Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-18
GUEST: OF Twin CITIES
Taft's Big Day at st. Paul and
Minneapolis.
RIVALRY TO DO HIM HONOR
Streets of Both Towns Gay With
Flags and Bunting.
REVIEWS FIT. SMELLING TROOPS
Big Luncheon This Afternoon to Be
Followed Tonight by Banquet.
Reception Is Omitted.
FIT. SMELLING TROOPS
Time Table for Monday.

MINNEAPOLIS. Minn.. September 49,
Flags and other patriotic decorations fly
ing in the breeze waited a silent well
come to President Taft while the big
crowd which surrounded the exits to the
Chicago, Milwaukee and st. Paul sta
tion gave the nations chief executive
noisy greeting as he stepped from his
private car here at 1856 am today.
Chief of Police Corriston. with an ample
squad of policemen. kept the way clear
to the waiting automobiles. B. F. Mel
son. for the Minneapolis committee, and
Frank B. Kellogg. for the st. Paul COM
mittee, greeted President Taft. They
rode with him in the first Of the three
big automobiles. which carried the party
from the station along Washington ave-
nue.. south to the Minneapolis Club, on
I'd avenue and Sth street. There the
President was given a breakfast as the
guest of fifty of the prominent men of
Minneapolis.
The other members Of the Presidents
party occupied the second car, and in the
third were w. w. Mischler. DR.. J. ].
Richards, Senator Moses E. Clapp and w.
w. Heffelhnger.
In honor of the citys guests all Of the
flags, and especially elaborate decora-
tions were hung upon the chamber Of
commerce building and some of the large
retail stores.
Even at the early hour of the Presi-
dents arrival the streets along which II
WAS known the automobiles would pass
were lined with throng anxious to see
him.
Handshaking Cut Out.
After the breakfast a reception had
been planned at the city hall from $50
to 1880, but on account of the expressed
desire of President Taft to avoid as far
as possible all handshaking receptions
this part of the program was omitted.
and the automobile trip about the city
parks and boulevards to Minnehaha falls.
the state soldiers home and then to Fort
Smelling was extended to fill in the time
At Fort Smelling the President will re-
view the troops and be rendered a recep-
tioa by the officers. When the salute from
the guns of the fort are sounded at noon
the presidential party will board auto
mobiles for the five-mile run to ST. Paul
via the Mississippi river boulevard and
Summit avenue to the st. Paul Audi
torium, where at l O'Clock luncheon will
be served.
Program in st. Paul.
6T PAUL. Mimi, September 1S-This
city is brilliantly decorated with flags to-
day in honor of President Taft's visit.
and the streets are thronged with visitors
The committee having In charge the
decorations procured an immense supply
or nagS of various sizes. which were sold
TO citizens at cost. Along the route of
the automobiles carrying the party from
Fort Smelling, lawns were decorated with
small flags spelling Taft" and from all
houses along the route and elsewhere
was fying the national emblem.
The immense stage in the ST. Paul Au-
ditorium, where the luncheon was served.
was bower of flags, green and autumn
foliage, from which thousands of electric
lights glimmered An improvised ban
quet room, 40 by 116 feet in size, was
arranged in the center of the stage, sur
rounded by a colonnade of twenty -eight
white columns. thirty feet high and three
feet in diameter. The spaces between
the columns were screened by evergreen
and smilax. The ceiling was trellised
with foliage and suspended therefrom
were hanging baskets of flowers lighted
by shaded lights Three thousand flow
ering hydrangeas were distributed about
the stage.
Thousands at Luncheon.
part of the stage not used for the
luncheon guests was arranged so that
1000 spectators might be seated there
besides the throng which occupied the
in the galleries and the main audience
room of the Auditorium
Gov. Johnson, who had planned to be
present to extend an official welcome to
the President. is in st. Mary's Hospital at
Rochester MINI.
After the luncheon Mr.. Taft will be es-
corted by troops from Fort Smelling to the
state capitol for an inspection Of that i'm
posing building.
The capitol grounds are SO arranged
that large crowd will be able to get q
fine chance to see Mr.. Taft. and 1t Is ex-
pected that the grounds will be crowded.
From the capitol the party will start
on the return trip to Minneapolis. via the
boulevard and park system. visiting Como
Park. the state fair grounds and the State
University.
The plan is to take Mr.. Taft back to
Minneapolis at $50 o'clock pm, to give
him time to rest before the banquet at the
Minneapolis Auditorium at o'clock, when
he will make his principal address In the