Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-09
WELCOMED TO FLORENCE.
President Addresses Big Crowd a
South Carolina Town.

FLORENCE, B. e., November S--LedV-
ing Augusta and two days Of welcome
rest behind him President Taft stopped
over here for three hours last evening to
receive a greeting in this little community
OF 10000 population as demonstrative as
many he has received In cities OF FAR
more pretentious proportions.
Before leaving Augusta In the after
noon the President assisted In the open
ing of the Georgia-Caro!ina far. He had
the novel experience Of having his ad-
dress interrupted by the passing of an
airship or dirigible balloon with its en-
gines awhir. Immediately over the grand
stand The President was talking OF ship
subsidy at the time and after he had
paused to look at the receding balloon.
he exclaimmed: II hesitate to occupy
your time In discussing an old method OF
transporting goods when you have before
your eyes the newest one invented, ana
yet l venture TO think II will be some
time before that method of transportation
will be followed in the matter Of cotton
bales"
IL had been intended that the President
should stop here only an hour and ten
minutes, but the local committee secured
a Encouragement OF the schedule, by
which they might hold him for three
times that long and Yet deliver him to
Wilmington early this morning. The
presidential train arrived at 80 and left
shortly before III pm.
In his speech delivered In the open air,
President Taft warned the people Of the
south not to let the prosperity OF fifteen
cent cotton run away with them, but to
remember to demand in all business af-
fairs the standard Of integrity and mo-
rality outlined by Theodore Roosevelt.
The Dangers in Prosperity.
"At no place In South Carolina or else
where In my travels said the President
had I more reasons to congratulate my
self on a cordial reception than here in
Florence. I am told there is something
in the price OF cotton that makes your
voices a little louder. your smiles a little
wider and your contentment a little great
er: but. my friends, you ought not to be
carried OF your feet by prosperity. and
fail to call for a maintenance Of high
standards of business morality and citi-
zenship. The price OF liberty Is eternal
vigilance. and ! say to you that the price
OF elevating moral standards is eternal
vigilance.
Now my friends, We are apt to get
enthusiastic over fifteen-cent cotton and
the growth OF cities and states and all
this material prosperity. But hope that
in doing SO we shall not forget the re-
sponsibilities that ought to accompany
our material growth. We have been
prosperous before. We were exceedingly
prosperous in 1907 and for six or eight
years before that. But there came a time
when Theodore Roosevelt and men like
him. who saw that the tendency which
came from that prosperity to an accumu-
lation OF wealth In individual hands by
means that were not legal and could not
he morally supported. called a halt and
called for an investigation OF our pros
perity and called for the enactment of
legislation that should restrict our growt n
in order that IL might be along lines of
legality and along lines Of business in
tegrity and morality.
But i am no pessimist. ! believe we
are growing steadily better and better,
and the way We responded to the call
when Roosevelt uttered II showed that
we would not be bribed by material COM
forts and luxury into sleepiness and in
action In matt - OF business integrity
Believs< Welcome Sincere.
President Taft said that perhaps he had
not been In public Office long enough to
estimate public receptions at their true
worth. But I believe verify in my
bAaTt." he added. that the receptions