The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-20
President Delivers Address A Petersburg Marked By GIOu-
 ing Tributes to Dead
JUST | FEW WORDS ARE
 SPOKEN ON POLITICS
Great Character of American Nation Is Shown, Says the President, By Supreme Test In Times of
 Great Danger.

Petersburg. Va, May 19-Driving over historic roads and battlehelds through clouds of choking white dust, which at times resembled the wind-blown smoke of battle, President Taft today attended the unveilng of a shaft of granite and aa heroic figure in bronze placed on the bloody battle-ground of Fort Malone to commemorate the valor and heroism of Gen. John F. Hartranft and the Penn sylvania soldiers of the Third division of the Ninth corps of the union army.
 He addressed there a notable gathering of weatherbeaten and time-grizzled old veterans In the blue of the north and the gray of the south and was acclaimed through the thronged streets of Peters burg in the most splendid greetings he has had since his inauguration. Later he was the guest of honor at an al fresco luncheon served on the magnificent shaded lawn of one of the most beauti- ful old homes of the south, and finally. I standing on a knoll of Center Hill man sion' facing multitude who apparent ly represented all of Petersburg and a goodly portion of the many surrounding cities he made an earnest plea in the long twilight for sef-sacrifcing and non partisan support for the reunited and common country.
 It Is Great Day,
 Tt has lerl. great day" ha de- elared tonight t"Not slona for Peters burg, for Pennsylvania. .a.ar Virginia. but in the history of the whole country; 2. aav Whlch will conduoe to a greater union- d uay to make stronger our common love Tor our country, for which all of us when necessary are ready to die'
 The Presidents speech at the pennsvl- Vania memorial at the base of which ware gathered many guests from the Kevstone state and Virginia who fought the bat ties that made the enduring shaft sIg- nlncant, was a studied tribute to inc north and south. For every eulogy of the northern men he had an equallv slow ing tribute for those who fought under the stars and bars. The common herit age or heroism, was his theme En- during goodh he believed, had come from the strife which had been inevitable. Tn ms later speeches, however. when he had ceased to be the guest of Pennsvl vania and had been taken in charge hv the people of the Virginian common wealth. extemporaneously addressing A multitude which surprised the President in its size and effervescent enthusiasm. MT. Taft beginning in humorous vein by twitting the governor of Virginia, MT Swanson, on the rare gift of being able to make four speeches in one day sud denly became serious and for 15 minutes held his audience in silent and impressive attention as he outlined in a general way ms Ideas Of a citizenship which in the north and south alike should carry the country forward to permanence of pros- perlty and an ever glorious future.
 Touch of Politics.
 There was just a touch of politics in this latter speech for which the Pres ident first made apology. It was a day, he declared. to talk politics When he lapsed into a subject of partisan gov ernment, the President spoke broadly He urged the southern people to direct themselves toward an inteE-gent and healthy opposition. He believed In two opposing parties, he said, with a fitting nucleus in every state of the union, Ito make the party in power do business properly
 The President turned the laugh on a. number of southern congressman who were present by a comment on the at ttude of the democrats in the tariff fight"
 q am not going to say" he laughingiv declared. that the tariff for revenue only and tariff for the purpose of protection are one and the same thing when they
  congressman from Alabama favors a g tariff on lumber for revenue and 8 con- gressman from Washington or Oregon fa- vors s20 tariff on lumber for protection. they haven't any great amount of dis pute between them. Personally, am not in favor of g tariff on lumber for any purpose. But 1t all means. my friends, that we are working closer and closer together along different routes. The southern congressman who have g.4n- RH.E.- 1.<r- papers for deserting the sacred principles of free trade come about as close to knowing what their constituents at home want as do the leading papers of the same community. This again is but further illustration of the fact that we are get ting together.
 Singing By Children.
 Beneath the knoll from which the Pres ident spoke were gathered several hum dred school children who sang 'The Star Spangled Banner" Dixie and Amer ica" to equal fervor The crowd over spread the lawn for 100 yards or more in each direction. Far beneath the slopes of the grassy little promontory. on the streets beneath the wall surrounding the mansion grounds. the colored residents were gathered by thousandss They spread fan-like for two blocks/a each direc- tion The President ed he had in- tended to make but( brief remarks but the crowd i'm to a more serious efort
 Governor Swanson expressed to the President regret for the Illness that had detained Mrs Taft in Washington.
 At his Center Hill mansion address, President Taft first acknowledged Cover nor Swanson's courteous. chivalrc and kindly expression of regret at Mrs Taft's absence, stating that he shared that re- gret and that if his hearers knew her presence would be certain to restrict and