New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-09-30
BUSY DAY At WHITE HOUSE
Reductions Made in the Army
and Navy Estimates.
FOR TWO NEW BATTLESHlPS
President Addresses Prison Con
gress Delegates and Re-
ceiVes Cardinal.
from The Tribune Bureau.

Washington Sept. 29-Politics. the plan
for the establishment If postal savings
banks and the estimates for appropriations
were the principal topics of discussion at
the White House to-day. Representative
McKinlay. of California, who was defeated
for denomination. accompanied by Repre-
sentative Austin, who Is conducting a Wig
orous campaign for reelection, discussed
politics with President Taft.
The President and General Wood, chief
of staff. continued their examination of the
War Department estimates for the appro-
priation for the next fiscal year. and further
reductions than the S10000O0o already an
nounced in the total as compared with the
current appropriation We're determined
upon. The revised estimates provide for
100000 for immediate use in the fortiica-
ton of the Panama Canal and it is prob
able that before the work is completed ap-
preparations of approximately S20,000,G09 al
together will be needed The consideration
of the army estimates will be completed
to- morrow.
The naval estimates as finally passed upon
TO-DAY show a reduction of 100000 under
the app-opriations for the present year.
and. as announced by Secretary Meyer, the
building programme provides two battle
ships and two Golfers for the next year.
President Taft received the delegates to
the International Prison Congress in the
East Room this afternoon. In the course
of brief address TO the congress Mr..
TAFT said:
l am delighted TO have the honor and the
privilege Of welcoming YOU here to this
place where your president says and cor
reCtly says, that the first movement in
this direction had its initiation by my
predecessor President Grant. / hope that
your convention Will still more widely
spread information ON the treatment Of
criminals and the making of them into use
ful members of society, and that your de-
liberations will not be Influenced by maud
i'm sentiment, on the one hand, or by a de-
sire for vengeance, on the other. 1t Is
easy to err IN such direction. If we make
our prisons so comfortable that they fur
nish motive for violating the law they will
not then serve the use for which they were
properly esta blished: on the other hand,
they are certainly not properly framed and
used If by aSSOciating with hardened GRIM
inals men who are not criminals, and who
may be saved altogether from bec0ming
criminals, the number of criminals is in
creased rather than diminished.
Sometimes when / have visited the pris-
ons of The United States government itself
have thought that we were stronger in
theory than in practice. But 1 hope that
the United States government now has
improvements that YOU among yourselves
recommend. The Attorney General Mr..
Wickersham, has given some attention to
this matter and viii be in your confer
ences TO make such suggestions as occur
TO him and to receive from you the many
valuable suggestions that doubtless will be
presented by you. He represents the De
partment Of Justice, but he also represents
the department of mercy" where we hope
TO mix the one with the other.
Cardinal Vincenzo Vannutelli. special en-
voy and representative of Pope Plus Y
at the recent Eucharistic Congress at
Montreal. accompanied by Monsignor Prince
De Croy, Monsignor Tampieri, Bishop
OiConnell. OF San Francisco, and Bishop
Muldoon. of Rockford, ILL.,. called at the
White House to pay their respects to Presi-
dent Taft
AS an evidence of the high regard in
which President Taft Is held by the Fill
pinos, and more especially the Sulus, two
of the party accompanying the Sultan Of
Suu in his tour of the United States called
at the White House to present to the Chief
Executive a beautiful ivory handled creese
or Sulu sword. One of the Filipinos. Pan
CHINA Hadjii Tahi. said the sword was an
heirloom and had belonged to his family
for many generations