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WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT
Good morning, Mr. President! We hope you will
Excuse us for what may appear familiarity,
If in excess of spirits we should call you Bill
For out west here that's our peculiarity.
For "William" sounds too stilted and the "Mr. President"
Kind o grates upon our feelings as a lack of sentiment.
So we aim to hit an average, hoping you won't take it ill,
If we all rise up and greet you with a heartfelt "Howdy, Bill!"
. A welcome to Nebraska, Bill! The flowers o' May
Are not a bit more welcome than your corporosity;
And we'll forget a lot of things, at least for one whole day,
Including vetoed free list bills and reciprocity.
Good morning, Bill! We'll make your welcome hearty,
For that's our real style the utmost sociability.
At times like this we have neither creed nor party,
But evidence in every way utmost compatibility.
So we balk on saying "William," and with only good intent
We lay aside your title, which is "Mr. President,"
And we give you kindly greeting with a hearty, free good will
When we meet you at our borders with a jolly "Howdy, Bill!"
Welcome to our city, Bill! And may your stay
Result, at least, in some small measure of enlightenment.
You'll like us when you know us well, and we may
Get wise to curves you put across to us with right intent.
Good morning, Bill! You will observe these wild hurrahs
Are but little due to your individuality.
We welcome you as with one voice but that's because
You are the chief head of this great principality.
As democrats, republicans or populists? Not so!
A time like this and politics we really do not know.
We've laid aside all bias and our lungs we haste to fill
So we can greet you kindly with a hearty "Howdy, Bill!"
A welcome to Nebraska! And Lincoln! Here's our hand
To clasp your hand in friendship far from animosity;
Amidst the hearty cheers and brazen blare of bands
It's up to you, friend Bill, to make it reciprocity.
WELCOME TO THE PRESIDENT
Welcome to our beautiful State, Mr.
President! And to our beautiful Capital
City! We are truly glad to have you
among us, even for so short a time.
Would that you could remain with us
longer, for there are many things that
ve would like to whisper intoByour ear;
things that you really ought to know.
And they are things that you are not
going to hear from the reception com
mittees and the grand marshals of the
parades, or from the active and enthusi
astic payroll brigade, or from those who
rise at table to respond to toasts. No,
sir, William! If you hear them it will be
from some of us you probably will never
meet because we are not counted a
mong those present on such occasions
as recptions to the chief executive of
the nation
We are going to do our utmost, Mr.
President, to do honor to you as you
pass along. But don't make the fool
mistake of thinking that all the loud
huzzas and blaring of bands are for
William Howard Taft, or for his ad
minstration. They will be for the presi
dent of the United States. It's the office
not the man, we are honoring. On
more than one occassion in the past
we've, turned out bigger crowds than
those that will greet you in Nebraska,
but they were to honor men, not high
office.
You are coming among friends when
you come to Nebraska. There is not a
Nebraskan worthy of the name who does
not wish you well; who is not hoping
from the bottom of his heart.that your
administration will redown to the glory
and the prosperity of the republic A lot
of us, to be sure, are hoping against
hope, but just the same we're hoping.
We are thinking vastly more of the re
public's good than we are of mere party
success. There may be those in your
entourage who cannot understand how
this can be so, but you well know the
mental limitations of some people.
There are a great many things about
you, Mr. President, that we of the west
admire. We admire your goodnature.
We admire your honesty of purpose and
goodness of intent. We admire you
for what you have done for universal
peace. But, Mr. President, when it
comes to the question of policies we'll
have to admit that some of us are not
so favorably impressed. But that is
neither here nor there just now. For
the short time you are in Nebraska we
are going to forget reciprocity, and ve
toes, and tariff commissions, and refusal
to let the people rule, and tommyrot
about "impeaching judges," and just
show the president of the United States
how much we esteem the high office
and the man who happens for the time
being to be filling it. This is not your
first visit to Nebraska, Mr. President.
You were here a few months ago in the
heat and turmoil of a presidential cam
paign, and of course you couldn't see us
at our best under such circumstances.
No community is at its best when It is
roiled up overjfpolitics. We are going
to pretend that there is no politics in
your present visit. We use the word
"pretend" advisedly. Of course we well
know that your trip is purely for politi
cal purposes, but we are going to be
polite enough as your host for the time
being to exhibit dense ignorance of the
fact. We expect you to tell us what a
great state we hav, and what a glori
ous future lies ahead of it. We expect
you to say some nice things about the
Capital City and her many institutions
of learning. So, too, we expect you to
rid yourself of the usual "bird seed"
about our splendid manhood and beau
tiful womanhood, and all that sort of
thing. And in return we'll throw our
hats into the air and cheer till our
throats are sore as you pass along. Of