The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1911-09-22
PRESIDENT TALKS
TWICE AT $500"
Favors Power Development on
st. Mary's River.
INSPECTS GREAT CANAL LOCKS
Being Almost In Canada and an EIec.
tien Close at Hand, He Abso-
,utely Refuses to Talk
on Reciprocity.

Sault Ste. Marie, Mich, Sept 90
When Governor Chase Osborn OF
Michigan arose at the luncheon given
President Taft and thanked the people
OF Sault Ste. Marie for their applause
he said:
Il accept this kindly demonstration
as an indication of your approval OF
my friendship for and my support of
the great president of the United
States"
This city gave Mr. Taft a warm re-
cepton. First they took him for trip
around the city and the school chill
dren welcomed him to town in a mass
meeting on the lake front. Then Mr.
Taft was taken to lunch with some
hundred prominent citizens OF the
town. In his address at the luncheon,
the first delivered here, he confined
himself to the purely local subject of
water power. This is the greatest To-
cal issue in the 500. They attempted
great waterworks here some yeas
ago and most of the principal citizens
of the town invested money in the
project. 1t failed and since then the
500 has been looking for water devel-
Opment Mr.. Taft told them that 1t
they would send a committee down
to Washington he would see that the
war department would take the ques-
ton up and attempt to reach a final
settlement which would permit a use
of the water Of st. Mary's river,
which is now going to waste, but
which IL utilized would be sufficient to
boost Sault Ste. Marie to a city of at
least 100000 people. No discussion Of
political issues could have brought Mr..
Taft into the hearts Of the people Of
the 500 as rapidly and certainly as
this offer did. They applauded him at
every mention of the subject and his
reception grew noticeably warmer
after he had entered into this question
They tried again to have Mr.. Taft
talk about reciprocity. He came with
in an inch OF doing so, despite his
statements at Syracuse and Detroit
that he would not mention this ques-
ton until II was settled in Canada. He
said:
you have Fort Brady and you have
battalion OF troops there. Do you
think that battalion is there for the
purpose of resisting attacks on your
Canadian border? Major Cloman and
his men are doughty warriors. I know.
but II that were the purpose we
should attempt to build forts and put
an army here worthy Of the name. On
the contrary that 1000 miles of border
has now no forts. We have no battle
ships. There is nothing there 10 mark
the difference between the two coun-
tries save some custom houses and
some natural boundaries. Now that
presents an example that might well
commend itself to ali countries and
all natiors.
81 am not going to talk about reci-
procity because we have decided on
our side that 'Barkis is willing and
on the other side the question is sub
JUDGE. and I have sufficient sense of
propriety to say nothing on the sub
ject, but merely to say that am in
state of prayer and hope"
After luncheon the president ives
driven about the canal locks, through
which more tonnage passes than
through the Suez canal The president
than reviewed the troops at Fort
Brady. He left for Marquette, Mich,
at 5:25 n. m.