to prevent, or, failing that, to punish outbursts of race feeling among our people against foreigners of whatever nat ionality who may have by our grant a treaty right to pursue lawful bus iness here and to be protected against lawless assault or injury. Protection of Foreigners. This leads me to point out a seri ous defect in the present Federal jurisdiction which ought to be rem edied at once. Having: assured to other countries by treaty the pro tection of our laws for such of their subjects or citizens as we permit to come within our jurisdiction, we now leave to a State or a citv. not un der the control of the Federal Gov ernment, the duty of performing our international obligations in this re spect. By proper legislation we may, and ought to, place in the hands of the Federal Executive the means of enforcing the treaty rights of such aliens in the courts of the Federal Government. It puts our govern ment in a pusillanimous position to make definite engagements to pro tect aliens and then to excuse the failure to perform those engagements by an explanation that the duty to keep them is in States or cities, not within our control. If we would promise, we must put ourselves in a position to perform our promise. We cannot" permit the possible failure of justice due to local prejudice in any State or municipal government to ex pose us to the risk of a war which might be avoided if Federal juris diction was asserted by suitable leg islation "by Congress and carried out by proper proceedings instituted by the Executive, in the courts of the National Government. Monetary and Banking. , One of the reforms to be carried out during the incoming Administra tion is a change of our monetary and banking laws, so as to secure great er elasticity in forms of currency available for trade and' to prevent the limitations of law from operat ing to increase the embarrassments of a financial panic. The Monetary ROOSEVELT AND TAFT Washington, Special Immediately after the church services last Sunday Mr. Taft and Mr. Roosevelt met at the White House. While the Presi dent was afcot he stepped in his usu al lively fashion and was at the front portico of the mansion just in time to receive Mr. Taft, who came as ihs guest. They were greeted by a throng of people the moment they reached the vicinity of the mansion. The Court of Honor, which was-receiving its finishing touches from decorators, - , 1 , . ' . - . - . , ! .. . .' i-1 : Commission lately appointed is giy ing full consideration ;t6 existing con ditions arid to all proposed remedies, and will doubtless ".suggest,, one Uhat will , meet . the requirements . of busi ness and of public interest. We may hope that the report will embody, neither the narrow, view of those who believe tat the sdle purpose of the new system should be to secure a large . return on banking capital of of those who would have greater ex pansion of currency with little re gard to provisions, for its immediate redemption or . ultimate security. There is no subject of economic dis cussion so intricate and so likely to evoke differing views and dogmatic statements as this"" one. " The Com mission in studying the general. in fluence of currency on business and of business on currency, have wisely extended their investigations in Eu ropean banking and ' monetary meth ods. The information that they have derived from such experts ,as they have found abroad will undoubtedly be found helpful in the solution of the difficult problem they have in hand . Postal Savings Bank. The incoming Congress should promptly fulfill the promise of the Republican platform and pass a proper Postal Savings Bank bill.. It will not be unwise or excessive pater nalism. The promise to repay by the Government will furnish an induce ment to savings deposits which pri vate enterprise cannot supply, and at such a low rate of interest as not to withdraw custom from existing banks. It will substantially increase the funds available for investment as capital in useful enterprises. It will furnish the absolute security which makes the proposed schema of gev ernment guaranty of deposit so allur ing without' its pernicious results. Our Foreign Trade. I sincerely hope that the incoming Congress will be alive, as it should be, to the importance of our foreign trade and of encouraging it in every way feasible. The possibility of in creasing this trade in , the Orient in the Phillipines and in South America are known to everyone who has given the matter attention. .The di rect effect of free trade between this country and the Phillipines will be marked upon our sale of cotton, ag ricultural machinery and other man ufactures. The necessity of the es tablishment of direct lines of steam ers between North and South Am erica has been brought to ' the at tention of Congress by my predeces sor, and by Mr. Root before and after his noteworthy visit to that continent and I sincerely hope that Congress may be induced to- see the wisdom of a tentative effort to establish such lines