The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1909-03-18
Presidents Inau ural.
Address of President Taft is
Well Received by the Press
Has the Ring of Honesty
and Broadmindedness that
Begets Confidence and Good
Feeling Position on Race
Question in Keeping With
Previous Utterances.
Richmond Times Dispatch.

Richmond Times Dispatch.
The most interesting thi.'g in tt.i-
address is President Tnft's expires
SION of lis views on race matters, with
the problems they involve. Regard
my the n~grO, his statements give hS
iull reinsurance ;ts the South cOuli
r. asonably have expected. No III
telIigent man could have looked to
see Mr.. Taft declare for the frank
reputation of the Fftec:,th amend
ment, and, of course. he does nothing
Of the kind. On the contrary, he
-ays plainly that ''it ought to b. OBJ
served" But he again points out,
as he did i'll his North Carolina
Society address, that the Ills ranclse-
mtnt OF both negrOrs and whites
not having educational or other
qualification thought to be neces-
sary for IL proper electorate" can be
accomplished by constitutional
laws" Southern white voters will
be generally satisfied with that. AS
to negro appointments he practically
promises that he will make none of
them in communities ''im which the
race feeling is 20 widespreed d and
acute as to interfere with the ease
and facility with which the local gov
ernment business can be done by the
appointee. 1.-The executive" he
adds, Gin recognizing the negro race
by appointments must exercise a
careful discretion not thereby to do
it more harm than good" DR..
Crum's timely resignation has doubt
less spared the President some
Embarrassment, but under this dec
laratiOn of principles the negro col
ltctor could not have been reap
pointed.
Raleigh News and Observer.
The inaugural address will be we'll
received generally. The spirit of it
is wholesome and the hope is that
Mr. Taft will be able to free himself
from the power of monopoly, the in
fiuence of special interests, and the
dominance of sorry Southern politi-
cians-the trinity that has cursed
every Republican administration,
however earnestly the executive head
has sought to free himself from their
malign influence. /
Norfolk Virginian-Pilot<
1t is within the mark to say that
but few of the Presidents of thit great
Republic have entered office carrying
with them the good will and friendli-
ness of a larger proportion of the
people than Judge Taft. His ability,
fitness and tactfulness are generally
recognized, and his personality in
spires confidence. From the time
when his election became an ac-
complished fact the attitude Of the
country at large has been marked by
the spirit of optimism.
His inaugural address, outlining in
brief the policies which he proposes
to pursue during his administration,
contains little to weaken and much
to strengthen popular optimism and
popular confidence in the new Chiei
Executive. The most important ol
the public questions now before the
country or likely to arise during the
next four years are touched upon
briefly, in simple, direct language
free from inuendo and leaving nc
room for difference of opinion as to
the meaning the speaker means to
convey. In this respect it fits the
occasion admirably and ought &c
please the country at large.
Raleigh Evening Times.
On the whole it is conservative and
there is nothing in it to excite alarm
in legitimate business circles, neither
is there, on the other hand, any
promise of immunity to the wrong
dOers. There are neither extrava
giant promises nor wild threats il
the speech, but it rings clear and