William Taft actually said...

"Whenever any convict is or has been committed under several convictions, with separate sentences, they shall be construed as one continuous sentence, in the granting or forfeiting of diminution of sen..."

"Every person guilty of murder in the first degree shall suffer death, or if there be extenuating circumstances, confinement in the penitentiary for life; and every person guilty of murder in the secon..."

"Under authority vested in me by law, it is ordered:That every convict who is now or who may hereafter be confined in the Canal Zone penitentiary under sentence for a definite time, and who shall have ..."

"I transmit for the information of the Congress a report by the Secretary of State, with accompanying correspondence, touching the condition of affairs in the Kongo."