by the use of mail subsidies. The importance which the Depart ment of Agriculture and of Com merce and Labor may play in ridding the markets of Europe of prohibi tions and discriminations against the importauon ot our products is fully understood, and it is hoped that the use of the maximum and mini mum feature of our tariff law to be soon passed will be effective to re move many of those restrictions. The Panama Canal The Panama Canal will have a most important bewaring upon the trade, between the eastern and the far western sections of our country, and will greatly increase the facili ties for transportation between the eastern and the western seaboard, and may possibly revolutionize the transcontinental rates with respect to bulky merchanidse. It will also have a most beneficial effect to in crease the trade between the eastern seahoard of the United States and the western coast of South America, and, indeed, with some of the im portant ports on the east coast of South America reached by rail from the west coast. The work on the canal is making most satisfactory progress. The type of the Canal as a lock canal was fixed by Congress after' a full consideration of the con flicting reports of the majority and minority of the consulting board, and after the recommendation of the War Department and the Executive upon those reports. Recent sugges tion that something had occurred on the Isthmus to make the lock types of the canal less feasible than it was supposed to be when the reports were made and the policy determined on, led to a visit to. the Isthmus of a board of competent engineers to ex-, amine the Gatun dam and locks which are the key of .the lock type. The report of that board shows that nothing has occurred in the nature of newly revealed evidence which should change the views once fromed in the original discussion. The con struction will go on tinder a most effective organization controlled by Colonel Goethals and his fellow army engineers associated with him, and will certainly be completed early in the next Administration, if not be fore. . Some type of canal must be con structed. The lock type has been selected. We are all in favor of hav ing it built as promptly as possible. We must; not now, therefore, keep up a fire in the rear of the agents whom we have authorized to do our work on the Isthmus. We must hold up their hands, and speaking for the incoming Administration, I wish to say that I propose to devote all the energy possible and under my control, to the pushing of this work on the plans which have been adopted, and to stand behind the men who are doing faithful hard work to bring about the early completion of this, the greatest constructive en terprise of modern times. AT THE WHITE HOUSE was thronged with thousands of peo ple. The air was balmy' and spring like, and this increased . the size of the crowd. The crowd poured into the White House grounds : and be came so large that the police had to clear the grounds of people until the President and his prospective succes sor had entered the building. After a conference of nearly an hour with the President Mr. Taft was hurried in an automobile over, to Senator Hale's house.. ' ! Onr DeDendendes. v" The. government? of -our dependen cies in Porto Rico and the Philip pines" are "progressing as favorably as could be desired.1. : The prosperity of Porto Rico eohtinue3 unabated. The business conditions in the Phil ippines are not- all that' we could wish them to be, , but 4 with the pas sage of the new tariff bill permitting free trade between the United States and the Archipelago, with such limi tations in sugar and tobacco' as shall prevent injury to the domestic in terests on those products, we tab count on an improvement in business conditions, in' the Philippines and the development of a mutually profitable frade between this country and the Islands. ' ... ... Position Towards the South. ' I look forward with hope to in creasing the already "good feeling be tween the South and the other sec tions of the country My chief pur pose is not to effect a change in the electoral vote of the Southern States. That is a secondary consideration. What I look forward to is an in crease in the tolerance of political views of all kinds and their advo cacy throughout the South, and the existence of a respectable political opposition in every State; even more than this, to an increased feeling on the part of all the people in the South that this Government is their Government, and that its officers in their States are their1 officers. The South and the Negro. The consideration of this question cannot, however, be complete and full without reference to the negro race, its progress and its present condition. The 13th Amendment se cured them freedom; the 14th Amendment due process of law, pro tection of property and the pursuit of happiness; and the 15th Amend ment attempted to secure the negro against any deprivation of the priv ilege to vote, because he was a ne gro. The 13th and 14th