The San Francisco call., 1909-09-15
AID FOR WEST IS AIM
OF PRESIDENTS TRIP
Taft Plans to Faniliarize Himself With Needs
Of Country During Journey

than the west and at the expense of
the west It is difficult for one to treat
such an appeal seriously. Throughout
this country there is free trade of the
freest character, and on account of this
the prosperity of the west. especially
the agricultural west, is even more
pronounced than that of the. east
Moreover, the east is too close to the
Pacific coast too close to the middle
west. too close to the Rocky noun
tains. because all the people or these
western stretches have eastern an
cestry and eastern connections. and be-
cause they have eastern capital with
which their sections have been largely
built up and because they are too
much assisted by eastern markets IN
enhancing the prices which their
products bring. to make such an at
tempt at sectionalisna successful
1T is true that at times public ques-
tions will be given local color by
what is thought to be a local benefit,
as distin guished from the general
and the national benefit. But such at
titude is generally temporary. and 1t
takes but few years of business ex-
perience, it takes but panic or two,
to present the most convincing evil
dence that in this country we are all
IN the same business boat and that the
prosperity of one section adds to the
prosperity of the other. and that busi-
ness disaster in one section is only
the forerunner of business depression
and disaster in another.
II was born and brought up in the
middle west. / have had New Eng
land ancestry and New England asso-
Citations. Fortune sent me out to the
Pacific slope, so that know some
thing of the feelings of the west coast.
Jurisdiction as judge gave me a
somewhat intimate knowledge of
southern feelings and southern aspira-
tions. | feel, therefore, as if l could
speak with confidence in respect to the
whole nation. and, al president of the
United States, may well lift up my
voice to protest against any effort to
arouse section against section and
Americans against Americans. Not in
the history of the country since the
war has the feeling between the north
and south been more cordial and
friendly than today, and a political at
tempt TO make cleavage between New
England and the east on one side and
the west on the other will be found
to be so utterly hopeless as to con-
found those who propose it.
And now, as l take my departure
| for the west, / feel that I carry from
you to every citizen and inhabitant OF
the United States whom / shall meet
the cordial greetings of New England
and the east your congratulations or
the prospective prosperity in the Whole
country and an earnest wish that the
national government shall be con-
Quoted in such a way TO insure peace
with all the nations of the world and
tranquility and prosperity at home
growing out of the conduct of business
| on lines of commercial integrity and
| within the law which forbids the or
ganization and maintenance of monopo-
lies and the systematic suppression OF
competition. Things are not perfect
but we have made progress. We have
right to be optimistic and believe
further progress is 1Kely: that cond
tfons are improving and that we ma,
continue to maintain for all sections Of
the country that Equality of oppor-
| tunity which il is Sthe highest objecr
| of well conducted government to pre-.
serve
The address marked the beginnins
of Taft's 10000 mile tour, which viii
carry him through two-thirds of the
Estates and Will extend from Boston te
Seattle, from st. Louis to New Orleans
and Ell Paso, Tex, back to Wash
ington.
The dinner celebrated the mergins
of Boston's three leading commercial
bodies, the merchants association, the
associated board of trade and the cham.
ber of commerce, into one organization
with 5000 members.