The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-09-08
BIG CROWD HEARS
PRESIDENT TAFT
At P|TTSF|ELO
Many Surrounding Towns Rep
resented In Outdoor Address
DEPLORES GROWTH OF CITIES
Increase Of Urban Population Drains
Farms and Increases Burden OF
Agrlculturalists


addressed crowd of 5000 people at
the union railroad station in Pittfield
Yesterday morning. He spoke from
the rear platform of his private car,
which was the last one IN the second
of the two sections of the train. AS
soon as he arrived Senator Crane,
Congressman Lawrence, Mayor Mac
Innis and President Cooper of the
board of trade climbed to the car plat
form and greeted the president. Mr..
Cooper presented him with a booklet
about Pittsheld. 1t was incased in
beautiful black ooze sheepskin case,
| s by 10 inches in size, and having
fancy edges. On the case in charact-
ers of gold was printed the following:
What Pittsfield, in the heart Of the
Berkshires, looks like Presented to
President William H. Taft by the
Pittsfeld board of trade, September Z,
1910"
A great many towns of the county
were represented in the large COM
pany at the station. The distinguish.
ed visitor was cordially cheered, and
his brief, though happy, address was
very well received. He spoke for
about five minutes. In presenting
him the mayor alluded to him as one
Of the best presidents that has ever
occupied that exalted office.
The Presidents address follows
= Ladies and Gentlemen: | have made
long trip of 5000 miles to deliver a
: long speech and I had hoped that |
+. might have been permitted to get
( back to the north shore of Massachu-
: sets without bothering any more aud
, fences. But my good friend and your
good neighbor Senator Crane, Con
gresham Lawrence and your distin-
! )guished mayor have plotted against
: my case and comfort.
q Notwithstanding. am delighted to
$ meet the people of Pittsfied. | had
D the honor and the pleasure when
: was In Yale college OF visiting your
D beautiful town because you had the
\ good sense to send at least two OF
g your young men to Yale to be class
mates of mine, George Pollock and
Cooley. And in those days George
Learned was alive, one OF the active
business. enterprising men who bull
e up the West and lived-and had the
good sense to live in Pittsfield.
n | congratulate you upon the growtl
. OF your city, on its evident prosperity
V and | assume that you. with citizens
q Of other cities, are waiting with inter
n est the result OF the census to Sc,
% whether you can not count NOR,
h noses than some competing and neigl
a boring city. That's natural. Blu
!. looked at in another way. the growtl
A Of our urban population Is not all o
II favorable. II means n movemen
: from the rural and country district
- into the city. IL means that our Ell
terprising young men and young We
men are leaving the country, wher
they could be of the utmost assistanc
In our rural prosperity and growth
and going to the city TO make up
part of the population for whoI
those who may have been left In IN
country must do even more work
Now II seems to me see n chang,
Agriculture Is becoming not a mer
manual vocation. but a real scientif
profession and the young men In IN
country may well stay there II II
prices OF the food products continu
as high and the province Of farmir
continues TO grow.
But ! disgress. as did not intend
go into this philosophical discussion
the value of city and country life. I,
you are on the borderland You sha
, both. And however large you m,
grow, however great your prospect
the proudest thing that your sons al
daughters will hold up to be remel
bered OF Pittsheld Is that she sits G
throned in the Berkshire hills.
You have your neighbors. Stoc
bridge and l.enox and Williamson
4, and Greylock. but all OF them cent
about Pittsheld that is par excellen
the city OF the Berkshires. And no
after we have catered the crops n
improved the bounty OF Nature. she
showing forth her love OF the beau
ful and In a month all these hi
about will be flaming In yellows a
reds and browns and scarlets and y
will then thank God that you W,
born amid the Berkshires. Good