Amendments have been generally enforced and have secured the objects for which they were intended. While the 15th Amendment has not been generally observed in the past, it ought to be observed and the tendency of South em legislation today is toward the enactment of electoral qualifications which shall square with that amend ment. Of course the mere adoption of a constitutional law is only one step in the right direction. It must he fairly and justly enforced as well. In time both will come. Hence it is clear to all that the domination of an ignorant, irresponsible element can be prevented by constitutional laws which shall exclude from voting both negroes and whites not having education or other qualifications thought to be necessary for a proper electorate. The danger of the con trol of an ignorant electorate has therefore passed. With this change, the interest which many of the Sou thern white citizens take in the wel fare of the negToes has increased. The colored men must base their hope on the results of their own in dustry, self-restraint, thrift and bus iness success, as well as upon the aid and comfort and sympathy which they may receive from their white neiarhbors of the South. There was a time when Northerners who sym pathized with the negro in his neces sary struggle for better conditions sought to give him the suffrage as a protection, and to enforce its exer cise against the prevailing sentiment of the South. The movement proved to be a failure. What remains is the 15th Amendment to the Consti tution and the right to have statutes of States specifying qualifications for electors subjected to the test of com pliance with that amendment. This is a great protection to the negro. It never will be repealed, and it never ought to be repealed. If it had not been passed, it might be difficult now to adopt it; but with it in our fundamental law, the policy of South ern legislation must and will tend to obey it, and so long as the statutes of the States meet the test of this amendment and are not otherwise in conflict with the constitution and laws of the United States, it is not the disposition or within the pro vince of the Federal Government to interfere with the regulation by Sou thern States of their domestic affairs. There is in the South a stronger feel ing than ever among the intelligent, well-to-do and influential element in favor of the industrial education of the- negro and the encouragement of the race, to make themselves useful members of the community. The pro gress which the negro has made in the last fifty years from slavery, when its statistics are reviewed, is marvelous, and it furnishes every reason to hope that in the next twenty-five years a. still greater im provement in his condition "as a pro ductive member of society, on the farm, and in the shop and in other occupations, may 'come. The negroes are now Americans. Their ancestors came here years ago against their will, and this is their only country and th eir only flag. They have shown themselves anxious to live for it and to die for it. Encountering the race feeling against them, subjected at times to cruel injustice growing out of it, they may well have our pro found sympathy and aid in the strug gle they are making. We are charg ed with the sacred duty of making their path as smooth and easy as we can. Any recognition of their dis tinguished men, any appointment to office from among their number, is properly taken as an encouragement andarf appreciation of their progress and this just policy shall be. pursued. But it may well admit of doubt , ILLITERACY IN CUBA IS Washington, Special. Nearly 57 per cent of the population of Cuba at least ten years of age can read, the percentage in the large cities be ing 82.6, and in the rest of the island 47.9, according to figures obtained in the census recently taken. "This cen sus shows thatin 1907 almost one third of the children were attending school, as compared with less than one-sixth in 1899. .Of the total population, nearly 67 per cent -were single or divorced-;- al whether, in case of any race, an ap t of one of their number to a local office in a community in which the ",race feeling is so wide-spreaa rA nMite as to interfere with the ease-and facility with -which the local government business-can ; be done by the appointee, is or sumciem oenufc by way of encouragement to the race to outweigh tne recurrence ana in crease of race feeling which such an appointment is likely to engen der. Therefore, the Executive, in recognizing the negro race by ap pointments must exercise a careful discretion not thereby to do it more harm than good. On the other hand we must be careful not to encourage the mere pretense of race feeling manufactured in the interest of in dividual political ambition, . Personally I have not the slight est race . prejudice or feeling, and recognition of its existence only awakens in my heart a deeper sym pathy for those who have to bear it or suffer irom it, and 1 question xne wisdom of a policy