Weekly journal-miner., 1909-09-01
PREPARING TO WELL
 COME PRESIDENT TAFT
(FrOm Fridays Daily)

an important meeting was held yes terday afternoon at o'clock at the office of Robt. E. Morrison.
 It was attended by Governor Sloan, Mayor Goldwater, Geo. P. Harring- ton, chairman of the board of super visors. Sheriff J. w. Smith. H. T. Andrews, A. W. Edwards, and J. w. Milnes, and was non-partisan in char acter and purpose. Frank Carpenter, the president 's secretary, had written Colonel W. $. Sturges, of Tucson, the national committeeman for Ari- zona of the Republican party, asking that the program prepared for the entertainment of the chief executive at Phoenix and Prescott be telegraph ed to him as soon as completed. Col onel Sturges. who it will be remem- | bered, added his influence to that of Governor Sloan, in inducing the president to change his original Itin- erary, communicated with MT. Morri- son, who is the Yavapai member of the Republican territorial executive committee, and the latter called the meeting of citizens yesterday.
 In the inception of the discussion, Governor Sloan expressed the opin- ion that the president would doubt less expect to address the people of Prescott for about five minutes, and that accordingly a place should be provided that would be ample to ac- eommOdate the vast throng that will be here on that day, all of whom will be both eager to see and hear the head of the nation. Should it be arranged for him to speak from the rear end of the ear, the number that could be accommodated at the depot, would be limited.
 Following the governor remarks, the courthouse plaza and the Elks' theater were suggested but they were open to the same objections as the depot grounds. Finally it was de- cided to erect a stand on the grounds of the grammar school, light the place with electricity, and decorate the school building and the grounds elaborately.
 As the presidential party is sched- uled to remain in Prescott for only one hour, arriving here at 6:30 p. m., question arose as to whether time would permit of any special enter tainment such as a banquet or a for mal public reception. This point was not decided and was referred to the executive committee which was named just before the close of the meeting The suggestion of taking the presi dential party on a drive was not deemed feasible. owing to the late ness of the hour at which the train will arrive. In fact, Governor Sloan expressed the opinion that while Pres ident Taft was scheduled to stop over in Phoenix for one hour, the people there would make a determined fight to extend the stay for a couple of hours or even more, in order that he might witness the wonderful transfer nation that had been accomplished by irrigation. Taking a broad view of the matter, Governor Sloan con sidered that a prolonged stay in the Salt River valley would be justified, as the impressions that the president would obtain of the agricultural de- velopment and possibilities in Ari- zona, would have an important in fluence in bringing about statehood after his return to Washington. As suming then that the visit in Phoe- nix would be longer than called for by the itinerary, and that short stops would probably be made at Wicken- burg and other intermediate points, Governor Sloan was impelled to reach the conclusion that the presidential party would hardly arrive in Prescott until after s o'clock. With this uncertainty confronting the committee, it was difficult to arrange but a tentative program, es- peeially as the meeting was only of | preliminary nature.
 Governor Sloan stated that he would meet President Taft at Yuma and | would accompany him on the journey | through the territory, and that he would wire the committee about what | hour the party might be expected 10 arrive in Prescott on the night of October l3.
 One feature of the reception, how ever, decided upon, was that the president would be escorted from the depot to the schoolhouse grounds by the troops from Whipple Bar racks, and Company E of the national