The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-07-08
President Taft is the Principal
Speaker at the Celebration
at PIattsburg
CANADA HAS LARGE
SHARE IN CEREMONIES
Taft Says That He Believes in Powers
of Centralized Government and
In Indestructibe Union
of the States.

Plattsburg. n. Y. July New York
states share in the ter-centenary cele-
bration of the discovery of Lake Cham
plain reached its climax today. Tomorrow
the scenes of pageantry. the parades, the
speech-making the interchange of COM
pliments among the three nations of
France. Great Britain and the United
States, who shared in the history making
of the Champlain country. will all be trans
Burlington will have its fling.
Governor Hughes of New York and
Governor Prouty of Vermont in their
speeches today indulged in good deal
, of pleasantly about the rivalry between
the two states. Whereupon Ambassador
Juserand this afternoon declared:
Gentlemen. Champlain discovered both
sides of the lake at the same time He
looked on one side and then the other.
He saw New York and he saw Vermont
and he liked them BOTH
President Taft, Ambassador Jusserand
and Ambassador Bryce with Governors
Hughes and Prouty again today occupied
the center of celebration stage. Post
spoke at the barracks and with Senator
Root and the others again tonight at the
banquet.
Taft Is Praised.
Mr. Lemiux and Ambassador Jusserand
each took President Taft for a subject
and their remarks gave him equal prom
inence with Champain.
THE spirit and all that was best In
Champlain," declared Mr.. Jusserand.
lives again in President Taft And there
is people in distant archipelago who
| know 1t and feel it and who for time To
come will bless his name'
! Canada had large share In today's
! celebration and on the American military
reservation at Plattsburg barracks this
afternoon there was a parade of Amer
lean and Canadian troops, spectacular to
a degree seldom attained in this coun-
| try. A regiment of highlanders, in char
acteristic scarlet coats. furry hats and kills
F.: from Ottawa, and another regiment tho
Governor Generals foot guards. also from
Ottawa, In uniform of almost equal brill
liancy, participated In the military dis
play. Two regiments and a squadron
cavalry from the United States forces/.,d
regiment of the New York National
Guard-aL in modest blue-formed the
contrast for the vivid color of the for
eigners
Evening BugIe Call.
While all of the troops, Canadian and
American alike. stood at attention
the squad of buglers began the familiar
notes of the evening call When the last
Of fhn
band of the Fifth infantry started The
Star Spangled Banenr' and the big post
flag began to drop slowly from its loftI
staff
Governor Hughes and President Taft
were much together today and on each
speech-making occasion they EXCHANGED
many compliments.
AT the ceremony at Plattsburg Bar
racks Governor Hughes spoke first and
was followed in turn by Governor Proutv.
Ambassador Jussurand, Ambassador
Bryce, Postmaster General Lemieux Sem
ator Root and President Taft
Mr.. Jusserand delivered a part of his
address in French. Mr.. Bryce again to-
day expressed the hope that celebrations
hundred years hence would be to COM
memorate the beginning In this genera
ton of prolonged friendship and good
feeling between the nations which were
once divided by hatred.
Taft Speaks.
,, President Taft said:
II am delighted to say that for 16 years
] have spent most of my summers in
Canada and l have learned that north
of us Is great and rising people. a |
people bound to be prosperous bound to-
be great and whose prosperity and great
ness l know that Americans great
enough not to be Jealous OF, but to well
come
II congratulate you, my friends, most
heartily on the success Of these celebra-
tions and memorials that bring out such
good neghborhood feeling. that bring out
such pride in our ancestry that fill us
with a knowledge of history and that hold
high before us the ideals which II 10
right for nations and people to feel"
In his speech at the banquet the Pres
ident declared his policy as to the fed
eral government, saying that while he
believed an enlargement OF central au-
thority might be necessary, he had an
abiding faith in the constitution and In
the indestructible union of indestructible
states
The President said in part:
"I think II is not too much TO say that
those who have studied our country and
our civilization and our constitution and
our people will reach the conclusion that
there Is country In the world more
conservative than the government Of the
United States In view of the changes
which are taking place in government;
In view OF the new doctrines which are
being advanced of socIalistic character
| think that Is one of the most impor-
tant things to emphasize with reference
to the United States.
"I have an abiding faith in the con-
stitution OF the United States. as 1t Is
marvelously framed by that body of pa
triots and lawyers and statesmen, in SIM
pie language, bearing an elastic con-
struction to meet conditions that they in
their widest Imagination, could not have
foreseen."
May Sutton VIII Wed.