which is likely to, increase it. Meantime, if noth ing is done to prevent, a better feel ins: between the negroes and ' the whites in the South will continue to grow, and more and more of the white people will come to realize that the future of the South is to De mucn benefited by the industrial and in tellectual progress of the negro. The exercise of political franchises by those of his race who are intelligent and well-to-do will be acquiesced in, and the right to vote will be withheld only from the ignorant and irre sponsible of both races. Labor, and Protection of Employees. There is one other matter to which I shall refer. It was made the sub ject of great controversy during the election, and calls for at least a pass ing reference now. My distinguished predecessor has given, much attention to the cause of labor, with whose struggle for better things he has shown the sincerest sympathy. - At his instance, Congress has passed the bill fixing the liability of interstate carriers to their employes for injury snstamed in the course of employ ment, abolishing the rule of fellow- servant and thevconxmon law rule as to contributory negligence, and sub stituting therefor the so-called rule of comparative negligence. It has also passed a law fixing the compen sation of government- employes for injuries sustained in the employ of the government through, the Uegii gencfl of the superior. It also passed a model child labor law for the Dis trict of Columbia. In previous ad ministrations ' an arbitration law for interstate commerce railroads and their employes, and laws for the ap plication of safety devices to save the lives and limbs of employes of interstate railroads had been passed. I wish to say that in so far as I can, I hope to promote the enactment of further legislation of this char acter., I am strongly convinced that the Gorernment should make itself as responsible to employes injured in its employ as an interstate rail way corporation is made responsible by federal law of its employes; and I shall be glad whenever any addi tional reasonable safety device can be invented to reduce the loss of life and limb among railway employes, to urge Congress to require its adop tion by interstate railways. ' The Injunction. Another -labor question has arisen which has awakened the most excited discussion. That is in respect to the power ot the Jrederal courts to issue injunctions in industrial dis putes. As to that, my convictions are fixed. Take away from courts, if it could be taken away, the power to issue injunctions in labor disputes and it would create a privileged class among the laborers and save the law less among their number from a most needful remedy available to all men for the protection of their business against lawless invasion. . The pro position that business is not a pro perty or pecuniary right which can be protected by equitable injunction is utterly without foundation in pre cedent or reason. The proposition is usuallv linked with one to make the secondary boycott lawful. Such a proposition is at variance with the American instinct and will find no support in my judgment "when sub mitted to the American people. The secondary boycott is an instrument of tyranny, and ought not to be made legitimate. The issuing of a temporary re straining order without notice has in several instances been abused by its inconsiderate exercise, and to remedy this, the platform upon which I was elected recommends the formulation in a statute of the conditions under which such a temporary restraining order oueht to issue. A statute can and ought to be framed to embody the best modern practice, and can bring the subject so closely to the attention of the court as to make abuses of the process unlikely in the future. American people, if I under stand them, insist that the authority of the courts shall be sustained and are opposed to any change in the procedure by which the powers of a court .may be weakened and the fear less and effective administration of justice be interfered -with. Having thus reviewed the ques tions likely tb recur during my Ad ministration, and having expressed in a summary way the position which I expect ' to take in recommedations to Congress and in my conduct as an Executive, I invoke the considerate sympathy and support of my fellow citizens, and the aid of Almighty God in the discharge of my respon sible duties. NOW DISAPPEARING most 21 per cent were married, and 3.9 per 'eent widowed. Males were more numerous than females. Between 1899 and 1907 the popula tion of the islands increased from 1,572 to 2,04S,9S0, or more than 30 percent. Over half of the population live in the rural districts, the 134 towns and cities containing 43.9 pe cent of the total. Havana, the larg est city, has a population of 279.3 59 white the. next; largest city, Santiago de Cuba, ''had only 45,470.; , His First Sunday in the White House bpent With Simplicity V. FOLLOWS ROOSEVELT EXAMPLE Refuses to See Any Callers WW Have Business in Hand The