The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-10-13
President Taft Is Speeding
Across the Arizona Desert
From Yuma to the Grand Can
yOn of the Colorado.
is MAKING FEW STOPS
Welcomed by tho Territorial
Governor at Phoenix.
Viii Deliver an Address at Pres.
colt Tonight.

Yuma, Ariz., Oct. 13.-The Taft spe-
! cial crossed the Colorado river and en-
tered Arizona at this point at 1920
! o'clock this morning, remaining here
| 20 minutes. 1t was preceded by a pilot
| train carrying a group of Southern Pa
cific officials. The presidents train,
4 consisting of five private cars, picked
up here the cars of e. p. Randolph,
| president of the Randolph lines, and
| of w. F. Murphy of the Santa Fe and
| a special car containing Governor
| Sloan and staff and other officials, who
| had come from Phoenix last night to
| extend a welcome to the chief execu-
| tive.
In spite of the early hour of the ar
rival of the presidents train in Yuma
and the fact that no one aboard was
stirring, a large crowd had assembled
at the station. A delegation of Yuma
citizens joined the presidential party
to accompany it to Phoenix and be
present at the reception to the presi-
dent in the capital today.
The president vas met at Yuma
by Governor Sloan of Arizona, accom-
panied by the other territorial Off
Gals and prominent citizens of Ari-
IONA.
Whirling across the desert, the
train reached Maricopa at 11:15 a. m,
and remained five minutes.
At Tempe the first scheduled stop
was made. From the rear platform
matters most of interest to the citi-
zens of the aspiring territory.
The formal ceremonies of welcome
by the governor occurred at Phoenix,
which was reached shortly after noon.
Here a stop of one hour was made
and the president delivered his prin-
cipal address in Arizona. A short
automobile ride through the valley
was taken and the president visited
the Indian school and other points of
interest.
Headed for Grand Canyon.
Leaving the capital the train pro-
ceeded still northward toward the
mountains and the grand canyon
which the president will reach to-
morrow.
The president continues in excellent
health and spirits.
The arduous days spent in Califor-
MIA in complying with the demands Of
the people of the score or more OF
cities he has visited told but little
upon him and he appeared today
fresh and jovial.
Last night the president was the
guest of honor at a banquet in the
Glenwood hotel In Riverside. Mr..
Taft declared that he had thoroughly
enjoyed his stay in California and was
| more deeply impressed than ever
with the tremendous size and diver
sified interests and climate of the
state. School children continued to
! be a feature of the presidents visits
to the several communities included
| in his itinerary.
Mr.. Taft declared after seeing so
many thousands of chubby checked
| and chubby legged boys and girls in
his travels of the last four weeks he
was convinced that the future of the
country is safe.
Standing in his automobile at Red
lands in the afternoon he addressed a
grandstand filled with children and
told them to learn we'll the lesson of
loyalty to their country. On Rubidoux
mountain the president participated
in the unwilling of tablet set in solid
rock to the memory of the founder of
the California missions, Fra Junipera
Sierra.
Mr.. Taft kept his Pasadena lunch
con hosts waiting nearly half an hour
while he dictated and signed a mass
of official mail. The president sent
word of the delay and declared that
the affairs of state must go on, re-
CARELESS of whether he was to be al
lowed to eat luncheon or not
Two Feet of Dust.
A large delegation from the Los
| Angeles chamber of commerce accom-
panied the president from Los An
geles.
Lieutenant General A. r. Chaffee,
retired, was with the president on the
special trolley trip to the Soldiers