The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-02-12
CRESCENT CITY,
WELCOME TO
TAFT
PreSident-EIeCt Makes Dashinq
Trip Up Mississippi
GREETED BY ROAR OF SALUTES
Says Canal viii Be Built by 1915 and
That Present Plans are All
Right.

New Orleans. La. Feb. 12.-No city
has so great an interest in the Panama
Canal as has New Orleans. and no city
could have received more enthusias.
ucally presidenteleci thaa did New
Orleans yesterday when Mr.. Taft told
its cheering thousands hat he had
Just come from the lsthmus had Ia
Ken with him seven Of The most emf.
nent engineers In The country; and
that he was prepared TO state 10 the
residents of the Crescent Civ and to
all tha others concerned that the canal
would certainly be opened 10 com.
merce in 1915 Mr. TAFT landed short.
~ before 3 o'clock and was plunged
at once into the inequalities.
This was the first time that Unit.
ed States man of war had ever con
veyed a presidentelect up the Mississ.
ippi and not since the smokeblowp
days of GO has any vessel ever re.
ceiyed a more noisy and gunpowdery
greeting, From the head of the pass
es TO the city ran an acclaim that her
aided the coming of the Birmingham.
that swift new scout cruiser of the
navy which had been singled out for
The honor of bearing Mr. Taft and his
party to this city. From each shore
as the fleet racer went splitting her
way up stream came the constant IN.
silade of uplifted guns. the boom of
cannon crackers, the incessant nutter
OF flags and the faint, far-off wind.
blown sounds of cheering.
Through The cOrtege and amid the
clamor the Birmingham slowed down.
made her way until she came abeam
OF Canal street where she stopped
An alert navy tug showed a nattopped
bragg alongside, the men on the Biz
mingham lowered to 1t a gangway lad
der, the committee steamboat asteru
wheeled her way alongside the barge
and made fast, and then the committee
men came trooping over it and up the
gangway ladder of the birmingham.
20 be received on the quarterback bv
Mr., Taft and Capt. Walling
A short half hour of this, and the
tide set the other way Mr.. Taft led
the procession back to the committee
boat, the lines We're cast of. the Biz
mingham blazed an explosive farewell
from her saluling guns, the immense
throngs on the river front got closer
together and got ready for a mighty
cheer, and gave ii over and over again
as the boat made a landing and Mr..
Taft came up the gangplauk.
The parade had been waiting an
hour, and the distinguished guest was
at once placed at it's head in a car.
riage drawn by four horses. and the
line of march, which covered nearly
five miles. was taken up. The process
sion moved on to the CITY Hall.
where In his speech on the steps of
that ediiice, Mr. Taft made what he
said was his summing up of his recent
trip.
Il am here on my return from
great constructive work" he said. az
ter paying his compliments to his aud.
lence, the greatest entered upon by
any notion during the past two cen.
turtles, and | am glad to say to you,
who perhaps are more Interested in
that work than any other part OF the
people OF the United States, that the
work is going on as you would have
it go on. That on the LIST day of Jan
uary, 1915, at least, If not beforehand
| am very much interested in having
1t within the next four years-that
canal will be completed And when
that time comes you will see loading
down this river your great commerce
bound through those straits TO the
west coast of America, to the west
coast of South America, TO the Orient
and to Australia.
The board of engineers which &C.
companled me have examined the
whole work, and they say it is good.
that it shall go on as it has gone on;
that the organization on the lsthmus
the American push and the good feel
Ing which is here commands itself to
them as men who understand grea.
works of that class and convinces
them that the canal is now an inmcd
late prospect"
After his speech to a gathering of
thousands before the City Hall Mr.
Taft reviewed the parade from the
same place. He was then conveyed
to the Hotel Grunwald, whore he is
to be entertained dlring his stay in
the city.
Mr.. Taft tonight attended one of the
carnival season balls, that of the ~
YES of Oberon He will tomorrow ad.
dress the Negro Young Mems Chris
tian association, spend several hours
automobiling and at night be the guest
Of honor at an elaborate banquet at
which nearly 500 prominent citizens
will pay $25 a plate to participate
Saturday morning the presidentelect
will go to Cincinnati, from where on
Monday he will leave for Washington
returning again to Cincinnati Wed.
nesday.
On the trip from Panama Mr. Taft
made the first draft of his inaugural
address. This, he intends to submit
to certain friends in Washington on
his forthcoming visit there next week.
The inability of the Board of Civil
Engineers to complete its report on
the resolutions regarding which its
advice has been asked regarding the
Panama Canal made the Washington
visit planned by Mr. raft necessary.
The engineers viii go at once to Wash.
Ngton to complete thaic work II
may be stated that their report viii
be n complete approval Of present
plans and methods of the isthmus.
They will not only recommend the