The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-13
Southern Hospitality OutdOes Itself In the Reception
 In New Orleans
TAFT DEFENDS PANAMA
 CANAL WORK VERY ABLY
Promise Is Made That When He Be- comes President He Will Watch Out for the Best Interests
 of Southern People.

New Orleans, February 12.-President- elect Taft breathed the distinctive atmos- phere of New Orleans hospitality this aft ernoon and tonight. His morning was de- voted to the negro race, his afternoon 10 relaxation and pleasure, but with the shades of evening there gathered about him the genial host, multiplied by eml- nence rank and every kind of distlnc- ton.
 The entertainment feature tonight was Creole banquet, where the fattened oys- ters. the savoriness of the cuisine with its hundreds of years of perfection and repu- tation blended with the honied words of compliment and oratory, music and floral tribute into a scene of animation and vi- vacity. tempered with respect and dig nity. MT. Taft was toasted by the gov ernor, the mayor, by citizens of promi- hence and speakers of reputation. A feel ing invocation was pronounced by Car dina1 Gibbons, who is in the city visit ing his brother. MT. Taft responded in the spirit of the occasion He talked Of his desire as the chief executive to repre- sent the whole nation, of his intention to make the representatives of the adminis- tration in the south to represent the best element in which they lived of his recent visit to Panama, with repetition of his hope for the completion of the canal with in his administration.
 The Big Banquet.
 The dinner was given in the newly deco rated banquet hall of the Grunewald hotel, where MT Taft is quartered. A thousand citizens paid the assessment of $25 each for plates at the board and con- siderably over half of these were pres ent, and from the early beginning until the late ending the scene was one of 5rilliance and animation. The spacious corridors of the hotel presented brilliant scene during the evening, being the as sembling place of the many who could not attend the dinner. Handsomely gowned women with their escorts thronged the corridors, and MT. Taft graciously consented to an informal re- ception which gratifed the desire of hun dreds to meet him personally.
 Although conferences were had between Mir Taft and MT. Hitchcock during the day, and MT. Upham of the national com- mittee, nothing definite was obtainable re- garding the unified places in the cabinet MT. Hitchcock furnished certain informa- ton desired by MT. Taft, but MT. Taft gave nothing out that might be in his mind as to the selection of his cabinet.
 Race Question.
 During the day MT. Taft reiterated his well-defned principles regarding the de- velopment of the negro race and the set clement of the race question. He gave wholesome advice to the negroes to the effect that the big question was to be solved by the effort of the individual rather than by any promulgation of a general principle. He wanted to be con- sdered the President of the whole coun- try, the President of every race in the country and expressed his sympathy N with the struggle of the black man for progress. This speech was delivered to an audience of negroes which filled the grand stand, bleachers and a goodly DOT ton of the grounds of the local baseball park, and what he said was received with marked approval
 Game of Golf.
 The afternoon was spent at the Coun- try club, which not only afforded the op- portunity for a select luncheon party in which Mrs. Taft was also a participant, but an opportunity for what will doubt less be the last game of golf MT. Taft will indulge in for many months. After his extended sea trips and confinement on the Isthmus of Panama without exer- cise the opportunity was one most pleas ing. Mrs. Taft took advantage of the opportunity to do some shopping during the day.
 The telegraphc correspondence be- tween Mr. Taft and Senator Knox made public here today is regarded as making 1t clear that the disposition of Congress to remove any constitutional obstacles in the way of the appointment to cab inet position of the Pennsylvania senator Is most desirable.
 Mr. and Mrs. Taft will leave here for Cincinnati at 9:20 o'clock tomorrow morn- ing,< arriving in the latter city at l0:45 Sunday
 Monday afternoon the President-elect will start for Washington.
 Taft Is Decorated.
 As soon as the brilliantly lighted and decorated banquet hall had been filled Mir Taft was tremendously invested with the jewel and title of the Prince of the Philippines by the imperial ann bassador of Rex, Judge Larry ODonnell, the compliment being a forerunner of the carnival celebration. MT. Taft ac- cepted in the same spirit of fun, saying he would take the token with the under standing that it would not. involve him in the meshes of the constitutional pro- vision against the Acceptance of emolu- ment or honor from a foreign people or potentate.
 Speech of Cardinal Gibbons.
 Cardinal Gibbons paid a cordial tribute to the President-elect, saying: 'sI beg to assure this large and dis tingushed audience that feel it great pleasure and privilege to participate in these festivities in honor of the Presi- dent-elect of the United States.
 q have known Mr. Taft for several years, and the more I have known him the better have I learned to admire and esteem him. In common with thousands of others I have been fascinated by that genial smile that will not come off, a smile that is not artificial, but is the reflection of heartfelt benevolence and overflowing with the milk of human kindness.
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