Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-17
FOR UNIFORM LAWS
Many Governors to Attend
Three Days Convention.
FIRST SESSION TOMORROW
President Taft to Deliver Address
at the Opening.
QUESTIONS OF GREAT MOMENT
Executives Aim to Interest Con-
gress in Securing Uniformity in
Legislation for All Sections.
OF GREAT MOMENT

Thirty governors of states and terri
tomorrow to consider methods for bring
ing about uniform legislation in the states
dealing with questions of great moment to
the country. The governors will be in
scheduled for tomorrow morning at 10
o'clock, and President Taft will address
the governors at that time.
This meeting of the governors has been
called by Gov. Wilson of kentucky, who
was chairman of the previous conference
of governors in Washington. The confer
ence of governors has no legal standing,
but it is the aim of the chief executives
of the states to bring about uniformity in
legislation for all the states. which is
much needed on certain important sub
jects and which, under the Constitution.
the federal government cannot touch;
it is also the object of the meeting to
stem the tide of Capitalization of govern
ment in Washington.
The governors are not antagonistic to
the federal government, but they consider
that there are many laws which should
be uniform throughout the states, and
they prefer that this uniformity should
be brought about by state action than
that the Constitution should be stretched
or amended to permit the federal govern
ment to control these matters.
Gov. Wilson said today that if there
had been conferences of the governors OF
the various states of the Union in the
days before the civil war similar to that
which will commence tomorrow the great
conflict between the states might have
been averted.. He emphasized the friend
ly personal feeling which is engendered
among the chief executives of the states
by such meetings.
For an Annual Affair.
The conference of governors should
be an annual affair, and We aim to make
it SUCH" said Gov. Wilson. He said
further that a tentative program for the
conference had been arranged. but that
the governors might take up any subjects
which they saw fit. \ committee consisting
of Gov Hughes of New York, Gov. Fort
of New Jersey and Gov. Weeks of Con-
necticut has had this program in charge.
Gov Fort is expected here this afternoon,
and will make public the details of the
program and the subjects which the gov
ernors have been asked to talk on.
A number of entertainments have been
planned for the governors. Tonight they
will attend reception given by Miss
Mabel Boardman at her home. TomOr-
row the governors will be entertained
at luncheon at the Metropolitan Club.
and at dinner later by John Hays Ham
mond After the dinner the governors
will aft rocpDtlOn
House for the judiciary. The President
will give u dinner in honor OF the gov
errors and their wives at the White
House Wednesday night.
A number of the governors have al
ready reached Washington, and some of
them attended the session of the Civic
Federation at the Belasco Theater this
morning Among those who are now
here are Gov. Quinby of New hampshire.
Gov Prouty of Vermont Gov. Brady of
Idaho, Gov. Shafroth of Colorado, Gov.
Draper of Massachusetts. The others
are expected to reach Washington this
afternoon and tonight.
Enthusiastic Over Conference.
Gov Quinby spoke enthusiastically of
the conference this morning. He said that
he himself had been assigned the forests
as his subject, and that he intended to
speak particularly about the proposed
Appalachian reserve.
There is a number of important SUBJ
jects for the conference TO consider in
Guiding conservation, the question of
water rights, harbor and river improve
ments the income tax amendment, in
heritance tax, divorce laws, food laws
and other matters which the federal gov
eminent cannot control under the Con-
stitution."
Gov. Wilson would not discuss the
might riders and their activities In
Kentucky this morning other than to say.
that conditions had been far better in
Kentucky so far as such disturbances
were concerned during the last year than