First Lady of tie Land Takes U?Her Duties-, Without Ostentation 0r Ceremony Already Making the Changes She Desires in "House hold Cabinet." Washington, Special. Demo-nHc simplicity characterized the ihst Sunday in the White House of th Taft family. - President Taf, accom panied by his brother, Chailcs p. Taft, "walked to the Unitarian cliureh for morning services. The capacity of me eaince was taxed to its utuK with worshipers and sirangers vvhose curiosity impelled their presence;. He returned to the White House on foot and after luncheon bestrode "Sterrett," his newly-acquired horse, purchased at Hot Springs, Va., and with Gen. Clarence R. Edwards, his military aide, Capt. Archibald Katt. and President Roosevelt's onierlv. McDermott, went for a 12-mik' ride over the newly constructed Potomac speedway. Sees No Callers. President Taft. saw no callers who had business to transact during the day, this beginning his administra tion with his heretofore enforced maxim that Sunday should be a day of rest. Mrs. Taft Fits In. Mrs. William Howard Taft, "first lady of the land," has assumed her duties without public ceremony or oath of office, which, in weight of re sponsibility, magnitude of impor tance, delicacy cf execution and ab solute "lack of compensation, except in love for her husband, the Presi dent, and loyalty to the nation, as its first woman, have no comparison. Mrs. Taft is charged with admin istering the social and domestic af fairs of. Jthe. White House in a man ner consistent with allowing that revered and. historic pila . to be the- public . property , of the nation, and at the. same time the official place of entertainment of the representa tives of foreign nations and domestic dignitaries As the wife of Mr. Taft, she was "first lady of the land" in the Philippine Islands ; she was his wife as a Federal judge and as a Cabinet minister. In the latter pos ition Mrs., Taft learned the require ments of Washington societv. Removed From Officialdom. That the main entrance of the White House may present as nearly as possible the appearance of a pri vate residency, the uniformed police officers and frock-coated doorkeepers have been eliminated ' and in their place are negro footmen in livery. Mrs. latt has abolished the posi tion of steward and will conduct her domestic arrangements through a woman housekeeper. Plans Social Functions. While the season of prescribed of ficial dinners is over it may be pre dicted that the new tenant of the White House will conduct a series of informal social functions during the special session of Congress, which will bring renewed animation and social life to the sedate and sombre structure during the first few months of the Taft regime. Mrs. Taft is 46 years of age, al though her appearance and natural animation would not indicate that fact. To relieve the President from domestic cares and social adjustments seems to be the platform of her ad ministration, and her first few days of duty indicate that she is as com petent for the rank as is her hus band for the duties to which he has been called by the nation. Negro Burned at Stake. Rockwell, Tex., Special. After having been identified by Mrs. Ar thur McKinney as the negro who at tempted a criminal assault upon her Friday morning, Anderson Ellis was taken from the Rockwell county jail Sunday night and-secured to an iron stake driven into tho earth and was burned to death in the -presence of about a thousand persons. Baltimore Emerges. Baltimore, Special The isolation from the outside world of which this city has been a complete victim prac tically since early Thursday morning was broken Sunday and th& city be gan to see the end of the difficulty. The Associated Press office hsre man eged to secure direct 'wire communi cation with the New York headquar ters by the cordial co-operation of tho Chesapeake and ! Potomac Tele phone Company at this end and the American Telephone and Telegraph Company at the other. Arkansas Tornado Swept. Little Rock, Ark.,' Special. Four persons are reported dead and a num ber injured as the result of a violent storm which swept through western, eastern and southern Arkansas late Monday" afternoon and night. Three are reported to have ben killed at Brinkley' end despatches at midnight on the only wire in operation be tween that place and LitUe Rock, a railroad wire, were to the effect that the town was in flames. General Items, Servia has withdrawn her demand for territory from Austria-Hungary and will be. good in the future. The man who tried to get $10,000 in jewels in London and cut hid throat when caught has not been identified. Some 75,000 visitors were in Wash ington to attend the inauguration ot William H. Taft as President. The Maryland and Virginia espial loan claims were stricken out of th? General Deficiency bill, which v"ss parsed Thursday. Li
French Broad Hustler (Hendersonville, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
March 11, 1909, edition 1
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