October 16, 1909
The President train will arrive shortly after 8 o’clock this morning, and will be stopped at the St. Regis hotel, corner of Main and Oregon streets, where the party will detrain and proceed to a breakfast to be served at the St. Regis hotel.
Program at St. Regis – Members of the committee will meet the president’s train at Hotel St. Regis upon its arrival. The school children will be massed in San Jacinto plaza. The 19th infantry band, stationed at Fort Bliss, will occupy the band stand. It is requested that all members of committees will retire to their respective places of duty immediately after the president enters the hotel and not crowd the corridors of the hotel and assist in every way to keep others from doing so.
No person will be admitted to the breakfast to the president except invited guests and citizens holding admission cards.
At 11 o’clock the president will proceed in his carriage to receive the school children in San Jacinto plaza. The children will sing the American national anthem as the presidential party leaves Hotel St. Regis by way of Main Street to Mesa Avenue; to St. Louis Street; to the chamber of commerce building. At 10:35 a.m., a committee composed of the mayor of El Paso; at the same time the mayor of Juarez city and two councilmen will meet President Taft at Hotel St. Regis and extend to him the hospitality of Juarez.
Secretary of War to Meet Diaz – Shortly before 11 a.m. the secretary of war, accompanied by Brigadier General Meyer, with his staff, two squadrons of cavalry with the band and the three batteries of field artillery, shall proceed to the point where the president of Mexico, attended by his personal suite; an escort of twenty men, and a detachment of cavalry, will enter the territory of the United States. The secretary of war will drive in the carriage with the governor of Texas. The secretary of war will act as the personal representative of the president of the United States to receive President Diaz on the boundary as he descends from his carriage to enter the carriage which will convey him to President Taft. The governor of Texas, and his military staff, and the mayor of El Paso will likewise accompany the secretary of war to the boundary.
Governor to Extend Welcome –Upon the arrival of President Diaz at the place indicated, the secretary of war and the governor of Texas will proceed to President Diaz’s carriage and the secretary of war will shake hand with President Diaz and in the president’s name will extend an appropriate welcome. Thereupon the governor of Texas will extend a welcome in the name of the state of Texas, and the mayor will welcome the president in the name of the city of El Paso. The band will then play the Mexican national anthem. The secretary of war and the governor of Texas will escort President Diaz to the carriage awaiting his reception on the American side. As President Diaz steps into the carriage, the appropriate salute of twenty-one guns will be fired by the American batteries. The secretary of war will ride with President Diaz, sitting at his left; the personal aide to President Diaz will sit on the opposite side of the carriage.
The Mexican troops, which have escorted the president of Mexico as far as the boundary, will wait on the Mexican side the return of the presidential party.
The Diaz Escort – The escort will then proceed to conduct the president of Mexico to the president of the United States, in the following order:
Brigadier general and staff,
One squadron of cavalry,
President Diaz’s carriage
Carriage and personal escort of President Diaz
The governor of Texas and staff
One squadron of cavalry and the field artillery.
Lines of Travel – Proceeding north on Santa Fe street to Fifth street, east on Fifth street to South Seventh to San Antonio street, east to Campbell street, north to Myrtle avenue, west to Stanton street, north to Texas street, west to Mesa avenue, north to St. Louis street, and past San Jacinto plaza, where the school children will sing the Mexican national anthem and wave the flags of both nations as the president of Mexico passes San Jacinto plaza on his way to meet the president of the United States at the chamber of commerce building.
The infantry shall be drawn up in proper position near the chamber of commerce building, where the two presidents will meet, and will salute upon the arrival of the president of Mexico.
The aide of the president of the United States will meet the carriage containing the president of Mexico upon its arrival at the chamber of commerce building and will assist in conducting President Diaz to the president of the United States.
The secretary of war and the postmaster general will stand immediately behind the president of the United States.
Taft’s Welcome – President Taft will then welcome President Diaz informally in a few words and the president of Mexico will reply briefly. The whole character of the meeting and its keynote is to be the conspicuous yet informal celebration of the cordial relations existing between the two countries. The persons composing the respective suites will then be introduced. Light refreshments will be served.
Admission to the chamber of commerce building will be by card.
After having received the welcome of the president of the Unites States, the president of Mexico will withdraw, about 11:30 a.m. in the same manner in which he arrived, returning to Juarez by way of South El Paso Street, and receiving the same salutes as he received when he first crossed the border.
Taft to Juarez – At 12 o’clock noon the president of the United States will go over to Juarez City, where he will be received in a building to be named by the president of Mexico. On the occasion of this call the president of the United States will be escorted to the border by the same troops that escorted the president of Mexico to El Paso, and in the same order, attended by an escort of 20 men and a detachment of cavalry, over the same route taken by President Diaz upon his return to Mexico.
The governor of Texas and the president’s aide will ride in the president’s carriage as far as the border. The secretary of war and the postmaster general will follow in carriages immediately behind that of the president, and other carriages in appropriate order will contain the other invited guests.
Program Repeated – Upon the arrival at the border, the president will be welcomed by a personal representative of the president of Mexico. The president will descend from his carriage, and, accompanied by his aide and the personal representative of the president of Mexico will proceed, surrounded by the Mexican escort, to the building set aside for the reception. The governor of Texas will ride from the border to Juarez City in one of the carriages of the invited guests and will leave his military staff on the American side.
Having also descended from their carriages, the invited guests will enter the Mexican carriages allotted to them and will follow the carriage of the president of the United States.
The ceremonies and procedure of the meeting of the two presidents will be the same as during the previous meeting at El Paso.
Soldiers Not to Cross Line – The American military escort of the president of the United States will remain on the American side of the boundary and will escort the president, upon his return, leading the military and civic parade as follows:
Course of Parade – From Santa Fe street bridge on South Santa Fe street, east on Fifth to South El Paso street, north on South El Paso street to San Antonio street, east on San Antonio street to Campbell street, north on Campbell street to Myrtle avenue, west on myrtle avenue to Stanton street, north on Stanton street to Mesa avenue, north on Mesa avenue to St. Louis street, west on St. Louis street to Oregon street, north on Oregon street to Franklin street, west on Franklin street to El Paso street, passing by the reviewing stand at the entrance to Cleveland square. After reviewing the parade, President Taft will be escorted to the speakers stand and introduced by Mayor Joseph U. Sweeney. Address by the president. Presidential party will take carriages on Santa Fe street, going south on Santa Fe street to San Francisco street, east on San Francisco street to the Sheldon hotel.
No one admitted to speakers stand except by card.
Military escort to meet President Taft at Sheldon hotel at 5:30 p.m. and escort him to Juarez City via south El Paso street over the Santa Fe bridge, and he will be received in the same manner upon his return to the United States.
The presidential party will leave El Paso at 8 p.m.
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