Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1910-12-06
ALEXANDRIA, VA.
TUESDAY EVENING, DEC. 6
PRESIDENT TAFT sent his annual,

PRESIDENT iaFT sent hiS anHuai
message to Congress today. 1t is more
than Henry A. Wise document,
rs it is a ninetyfour page pamphlet.
The bulk Of the message is simply =
review Of the condition OF the country
rs we'll rs the world at large. Tho
following excerpts are about the only
portions Of the yoluminous document
OF interest to people living in this sec
ton OF the country:
There are entirely too many customs
districts and too many customs col
lectors. These districts should be con
solidated and the collectors i'll charge
OF them, who draw good salaries, many
Of them out Of proportion to the col
lections made, should be abolished or
treated as mere branch offices, in
accordance with the plan of the Urea
sury Department, which will be pre-
scented for the consideration Of Con-
gress. As an illustration, the cost OF
collecting 81 or revenue at typical
small ports like the port OF York, Me-,
was 5000 At the port OF Annapo-
lis, Nd, it cost $S09.4l to collect 81
of revenue; at Natchcz, $52.1G; at
Alexandria, Va, 1922 9.
l have already in communica-
tons to Congress referred 10 the import
ance of acquiring for the District Of
Columbia at least q part Of the terri
tory on the other side OF the Potomac
in Virginia which was originally grant
ed for the District by the state OF Nir-
GINA, and then was retroccdcd by act
OF Congress in 1916. II is very evident
from conferences that ] have had with
the senators and representatives from
Virginia that there is no hope OF re-
granting by the stale Of the land thus
given back; and ! am fran'; 10 say that
i'm so far as the tact includes the town
OF Alexandria and land remote from
the Potomac river there would DC no
particular advantage in bringing that
within national control Bat the land
which lies along tie Potomac river
above the railroad bridge and across
the Potomac. including Arlington Gem
e'erv, Fort Myer, tho government cX-
pertinent farm, the village Of RoSSlyn,
and the Palisades Of the Potomac,
reaching to where the District line in
tersects the river. is very spars"'y Sc
tied and could be admirably utilized Tor
increasing the system Of the parks OF
Washington. IT. has been suggested to
me by the same Virginia senators and
representatives that If the government
were TO acquire for government park
the land above described, which IS not
OF very great value, the present law OF
Virginia would itself work the creation
of federal jurisdiction over it, and II
that were not complete enough, the
legislature ofEirgiuia would in all prob
ability so enlarge the jurisdiction as to
enable Congress to include it within the
control of the government OF the Dis
trict OF Columbia and actually make 1t
q part of Washington. earnestly
recommend that steps be taken TO carry
out this plan.
The retrocession paragraph III the
message is as the echo Of a note Of the
diving swan RctrocesSion was never
regarded seriously by the great major
ity when the fever was 1T its height.
Now that the republicans are suffering
from a serious setback and u demo
cratic House OF Representatives will
soon he in evidence, the prospect of
any further dcspoilment of Virginia IS
remote indeed.