The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-12
Has Broken All Records of Former Presidents for
 Consecutive Travel
HAS STOOD STRAIN
 REMARKABLY WELL
The Presidential Train Has Covered More Than Fifteen Thousand MiIes--A Short His
 tory of Trip

Bristol, lenn, NoNeihpei li'-iii9 "NNf ond long swing around the circle pracu- caIly concluded and his engagements from
 Boston to San Francisco and back all marked kept" in the records or the
 White House, President Taft tonight was speeding through Tennessee and Nlrglhia'
 en route to Washington.
 At Bristol, the last scheduled stop in
 the trip from Knoxville, where he spent
 the morning, MT. Taft was only little
 less than 300 miles from home. He is due to reach the capital early tomorrow. He will then take a day or two of rest
 before beginning the work of writing ms third annual message to Congress This. message, the Presidents friends sav. will be one of the most important the President has written.
 Mir Taft is in fine fettle. The hafd- ships of the long journey apparently nave had no i'll effect upon him, for his step was light and his laugh as cheerful to- day as when he turned away from Bev- erly and started out to tour the west q am rejoiced to get home from a trip of upwards of 15,O00 miles, and a visit to about 90 states, in which I have had tine pleasure of explaining from my stand point, some of the important issues or | the day to many hundreds of thousahds | of people," said the President tonight. l have been materially benefited by the m | formation which I have received as to | the attitude of the people in the different parts of the country as affected by local conditions The receptions have been very i cordial throughout and l am certain that l in taking this trip l nave improved real opportunity. I am glad also to say that although the trip has been a stren- uous one. my health has continued good
 
 the strains.'
 Breaks Record
 When he steps down from his private car tomorrow morning MT. Taft VIII bring to an end one of the longest trips 1 both in number of days on the road and | number of miles travelled ever under | taken by President Former President | Roosevelt, it was recalled by persons on the presidential train toSay, once made a transcontinental trip that lasted to days. but on that journey he stopped Tor | n long rest in inc Yosemite National park. | Mir. Taft has been out of Beverly 5i days | and away from Washington ST days eX- 1 cept for a two hours stop last week. He put in three days resting at Hot springs l Va, so that the total time in which ne kept pace with all the engagements made | for him was 54 days.
 1 The presidential train has covered more 1 than 5000 miles and if automobile trips were to be included In the calculation the mileage easily would top the 16,0OO mark. On this trip the President has climbed mountains, gone into a gold mine re- viewed the greatest American fleet ever | assembled, broken ground for world s
 exposition, voted at an election ana been nut through the stunts that Secretary l Hilles would permit his entertainers to invent.
 | The President has delivered close to $50 speeches. passed through about 3o states.
 and been seen by crowds, that Hilles esq
 inmates at over 100000 persons. | The Presidents last day on the road was given up to eastern Tennessee. Knox vile got six hours of the Presidents s time. He made rear end speeches at i've | small towns. At Greenville the Presi- dent caught a glimpse of the home and burial place of Andrew Johnson. Before he boarded his private car in Knoxville the President called upon Mrs. w. G. Brownlow, widow of one of the | famous governors of Tennesse. Mrs. | Brownlow is 92 years old, but her mind was alert and she chatted with Mir. Taft | for several minutes. Every President of the United States who has visited Knox vile since the Civil war has called at the Brownlow home to pay his respects. For the last dinner on his car the Presi- dent. Mir. Hilles. Major Butt and pr. Thomas l.. Rhoads, MT. Tafts physician,
 who have made the long swing together, were served with Tennessees .possum and taters.' put aboard the car by citi- zens of Jonson City. q, The Presidents speech hero. the last os his remarkable tour. was made from the rear end of his private car to a crowd of 5000 persons Tn closing he declared that he had stood the nation wide travel
 all right, and his friends would have to admit that he had been travelings n heap After he left Knoxville. where the morn ing was spent, Mir. Taft made short speeches at Greenvile, Jonesboro and Johnson City. At Jonesboro, home of for r1er Congressman Brownlow, he paid a tribute to the late republican leader. Here in Bristol tonight the presidential party was served with a special dinner of game by the Board of Trade and Cham
 Der of Commerce. Turkey, pheasant, uail and mountain trout were on menu.