Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-19
OPPOSES SCHEMES OF
PURELY LOCAL Benefit
Believes the Matter Should Be
Treated in Businesslike Way.
ADDRESSES MANY AT NORFOLK
Reviews Imposing Parade of Mill
tary and Naval Forces-Com-
panies From Fort Monroe
Neglect to Salute.

Neglect to Salute.
NORFOLK. Va. November 1p.-In an
open-air address delivered here today be-
lore delegates of the Atlantic Deeper
waterways Association and crowd
which extended for block or more about
the stand erected at the base of the Con-
lederate monument President Taft reiter-
ated his position with regard to water
ways improvement, and declared that he
would earnestly support any project which
could prove its pract cability and worth
and which would rebound to the general
good.
Companies Neglect to Salute.
The Presidents address followed an i'm
posing parade of military and naval
forces. During the parade the unusual
spectacle was presented of several COM
panies Of United States coast artillery
from the artillery station at Fort Monroe
passing the President without saluting.
The fault seemed to lie with the COM
manding officers of the companies, who
apparently failed to see the President
prominent as he was at the center OF the
big reviewing stand. The President no.
ticed the delinquency himself and smiled
at the discontinue of some of the lieu
tenants who apparently wanted to salute
but had to follow the motions OF the cap
tains. who marched by with eyes stead.
lily to the front
The President had a word to say fe-
garding the navy of the United States de-
claring that the Norfolk nav, yard Was
probably the most important station and
base IN the entire country, and that
Hampton roads formed the greatest point
OF naval rendezvous.
The navy. he declared, should not only
be worth seeing" bu. should be able to
fight If il ever has TO. The President ex-
pressed his Interest in a proper growth
Of the navy, and aroused a great deal of
by declaring that Hampton
roads and Chesapeake bay should b. pro-
tected by an impregnable island 1, IT
erected midway between the Virginia
capes. Mr.. Taft said he had urged this
method of defense as Sec. etary OF War
and would continue to urge il as Presi-
dent. with the hope that 1t would be an
fact before his term of Of
flee expired.
Interest in Waterways.
President Taft was introduced by Gov.
Swanson. and said. in part:
Il am glad to be here to testify to my
interest in the waterways work. I know
where the business that now exists justi-
fies claim that money shall be invested
In order to make all that network OF in
terror waterways reaching from the gulf
and the Atlantic useful in order to reduce
rates or in order to furnish transporta-
ton where there really in no transpOrta-
ton now. There has been a general move
ment over the country in favor OF the ex-
penuiture OF money TO improve our water
ways. inland and coastal.
Il am sure that thai movement has
tine support of the people, and has The
support of all those responsible to the
people for the expenditure of the money
raised Dy taxation or otherwise. All that
they require is that there should be
shown ia all ordinary. reasonable way,
tnd by evidence that Will appeal To sensible
men. that the money which We are about
to invest will certainly rebound to the
general welfare and not simply to the
benefit of the people in whose neighbor-
hood IL is spent in the way of furnishing
l&bor for two or three years. 1t should
rebound by way of improving transpOrta-
ton, and when you have made your case,
then / am sure the government and Con-
gress will respond to it. That the case
can be made | doubt not with resrcc. to
definite projects the justification Of which
can be shown by reference to the busi-
ness now done, or the business which
will be furnished.
General Good to Be Considered.
What l wish to deprecate is a general
to raise lot of money and
dump some here and some there and
some back here just in order to distrtb-
ute 1t equally over the country. L am
opposed to that. I am in favor of ex-
pending the money for an improvement
In Norfolk, and not spending it for i'm
provement somewhere else If the Norfolk
project is q good one and the one some
where else is not, and IL the people
else have good sense and are
judicial and impartial they should feel
that the investment at Norfolk rebounds
10 the whole country, while the invest
nent somewhere else does not rebound
to anybody but little local favor at
the time of the expenditure of the money.
In other words, We ought to go at this
business as If we were business men,
And when we do that L do not think
that the people of the United States will
grudge cent Of the many millions that
It is going to cost to give up the i'm
provements We ought to have. no matter
where they are.
II want to say that I will take I'D what
IS projected and proposed with all the
possible. but nevertheless with
what 1 hope is a judicial spirit to reject
o approve what the evidence does sus-
ain
Wants Navy Worthy Of Country.
The President referred to the battle of
he Merrimac and the Monitor and to the
who participated in the pa
'ade, and said:
"One cannot stand here in Norfolk,
which is the most important navy yard
md naval base that we have in the United
states, without having ones mind recur
% that arm Of the public service which
We have done SO much to develop, and
With whose growth / hope we shall do
lothing to interfere. 1 want a navy TO
continue TO be maintained worthy Of this
We are not knocking any,
,ody's chip off his shoulder. and we are
Tot having a chip on our shoulder but
We are a great nation Of eighty or ninety
Millions of people, and We must, i'm order,
Inder the present conditions, to main
ain the Prestige that Is proportionate