Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-20
PRESIDENT TAFT
CONDEMNS HIGH
TAX ON LUMBER
"SACRED PRINCIPLE" OF FREE
TRADE DEFENDED
EXECUTIVE MAKES SPEECH AT
PETERSBURG, VA.
Pleads for Closer Union Between
North and South and Has
Active Day on Famous
Battlefield
[Ry Associated Press.l
IBy AssocIated FTeSsI
N nETERSBURG, Va, May 19.-Presi-
dent Taft opposes a high tariff or

L hEIERSBORG va, MAY III lSoA-
dent Taft opposes high tariff on
Il lumber.
personally 1 am not in favor of a
81 tariff on lumber for any purpose,
the president said late today In an ad-
dress on/the lawn at Center Hill man
sion here. I'm not going to say the
tariff for revenue only and tariff for
the purposes of protection are one and
the same thing when they both reach
the same amount" he continued, but
when a congressman from Alabama
favors a SO tariff on lumber for revenue
and a congressman from Washington or
Oregon favors q So tariff on lumber Tor
protection there isn't any great amount
of dispute between them.
1T all means, my friends, that we are
working closer and closer together
along different routes.
1.-THE southern congressman who nave
been sharply criticised by their home
papers for deserting, the sacred prin-
ciples of free trade come about as close
to knowing what their constituents at
home want as do the leading papers OF
the same community. This again is
but a further illustration of the fact
that we are getting together"
Has a Busy Day
Mr. Taft's speech was made at the
close of an active day and was plea
for a closer union between the north
and south.
His first speech of the day was de-
livered at the unveiling of shaft OF
granite and heroic figure in bronze
placed on the battle ground of Fort
Malone to commemorate the valor OF
Gen. John F. Hartranft and the Penn
sylvania soldiers of the third division,
ninth corps, of the Union army.
President Taft addressed there not
able gathering of veterans in the blue
of the north and the gray of the south
The presidents second address was
delivered after luncheon at Center Hill
mansion, Thousands, including many
negroes, gathered to hear him. In dis
cussing united country, he said:
Now, there is not the slightest doubt
that the danger to the country thai
arose in the Spanish war united the
south and north in a way that nothing
else could. But my friends, nationa
war is just a bit expensive in point o.
money and blood and I think we have
got to the point where we can go or
getting closer without that supreme
| test that a national war brings about
One Common Country
"I believe it is possible to make this
| one common country for all or US.
know that a very sensible and patriotic
northrener can sit and listen to the
tales of the heroism of the southernel
in the war between the states and fee
proud of the deeds of the men of the
south.
"And I know the sensible men of the
south can do the same thing with re-
spect to the recounting of the glorious
deeds of the northern army.
"You will always find some fool al
one end of the crowd saying some
thing that fool at the other end OF
the crowd takes as a challenge and
then they try to stir up the middle by
some altogether thoughtless statement
that sensible men would not pay any
attention to, and therefore what VIC
have got to do among all of US is to
restrain the fools. We must eliminate
as far as possible those people on both
sides with whom none of us
sympathize."
Mr.. Taft left at II o'clock tonight for
Charlotte, N. c., where he will arrive
at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.