The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1908-12-10
SOUTH'S PROBLEMS
President Elect Tdfts
Address i'm New York
Monday Night.
BEFORE NORTH
CAROLINA SOCIETY

The President-Elect Urges Southern
Voters to Break Away From Out
Lived Sentiment and Cast Their
Ballots I'm Accordance With Their
Real Economic and Political Be
liefs-Anxious to Convince This
Section That 1t is the Desire of His
Administration to Help the South
in the Serious Problems That Con-
front it and to Bring Southerners
and Northerners Closer in sympa-
thy and Point of View.
New York, Dec 7.-President-elec
William H. Taft, who came to New
York to-day to address the North
Carolina Society of this city, was
given tumultuous reception tonight
by the members of the organization
and by prominent men from all parts
of the South, at the annual dinner
of the North Carolinians at the Ho-
tel Astor Five hundred members
and guest of the Society filled the
brilliantly decorated banquet hall,
which was redolent of the pines of
the Tar Heel State, the cones and
IF tho fro
ing the background for more frag-
rant blooms which were scattered
everywhere over snowy linens and
fiag-draped walls. Intertwined en-
signs of the State and Nation were
conspicuous in the decorations of the
banquet hall and larger flags were
displayed in front of the hotel
throughout the Gay and evening.
Mr.. Taft, in the course of an ad-
dress which was confined entirely to
the South and it's problems, urged
again that the voters of the South
should break away from the out-lived
sentiment and traditions of their
past political affiliations and cast
their ballots in accordance rather,
with their economic and real politi-
cal beliefs. Mr.. Taft declared that
nothing would git-& him greater
pride during his coming term in the
Chief Executive Office than to so di-
rect the policy of the National Gov
ernment with respect to the South
ern States as to convince the intelli-
gent citizens of the South of the de-
sire of his administration to aid them
in working out satisfactorily the seri-
Gus problem before them and of
bringing them and their Northern
fellow-citizens closer and closer in
sympathy and point of view
At the conclusion of practically
every one of his pointed sentences
Mr.. Taft was interrupted by applause
and cheering. He frankly expressed
himself regarding the so-called "ne-
gro question: and declared that
neither he nor the Republican party
had any idea of forcing upon the peo-
pie of the South the dominance of an
ignorant class.
Mr.. Taft declared that the North
yearns for a closer association with
the South and quoted statistics to
show that the industries of the South
had grown and prospered more dur
ing the past decade than any other
section of the country AS to the ne
gro, Mr.. Taft said he should neither
ask nor receive more than an equal
chance to qualify himself for the
franchise.
The Other Speakers.
Other speakers at the banquet
were President w. w. Finley, of the
Southern Railway Company; J. Y.
Joyner, State Superintendent of Pub
lie Instruction of North Carolina;
Hugh MacRae, of Wilmington, N.
c.; DR.. Joseph H. billiard. of New
Orleans, and Junius w. Parker, of
New York. Among the more promi-
nent guests were Clark Howell, of
Atlanta. Ca; Henry W. Taft, broth
er of the President-elect; President
| Nicholas Murray Butler, of Colum-
bia University; Consul General Mid
zuno, of Japan; DR.. HI. B. Frissell, OF
| Hampton Institute.
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