The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-09-26
ASKS PEOPLE TO
WATCH RESULTS
PRESIDENT TAFT ON TOUR OF
COUNTRY EXPLAINS HIS
TARIFF VIEWS.
PROMISES BIG THINGS
TALKS ABOUT NEED OF PROVIDING
FOOD FOR NATION WHICH
WILL DOUBLE IN
FIFTY YEARS.

reached here to- night 10 address the
conservation congress. The President
made two promises in his Kansas
swing. both contingent upon the tar
III boards contemplated recommends
ton:
]. To urge the passage of tariff
plll such as Will protect American in
dustries.
z, To sign his name to the right
kind of bill, II Congress viii pass
It.
Mr.. Taft unhesitatingly admitted
that the Payne Aidrich tariff bill,
which he once pronounced the best
the country had seen" was defective
lie confessed that. among other
things, ii had kept the tariff on wool
too high.
The President passed on from the
stand pat region in the southwestern
part OF the State. where he made his
entry into the fight against progress
siveism. To the insurgent territory,
gettin~ warm oVations at every stop.
La Toilette Boom Not Strong.
From the attitude of the crowds
to-day It is difficult to tell exactly how
President Taft Jared in Kansas. That
he viii get the renornina ton in 1912
is generally expected. The La Fol-
lette boom IN Kansas Is not strong.
Taft at the polls in the event could
OF denomination is an open question.
so far as any Indication to- day cou.d
foretell Mr.. Taft was somewhat dis
. appointed over his reception III Coffey-
Vile his first stop for the day. The
public square was jammed with 800
people, and some sat in windows and
were perched on house tops.
Il am holding TO the position that
/ sb.r. srrE- ~ .AYNf+ arsf
legislation until the tariff board has
had An opportunity to make its re-
port" exclaimed the President. II am
here To protect the American indus
tries. TO see that the foreign goods
do not come into this country ~
cheap that thev crowd out own manu-
features. I vetoed the tariff bills be
cause did not consider they pro-
teCted our industries. II | had not
done thar would have been false 10
the convention which nominated me.
! and the people elected me. If were
President who lacked the courage 10
! veto bills | considered against the
| interests 81 the country / would not
! be the sort Of President you what. l
am not here to apologize to you for
my vetoes. l am here 10 explain them.
! The presidents remarks were re-
ceiFed in tense silence.
S<IluS lHhfict&c 10 bTSaIi-
! At CharrsyilIe, where thousands OF
cheering people crowded about the
rear platform Of his train. the presi-
dent hurled challenge to William
Jennings Bryan TO show one instance
in which any trust that ought to be
condemned would not fall under the
United States supreme court under
the decision in the Standard OH and
/ Tobacco cases. which Bryan has con-
Gemned
! The president reached Kansas City
at 6,5o.
In his speech before the Conserva-
tion Congress tonight the president
said.
/ i wish to consider an aspect Of
conserS atisIn far more important than
that of preserving for the public in
terests public lands. and that is the
conservation of the soil with view
TO the continued production of food
/ In this country sufficient TO feed our
growing population,
/ We have in continental nited
States about 1900, 600, 600 acres. OF
this the agricultural department es-
Inmates that $50. geo, 600 acres are
capable OF cultivation. OF this ST3.-
I $4,000 acres are now in farms. The
remainder, about loo. 600, 600 acres, is
land which Is untillable. II is reason
ably certain that substantially all the
virgin soil OF character 10 produce
crops has been taken up.
Population Increasing Rapidly.
The total increased acreage Of
farms In the last ten years. is only
about per cent. There are upward of
rs. Geo. 900 acres that Will be brought
under our irrigation 81 stem and per-
haps more, and the amount OF lands
which can be drained and made use
I full for agriculture Will perhaps
amount to about 20, 600, 900 acres. The
| total improved tarm lands in the
| United States increased in the last
ten years q 2-10 per cent. The pro-
duet per acre actually cultivated in
,bereased in the last ten years / per
cent. year, or 10 per cent. The
total product increased in 10 years
nearly 90 per cent.
The population in this same time
Increased 2l per cent. II the popula-
ton continues TO increase at its pres
ent rate We shall have In fifty years
danbla tha nunsker, af+Pesple we now
! have. 1t Is necessary then that not
only our acreage but our product per
acre must in crease proportionately
SO that our people may be fed. We
must realize that in the future land
Will be much more expensive to pre-
| pare for tillage. The increase per
acre must increase propertionately
steady each year. and each year an in
crease is more difficult Still even in
the face of these facts there is no
occasion for disbursement. We are
going to remain as self-supporting
| country and raise food enough within
our borders to feed our people. We
shall be able to meet the the exigency
by better systems of farming
Adding Farm Comforts.
"One OF the great reasons for dis
couragement felt by many is found in
the movement of the population from
farm to city. This has reached such
a point that the urban population is
| now Al per cent OF the total This
movement has been persistent. but
comforts Of farm life have been so
greatly added to in the last ten years
bv the rural free delivery. the sub
and the automobile that there Is like
| ~ in the next few years to be a halt
In this change toward the city. Such
an effect would be the natural result
OF the natural economic operations
Of the increased value OF the farm
/ product and the increasing certainty
Of farming profits.
1T il the business OF the country,
In SO far as 1t can direct the mat
ter. to furnish the means by which
| this economic force will exert Isl.
self within the lines of easiest and
best increase OF production The
government by furnishing assistance
in irrigation increases the amount OF
tillabls land. and the States. II they