The sun., 1908-05-14

morning ne was nrpg appiAuood euo tnoh
cheorod. The Southern Governou and
DELEGATES, OF cdafsrees as the of1oial pro-
Rrammo calls them. we're particularly en-
th,1siastIo In their reception Of the President
as be entered the room whore they were
assembled. From the appearance Of things
half an hour after the President entered
the room the Governors stand ready ~
= body to do whatever the President asks
than 10 do.
About the most striking thing that hap
pened during the opening session this morn
ing was the applause which greeted a char
actsristio dig which the President made
at the Congress Of the United States. He
had reached that point in his formal ad-
dress TO the Governors whore he spoke OF
the work Of the Inland Waterways Com
mission. created by him last year and still
existing without any direct authority OF
Law. Here the President departed from
the text Of his speech, saying with much
distinctness:
And II Congress fails to perpetuate this
commission as a permanent body l Will
do II myself anyhow. ! will see that II is
continued
This statement was greeted with laugh
ter and applause, which lasted for half
minute or more. The remark seemed to
be Just what the delegates had been looking
for, and from the manner in which 1t was
received one would find it hard 10 say
whether the auditors we're merely amused
or really gratifed by the Presidents defiant
remark. When quiet came the President
made another remark that caused a re-
newal Of the laughter. But, Of course,
it's great deal better that Congress should
act he said, and the irony amused the
gathering immensely,
The members Of the conference an tered
the White House through the low wing
or terrace which fanks the house on the
east side and thence assembled the stairs
TO the main lobby aud to the East Room,
which is the largest apartment In the man.
sion. The half hour before assembling
was given over to handshaking and social
chat The Fast Room had been especially
prepared for the meeting Hundreds Of
gilt chairs filled the available floor space,
while along nearly the entire east side Of
the apartment a platform covered with !
dark green plush had been erected. In |
the centre Of this structure at the place |
where the altar was improvsed for the
wedding Of Miss Alice Roosevelt 10 Rep I
resentative Longworth. was huge photog- !
raphic transparency representing forest |
fire in the Cascade Mountains. That was
at the morning session. This afternoon !
a scene in the Adirondacks was substituted. |
On each side we're hung two great maps
Of the United states, each fully twenty
feet square. One Of these was used 20 show
the coal, iron, copper. lead and zinc de-
poalts Of the country. and the other to in-
dioate the various watersheds, forests
irrigation projects and interstate water
powers.
ENTER THE PRESIDENT.
When nearly all the delegates had been
seated in the gilt chains all Of the members
Of the Cabinet who are in Washington and
several members OF the United States
Supreme Court fled in and found seats on
the platform. Then came Vioe-President
Fairbanks and Edward Everett Hale, the
chaplain OF the Senate, 4 bugle from the
Marine Band, which had been playing in
The main lobby. sounded the bugle call,
The President" and as the strains ceased
President Roosevelt entered the room,
preceded by Capt. Mccoy and Capt. Butt
his military aids. attired in service uni
Torms, and amid the cheers Of the audience,
which had risen, took his place on the
platform
In the front row of seats were some Of the
men most conspicuous in political life to-
law Gov Hughes Of New York, Gov.
swanson of Virginia and William Jennings
Bryan occupied adjacent chains, and near
" was Gov. John A. johnson Of Minnesota.
Directly behind Gov, Hughes was Higgins,
he boy Governor OF Rhode Island, and {
,ear by was BrOward Of Florida, who won .
aIne prior to the Spanish war as captain 4
u the flibuster steamer Three Friends,
md Hoggatt Of Alaska. whose Territory is :
he largest political division in the United | ,
,tatRs. and "a some one remarked, repre-.i {
ented the greatest undeveloped natural ?
esources on the continent. Folk Of Mis- | d
ouri was there, IA were Hoke Smith Of ,
Georgia and CummnS OF Iowa, while such
,rivate citizens as James J. Hill and Andrew
'arnegie occupied seats well toward the
ront.
The applause which greeted the Presi- J
ent's entrance grew In volume. When he p
owed acknowledgment, a cheer went up ]
rom the Governors and delegates and the Il
Yip, zip, zip or Southern rebel yell I
las plainly heard. II was II scene unique y
ven for the White House and President Il
Roosevelt seemed 70 appreciate IT,
EXEBCBEs OPENED WITH PRAYER. Ii
Dr. Edward Everett Hale opened the il
xerciSes with an invocation appropriate u
. the occasion. The President then began "
ithout any further preliminaries the Il
eliVery Of his formal address Ths speech | a
Ias apps uded from time to time, but the h
reatest applause was when be declared ir
nat he would perpetuate the Inland Water :,
avs Commission whether Congress legal | ~
ed IL or not. The incident was the more "
ointed for the reason that the President lS
making the remark which caused 80 u
luch laughter and applause said that he e.
oticed the presence there Of several d'
sembers Of the coordinate branch Of the Il
government. Again the cheers and ap- in
lause were punctuated by the rebel yeil" "
-om some of the Southern Governors and fo
eegates.
REsIpENT AND GOVERNORS SHAKE HANDS. Ii
The reading of the Presidents address in
coupled hfty minutes. As he spoke the IL
words the applause was re- In
ewed and Capt Mccoy, conspicuous in 70
is military uniform, stepped forward and 70
lade some announcement on behalf Of the sr
reaident. One OF these was that the 80
resident would be glad TO shake hands -
-ith the Governors and the delegates as ~
ley passed out Of the room and another se se
as that members Of the conference were ue
,quested 10 pass into the blue drawing IN
,om before lea wing the White House OF
his latter announcement was for the sll
lrpose OF enabling the Governors to meet
rs. Roosevelt, who had been listening 10 sil
Ie mornings exercises from the green Ia
lrlor near the door leading 10 the east room 70