The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-02
IN HEART OF DIXIE
President Taft Visits Home of
Jacob NJ. Dickinson
And Takes the Secretary of
War With Him.
POINTS TO JEFF DAVIS
AS One of Mississippi's Heroes.
in Speech at Jackson.
Sees Color Line Drawn Every
where He Stops.

Columbus Miss. Nov. s2.-President
Taft received a joyous welcome today
when he came to visit the birthplace
of Secretary of War Dickinson and
brought the secretary with him,
Mr.. Taft held a reception at the old
home of General Stephen d. Lee of
the confederate forces as the guest of
the son of the house, Blewett H. Lee.
Later he made an address from a
stand erected on Main street and be-
fore leaving at 2:20 p. m, for
becue of the trip at the Girls In
dustrial school.
The president took occasion here to
pay tribute to Secretary Dickinson.
In fact ever since he has entered
Mississippi, Mr.. Taft has lost no
high regard for the secretary Of war
In the course of his midnight speech
at Jackson last night. the president
said of Secretary Dickinson:
in the cabinet. He did not come be-
cause he wanted to. He came be-
cause he knew why I wanted HIM.
81 wanted him because I wanted to-
give an earnest example to the south
of the truth of my declaration that I
was anxious to bring you closer to-
the government at Washington and Il
also took him because 1 wanted one
of the ablest men in the country. Z
wanted that Panama canal built and
I knew if he took hold of it. it would
go. sss
Calls JEFF Davis Hero.
lone of your great heroes of Missis-
sippi is Jefferson Davis. and 1 am glad
the administration at Washington has
wiped out the evidence of that extreme
PARTISAN bitterness of Cabin. John
John Bridge, and that his name is re-
stored there. and I am glad because 4
know and can testify from my expert
enee in the south that the same joy
that they experienced at that act. on
the part of the administration is the
joy of a common country and loyalty to
a common flag.
Il can not pass from these walls
without testifying to the gratitude feel
toward all of Mississippi for this most
cordial welcome. / am glad to believe
that you would cordially receive the
president of the United States under
any circumstances. = but I am glad to
believe your reception is in some de-
gree warmer because you believe
value that reception most highly as an
evidence that we are coming closer and
closer together, ana that we are one
country. with the same Ideals, the same
aspirations and tAe-same determine ton
to make us all better and to raise the
standard of our citizenship beyond any
thing that heretofore has beer seem
Color Line Is Drawn.
Enroute to Columbus today the
president made brief car end speeches
at Kosciusko, Alderman, Starkville and
West Point. At each place he was
greeted by an enthusiastic throng, the
negroes being drawn up on one side
of the track and the whites on the
other. fs
At Kosciusko the president gave
further evidence of his desire to bring
the people of the south closer to the
other states He said:
ST have been glad5to be here, be-
cause I think this state, as nearly as
any, represents the opinion and types
of the south and I am anxious to come
as closely in contact with the southern
people and explain to them as sincere
ly and sympatheticaily as I can, my
desire to unite them and bring them
closer to all the other states.
81 am glad to say that at Vicksburg.
at Natchez, at Jackson last night and
now, today I have that cordial recep-
ton that makes me think they are.
willing to come more than half way
in the encouragement of that senti-.
ment. 50
"It is not that we want to make your
Republicans; or that we want to be-
come Democrats; we all have our
views and our taste in that regard,
but it is that we shall bring you and
that you shall come to believe that
you are as near to the heart of the
central government as now admins
tered as any other people in the un-