The Topeka state journal., 1911-09-26
Wound Up the Day at the Con-
seryatiOn Congress.
FUTURE Is HOPEFUL.
Believes America Will Be Abe
to Feed Her Millions.
Effort Is Made to Start RoOse-
velt Demonstration.

Kansas City, Sept. 26.-President Taft
arrived in Kansas City last night tc
address the National Conservation con-
gress. He had spent a hurry up day
in southeastern Kansas. making ad-
dresses at IL of the prosperous little
towns that dot that section of the
state. The president was tired but
happy over the warmth of the recep-
ton that the progressive Kansans had
given him.
Everywhere the presidential train
was scheduled to stop and at other sta
tiOns where there was but pause,
great crowds waved a greeting to the
chief executive and willingly braved
the direct rays of a torrid sun to lis
ten TO him.
The crowds during the day were the
largest the president has faced dur
ing any of his travels. The population
of some of the cities had been SWelled
to twice the normal figures. Excursion
trains were run from many directions,
while the prosperous farmers of the
section drove into town in automobiles
and vario s sorts of rigs.
The day was one of intense heat and
the president often spoke with the un-
clouded sun focused directly upon him
and with the perspiration streaming
down his cheeks.
He was on the go from 80 a. m. until
the arrival here at $780, When this
train was not in motion the president
was talking and when he was not talk
ing the train was being hurried pell-
nell to the next scheduled stop.
Marriage and Divorce.
Aside from his tariff speeches, the
president spoke briefly on marriage and
divorce, on the prosperity of the peo-
pie of Kansas and on the trusts. Sena-
tor Curtis, Representative Campbell
and former Representative Charles f.
Scott were with him throughout the
day. At Humboldt Mr.. Scott introduc
ed the president When he had finish
ed. up from the crowd popped a large
placard which read:
If you want all Kansas to smile,
appoint Charles F. Scott as secretary
Of agriculture
Mr.. Scott, who formerly was chair
man Of the agricultural committee of
the house, turned red and the president
laughed heartily
Mr.. Taft told the Kansans their
prosperity was such that they had more
money per capita than any other state
in the Union except Massachusetts.
IF you don't look out he added,
I'VE will begin to regard you as wick
ed millionaires out here"
In coming to discussion of the ne
cessity of uniform laws governing mar
riage and divorce, the president first
spoke of the equal necessity of uni
form laws on the subject of child Ia
Dor and worLmen's compensation As
to marriage and divorce, he said:
that man who is married on one side
of a sta, line may not be married on
the other The increase of divorces in
this country is a reflection upon the
laws and their loose administrations
We ought not to permit the marriage
tie to be dissolved at will. You say
we ought not to keep unhappy people
together. Who brought them together2
We did not. If they got together un-
der a contract, why shouldn't they be
bound to the contract, unless one of
the other does something which, in the
eyes of all men, ought to permit or re-
quire at least a separation if not
divorce.
The trouble is not that in an indi-
vidual case decentralization follows be-
cause they are separated but the trou-
BILE is that when a man or woman
feels that it is only a question of OPP
ton with her whether she will live
with her husband. or he with his wife,
then with that option before them, they
conduct themselves in such a way very
frequently as necessarily to lead to
breach.
1T is the ability to, and the prospect
CT getting a divorce that demoralizes.
We ought to have general uniform
law on that subject that stiffens up and
makes sacred the marriage tie. agree
that it is not possible in this stage.
and under present conditions to make
marriage absolutely indissoluble. but
it is possible to make divorce difficult,
fusion and only when one party or the
other shall have done something that
sH men regard as necessarily affecting
the obligation of the marriage tie
His ConserN alton Address.
In his address here Mr.. Taft re-
viewed the history of farming and
farm production in this country for
the last Sc years and declared that
while he does not agree with those
men who say in so years the United
States will be unable to feed it's own
people, there is need for intelligent
understanding among farmers of the
trend of events. The president said If
the population of the nation increases
proportionately in the next so years,
the United States will have doubled
the number of its people. 1T is neces-
sary then he said. that not only our
acreage but our product per acre
raust Increase proportionately 50 that
our people may be fed. We must real
ize that the best land and the easiest
land to cultivate has been taken up
and cultivated and that the additions
to improved lands and to total acre
age in the future must be of land
much more expensive to prepare for
tillage. The increase per acre of the