The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-11-11
Slept In the White House
Last Night After An Absence
Of Over Three Months
PEOPLE WERE GLAD TO
SEE HIM BACK AGAIN
Visits Number of Points of Interest
in Rchmond-Makes Speech to
Press Men-Addresses Ne
groes on Education.

Washington. November 10.-After an alb
sence of more than three months. during
which he has made a lS.o0e-mie trip
through the west and south President
Taft sleeps tonight in the White House
He left the capitol August last with
the cheers of the crowds rilging in his
ears. He returned tonight to the tune
OF the same cheers but ht tarried only
a moment with the various welcoming
parties. His objective point was the
White House. and quickly as he could
get away from brief speeches of welcome
he climbed into the big automobile The
chauffeur broke all the speed records for
the district on the last leg of the Presi-
dents recordbreaking journey
There was no demonstration at the
White House. The special police kept the
curious outside the grounds and when
Mr.. Taft alighted and ran quickly up
the steps he turned for a moment and
waved a smiling farewell to Fred Car
penter. his secretary; Col Spencer Cosby
and Capt. Archie Butt, his two military
aides. who had accompanied him from
the station Then the big swinging doors
of the White House swallowed him
The President shook hands with the
two negro doormen who were smiling a
welcome that showed every tooth in their
heads. He did not show himself again
tonight, not even to visit the executive
office which was lighted and decorated
for the Presidents inspection.
When President Taft Srotxa A. lat
torium in Richmond this afternoon ha
made his two hundred and sixty-sixth
speech of the trip, which. according to
the itinerary. consisted of 12,75s miles.
but with side trips amounted to mora
than 1900 miles.
Leaves Washington Today.
Mr. Taft leaves tomorrow afternoon for
Middletown and Hartford Conn., ana in
the meantime must deliver an address in
Washington tomorrow before fhe lay
mems Missionary society The President
returns to Washington shortly before
noon on Saturday and Monday morning
will settle down to the routine work OF
his office
Ills message to Congress is so we'll de-
fined in his mind and has been so well
outlined in his speeches that it will re-
auire but a brief time in dictation.
One of the last acts of the President
on his trip was to thank Gerritt Fort,
of the New York Central lines, for the
manner in which the trip had been carried
out under his direction. In all of the
1000 miles of travel. the train has every
where been on time.
President Taft said tonight that he
would not make any of the important
diplomatic appointments that are pend
ing until after January /. He will not
fill the vacancy the supreme court
bench until after Congress meets.
Is Thinking About Congress.
During my 60 days of travel there
has been moment or two of deliberation
and during that time | have been study
ing what is the duty of an executive to
recommend to an incoming Congress in
respect to future legislation, and when
| think of the number of things Con-
gress ought to do, | am staggered lest
it may not find time to do them"
In the final speech of his 1900 miles
trip before an immense audience this aft
ernoon President Taft thus prefaced a
preliminary statement of some of the rec
concentrations his first annual message
to Congress would contain.
In the first place there is the conser-
walton of our resources and the reclama-
tlOn Ol dllu ldHuSf Salu the freSlQent.
I'VE have reached time now when a
great many people in the west are
counting on an immediate supply of
water for the land upon which they have
settled. which is not forthcoming, be-
cause the money applied to the reclama-
ton fund does not come in as quickly as
expected. and | am strongly in favor OF
anticipating that fund. witch is fund
raised solely by the sale of public lands,
by the issuing of bonds. the payment OF
which shall be charged to the same
source of revenue"
He added that the demand for the prod
ucts of the soil is greater because of the
growing population, that the supply. that
acreage must be enlarged and the plain
way seemed by way of reclamation, by
the application of water to land hereto
fore desert, and by draining those lands.
which have heretofore been swamps
Those lands when brought into product
tive condition would yield, he said, far
more than the lands already under
national tilage.
Then we have a great deal of valu-
able coal land owned by the govern
ment.'' he continued I'VE have a great
many water power sites. the water power
of which will furnish an immense amount
of power for use by electrical appliances
Then there are millions of aores of phos-
phate to be used In the fertilization of
the soil. Under existing laws those lands
are likely to be parted merely under a
homestead settlement. They are of such
peculiar value that II seems wiser that
the government should reserve some con-
troll over the water power sites and the
coal lands and the phosphates, SO that
they may not come into the hands OF
one controlling corporation. but may be
retained by the government. with the
power to restrict the prices at which
the coal, at least at which the power
is sold. to prevent the absorption into
one command of all thu power on the
continent.
The Antl-Tr Law.
Then we have the antitrust law in
our hands for enforcement, and the ar
rangements of the department of the gov
ernment in such way as to make 1t