The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-10-02
OVER ONE-THIRD Of TRIP
HAS BEEN COMPLETED
Taft's Opposition to Self-Government
in Alaska Has Caused a Great
Sensation All Along the Pa
cific Coast.

Tacoma, Wash, October 1.-After pass
ing two days in and about Seattle, Pres
ident Taft came to Tacoma tonight anI
received from an audience that thronged
the big armory one of the most cordial
greetings of his trip. The President was
entertained at dinner at the Union club.
after making the trip from Seattle on
board the yacht El Primero. owned by
Chester Thorne, the destroyer Perry es-
corting. Before leaving Seattle the Pres
ident paid a last visit to the exposition to
view the big live stock exhibition
From the exposition grounds the Pres
ident motored to the Seattle Country club.
where he took luncheon, and passed the
early afternoon on the golf links. The
sail on the sound from Seattle to Ia
coma occupied two hours.
President Taft promised today to at
tend another exposition, to be held on the
Pacific coast in 1915, in celebration of the
completion of the Panama canal. Mr..
Taft said the date was beyond his term
of office, but that his interest in the
Panama canal and in the extension of
trade on the Pacific had been so great
for many years that he readily gave
his promise to attend
The invitation was extended by Col. d.
l.. Collier. director general of the PAN
arha-California exposition. which is to be
held In San Diego. the nearest western
coast city to the Pacific. entrance of the
canal. and George Burnham. a director
of the exposition company.
President Tafts unqualified statement In
his speeches here that the Panama canal
would be completed in 1915 aroused great
enthusiasm, as the entire Pacific coast is
expecting to profit greatly by the short
all-water route from the eastern seaboard
and the opening of European markets to
this section.
When the President left here at mid
night and headed to the south, he had
completed 5000 miles of his 13,000-mile jour
ney. In matter of elapsed time, however
his journey was less than one-third COM
plete.
During the time he has been the
road the President has made eight not
able speeches. which have clearly set
forth his views nearly every question
of Importance and he announced tonight
that he had completed the list of set adj
dresses which he had planned before leav-
ing Beverly
Starting from Boston, Mr.. Taft made
there the first of his set speeches on
finance and currency legislation speaking
especially of the work the monetary conn
mission appointed by Congress had under
taken to do.
At Chicago the President discussed labor
and injunctons; at Milwaukee he dis
cussed and approved postal bank systems:
at Winona. Mimi, he made plain his posi-
tion with reference to the Payne tariff
hill and the new tariff commission; at
Des Moines he outlined his ideas of need
ed amendments TO the interstate COM
merce and antitrust laws; at Denver he
devoted his remarks to the corporation
tax and dwelt upon what he deemed its
advantages in preference to direct in
come tax: at Spokane the President dis
cussed th4t conservation of natural re-
sources and the reclamation of arid lands
and lastly. at the Alaska Yukon- Pacific
exposition he gave his views regarding
the future government of Alaska by a
commission and came out unequivocally
in favor of ship subsidy law
The Presidents outspoken opposition to
self government for Alaska created some
thing of a sensation in this section, and
a monster petition from Alaska asking his
support In favor of home rule in that ter
rftory. This afternoon his position on the
question has been widely discussed and
much interest has been created by tile
announcement that he will personally visit
Alaska next summer.
The President will arrive in Portland at
o'clock tomorrow morning. and after
spending two days there will continue his
journey to the southwark The turn to-
ward the east will be made at Los An
gees the night of October T.