The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1911-10-10
TAFT'S RECORD
FOR TRAVELLING
VIII Complete Another 1900
Miles on Nov. |.

lHE KNOWS MANY PLACES.
When His Present Circuit Is Finished
He Will Have Covered About 275,000
Miles as an Officer of the United
States Government Since 1900.
When President Taft arrives in
Washington on Nov 1. having COM
/ pleted 1900 mile circuit Of speech
/ making in the west, he will have trav-
eled approximately 275,00O miles as an
officer of the United States government
since 1900, when he became governor
of the Philippine Islands. He is the
most Travelled president in the history
of the country, even exceeding by
many miles the travels Of Theodore
Roosevelt while he was president. and
more persons have seen him face to
face than any of his predecessors in
Office. Furthermore, he is almost as
well known in the colonial possessions
of the United States as he is at home.
and probably no American in public
life has ever been possessed of so large
a worldwide acquaintance
1t was in March, 1900. shortly after
he was inaugurated the second time.
that President Mckinley appointed
Mr.. Taft, then federal judge in Ohio.
as member of the Philippine commits
sion, the understanding being that he
was to become the first governor of
those islands when civil government
was established Mr.. Taft went i'm
mediately to the Philippines and, in
addition. travelled about them the
greater part of 1901 and 1902. his mile
age each year practically amounting
to one complete circumference of the
earth. On July 4. 1901, he was made
governor. and in November of that
year he returned to the United States
to inform the committees of congress
at first hand Of the legislative needs
Of the islands. 1t was on his return
trip in 1902 that he went by the way
Of Rome TO reach an agreement with
the Vatican concerning the friar lands
and other vexing church questions in
the islands.
Returned to Washington.
The following year Mr.. Taft manag-
ed to get in approximately 5000 miles
Of travel. mostly In the Philippines.
and in 1904 he returned to the United
States to become secretary Of war In
the cabinet Of President Roosevelt. He
made several speeches during the cam
paign. and in November Of that year
travelled to Panama to see at first
hand the actual work OF constructing
the canal. which was then under bis
Jurisdiction 49,. -. -
In 1905 Secretary Taft went back TO
the Philippines. where his deepest per
sonal interest lay, on a tour Of inspec-
tion, which included side trips to Japan
and China. and a, return through
Europe. The following year the most
arduous trip OF Secretary Taft was to
Cuba. where he arranged peace be-
tween the factions In that country and
for the time being acted as provisional
governor. Nevertheless his journeys
that year exceeded $4,000 miles.
Mr.. TAFT made a tour Of nearly all
the colonial possessions of this govern
ment In 1907. Cuba. Porto Rico, and
Panama engaged his attention early In
the year. and in the fall he departed
again for the Philippines in order to
keep his promise to the natives that he
would be present at the opening Of the
Philippine assembly. the first repre-
sentative legislative body in the is
lands.
While this trip brought his mileage
for the year to $4,000 or more, that
record was to be broken in 1908. when.
as Republican candidate for president.
he visited practically every state in the
| Union where candidate had chance
| to secure votes, some Of them several
times Hts mileage on that occasion.
1920. will probably stand as record
for many years to come.
Since He Became President.
Since he became president Mr.. Taft
has been an inveterate traveller. In
his two years and six months Of Office
he has Travelled 61,774 miles. or prac-
tically two and half times around
the earth. Within two months after
his Inauguration he took a trip to st.
Louis and return. which aggregated
more than 1900 miles. having pre-
viously taken three shorter trips. In
May he went as far south as Char
lotte, N. c.. and as far west as Pitts
burg. In July he went north to Mas
sachusetts, stopping several times en-
route. In September came his great
western trip lasting until Nov. 10, and
the next day he was off again for
Connecticut and the next week fol-
Norfolk. Va. Twice In December he
went north. once to Connecticut and
once to New York.
i By April OF this year the president
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