The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-08-23
comfort
TRAot MARX. -
WHEN TAFT AND DIAz MEET
A Banquet is to be Spread on the Ell
Paso Bridge

muddy waters OF the Rio Grande the
international boundary stream, flow
ing beneath them, Porfirio Diaz, pres
ident of the United States of Mexico
! and William Howard Taft, president
of the United States of America, will
meet and shake hands on October 10
land both ruler will remain on tneil
own territory.
This meeting will take place In the
presence of at least four Mexican gov
errors and three American governors
and as many of the cabinet officers OF
the two republics as can get here al
the time.
For years 1t has been the dream OF
the people OF El Paso to have the
rulers of the two great North Ameri
can republics meet at this point and
when Benjamin Harrison visited III
Mckinley paid a visit to the city in
! 1900 efforts were made to have Gen.
eral Diaz as a guest also; but he was
unable to get nere either time. How.
ever, no American president has ever
before extended a formal invitation
to the president of Mexico to meet
him here until the present, when Mr.
Taft sent a personal letter to General
Diaz expressing the pleasure that
such a meeting would give him. Gen
eral Diaz has formally accepted and
will be here to meet Mr.. Taft travel.
| ing in his own special train, accom-.
panied by cabinet officers, battalion
of the Chapultepec castle guard, the
presidential band and a retinue OF
military, naval and other aides.
FL Paso has already begun prepar
ations for the meeting of the two rul
ers. The center of the bridge, mark
ing the boundary line will be marked
by a line of roses on either sire OF
which the two presidents will stand
as they clasp hands and exchange
greetings Afterward they will be
seated at unique banquet. The ia
BILE wiz run lengthwise on tne bridge
President Taft will occupy a seat on
the American side of the line while
General Diaz will sit on his right fac.
ing east, on the Mexican side of the
boundary, the two touching elbows,
yet each remaining in his own coun-
try.
The International bridge will be
decorated In the colors of the two ma
tions. American colors reaching 10
the center from this side and the
Mexican colors reaching to the center
from the other. In the center of the
structure there will be a canopy com
posed of the flags of the two nations.
On the Mexican end of the bridge as
~. Cd 70 Oh lyn
hands the Mexican troops and rurales
will be lined up at present arms
while the Mexican band will render
the national air of Mexicos On the
American side of the. river, American
troops will form line and the Nine
teenth Infantry band. now stationed
at Fort Bliss, near III Paso, will play
"The Star spangled Banner" AS the
banquet progresses the two bands
will alternate in playing American
and Mexican airs.
Seated to the left of President Taft
at the banquet will be the American
Cabinet Ministers and members of
the official party while on the right of
General Diaz will be the members OF
his own official party Facing the
two rulers on the opposite side Of the
table and sitting directly on the inter
national boundary line will be Joseph
u. Sweeney, mayor of FL Paso with
interpreters by his side. The ban
quet will consist of American and
Mexican dishes.
Accompanying General DiaZ will be
General Landa Escandon, governor of
the Federal district of Mexico; Gen
eral Miguel Ahumada, governor of
Jalsco General Luis Torres. COVER
nor OF. Sonora and Gov. Enrique Creel
of the State of Chihuahua, former
Mexican ambassador TO the United
States. Accompanying President
Taft will be Governor Sloan of AriZ-
ona. Governor George Curry of New
Mexico and Governor Thomas NJ.
Campbell of Texas.
IL the wives of the two rulers ac-
company them arrangements will be
made for their proper entertainment.
The bride of Mayor Sweeney will
have charge of the reception and Mrs
Taft will be taken to Ciudad JuareZ,
the Mexican city opposite Ell Paso for
a Mexican luncheon in the same
house where Mrs. William Mckinley
dined when she was here with the
President in 1900. If Mrs. Diaz is in
Juarez she will be present at the lun-
cheon and If time will permit will
lateP>b brought back to III Paso with
Mrs. Taft and the two will be enter
tanned at the El Paso Country club.
Many features have been arranged
for the celebration. Indians will be
present from West Texas, New Mex
leo and Arizona to greet President
Taft and the 700 Mexican voters of
El Paso who comprise the United
Mexican societies. of the city Will
march in line as token of their es-
TEEN for the ruler of their adopted
country. Isaac Alderete, a Mexican
born in Eel Paso and clerk of the Dis
trict courts of the county, will COM
mand the Mexican contingent.
Another interesting feature of the
welcome to Mr. Taft will be that from
"the first settlers in the United Safes
the Pueblo Indians of Ysleta. Ysleta
is small village twelve miles below
Ell Paso in this county. Ii traces
the date of its foundation back beyond
that of the jamestown or PLYMOUTH
Rock settlements. Ysleta was found
ed as a mission by the Jesuit fathers
and the records show it to be the old
est town in the present boundaries OF
the United States. The Ysleta lndl-
ans are direct descendants of the or
iginaI settlers whom the priests came
to convert and reform, and, declaring