Smyrna times., 1911-09-27
TAFT INVADES
INSURGENT STATE
Kansas PrOgreSSiVeS Give Him
, Kindly Welcome,
POLITICS WAS TABOOED

Baker University In Installation of
President - Defended Tariff Board
In Speech at Sa. Louis.
President Taft received his first well
come into insurgent Kansas. 1t was
officially given by Governor Stubbs,
the fighting insurgent executive of the
state, who met the president at Law
renee, Kan, where Mr.. Taft addressed
the students of the University of Kan
sas. Here is the governors welcome:
81 hope that Kansas, without regard
to church, party or faction, will give
President Taft the most royal welcome
that president ever received"
Governor Stubbs accompanied the
Taft special train from Lawrence to
Baldwin. Senator Bristow was at the
station to meet the president. This is
the first time that Mr.. Bristow has
gone to see the president since jan
uary. He stopped his calls at the White
House when reciprocity became an is
sue. Senator Curtis, who is the regu-
lar bulwark of Kansas, accompanied
the president and will stick with him
through his stay in the state.
The president was in Baldwin to at
tend the ceremonies at Baker univer-
sity in the installation of w. N. Mason
as president of the university. The in
stitution is secrtarian and the reli-
giOus atmosphere was dominant
throughout the day. Politics we're
watched for closely, but they did not
crop out except in the appearance of
Senator BristOw and the introduction
of the president to the governor.
When the day had been looked over
by Kansans familiar with the situation
they said that it foreshadowed a kind
ly welcome to the president in Kansas.
The opposition to the president in
Kansas, they say, is not so much in
surgent hostility" as it is a feeling
that Mr. Taft is weak The only sig
nifcence that they would attribute to
Senator BristOw's appearance was that
the senator is not quite strong enough
in the state to afford to ''snub' Presi-
dent Taft when he is in Kansas as a
guest.
The senator is avOwe lily a LaFol-
lette man. He made no pretense of any
feeling of kindness for the president
In fact his hostility to him is too well
-&nREn tbrcrghc+t the state to be mis-
taken. But they assert there is not
the enmity in Kansas to Mr.. Taft that
would allow Mr.. Bristow to shun him
while in the state, no matter how bit
terly he feels toward him.
In his speech in st. Louis President
Taft defended the tariff board.
Referring to the criticism which
Representative Oscar Underwood has
made of the tariff board, that it is a
board of the presidents hirelings and
clerks, Mr.. Taft gave in detail the
personnel of the board and the qualifi-
cations of each member of it to serve.
He said Il was true that it was not,
strictly speaking, a board of experts,
for a board of experts on so broad a
question as the tariff would be almost
impossible to obtain.
AS an example of the work of the
board, he cited the report that it has
made on news print paper and wood
pulp industries. He said that a close
examination of that report would show
any one that this board could procure
all the needed information upon which
to base a scientific revision of the
tariff, as well as the permanent tariff
commission which he had asked con
gress to provide for him,
Mr. Taft began his speechmaking
in St Louis at a breakfast given hin
by the Mercantile club. There he re
ferred to the defeat of reciprocity
and admitted that the Canadian decis
ion had ''hit him between the eyes,
and said that he knew enough now Il
sit still.
President Taft put forth the sugges
ton of wider power of Impeachment
as a substitute for the proposal Of
judiciary recall.
The president declared that tn
laws delays unquestionably was on
of the great causes of unrest in thi
country, and he expressed the belle
that the recall idea had grown out q
the fact that the courts in many il
stances are not performing the fun
tio- that they should.
He declared the delay in administe
ing justice in this country shoul
bring the blush of shame to the cheek
of all good Americans, and that th
courts of this country made a vel
poor showing in comparison with tho'
of England, where the judges keep I
with their dockets and where GRIN
nails find swift punishment awaitir
them.
Wonoan. 112. Dies of [ oneliness.