Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-03-07
LAUNCH TAFT BOOM
Ohio Society Banqueters Say
"Come to Govern U.s."
SECRETARY DEFENDS IMPERIALISM
War Head Responded to Omitted
States In Philippines and Gave a
Brief Review OF. Governments
Responsibility For Colony.

lEAGA INCNHCW Oh. ONeEnInCAtB
Responsibility For Colony.
NEW YORK, March lit is sale
that a yelled effort was made at the
annual banquet of the Ohio society t.
give momentum to the boom of Viii
liam Howard Taft for the presidency
One Of the speakers referred to the
secretary Of war as "the governor Of
the east who has returned to govern
u.s., as he undoubtedly will do"
Few of the 400 present were quick
enough to catch the point Of the re.
mark in time to give it force, but
among those who did see its meaning
was Secretary Taft, who had been in
trOdllced. He was On his feet in 8
second, and before the applause had
started he began with his address
After that, with much skill, he turned
to an Endorsement of the American pol.
icy in the Philippines inaugurated by
William Mckinley and carried to a
legitimate conclusion by his successor,
President Roosevelt" Mr.. Taft's en-
tire remarks were q defense OF the
present administration.
1.-THE. United States In the Philip
pines was the toast to which the sec
rotary of war responded. AS governor
of the Philippines he had qualified to
discuss the subject, and he showed his
familiarity with the matter by going
into details as they never were gone
into before in any speech delivered in
this city.
He had the sympathy of his hear
ers, and often he was compelled to
pause that the applause might subside.
More than once he announced with
much force that the United States had
been forced into the Philippines by
fate and that it could not abandon it's
position there.
Most pertinent of all his remarks
was one regarding the attitude ssum
ed soon after the war with Spain by
President Mckinley. Talking with the
president, Mr.. Taft said that he had
expressed regret that the United States
had ever been compelled to send it's
navy to Manila bay.
"You are not more sorry than am l."
was the response of the late president,
as quoted by the speaker. But l
hope that we have acted for the best.
No one is more conscious of the re-
sponsibility that rests upon us than
am I. And no one can be more re-
grctful that we had to assume it
than l."
In his speech the secretary of war
plunged at once into the subject of the
Philippines. He gave a brief review
of the conditions in the far east previ-
GUS to the last decade. "Now, l think
you all know better than l can state
It," he went on, "the dilemma in which
Dewey's victory and after the signing
Of the protocol. What were we to do?
Were we to turn the islands back to
Spain? Could we turn the islands Owe
to the insurgents?
81 know upon this point there Is a
great difference of opinion. I do not
think there is any difference in the OBJ
legation which we were under with re-
spect to those islands. Were we to
leave the islands and the protection of
that property drift into an information
al complication to some other nation?
at is concluded that we might have
formed a protectorate-that is, we
might have e a government formed;
that we might have stationed our ma
w in the bay; that we might have
said to the foreign nations: We will
see that your property is protected,
but we withdraw all power to protect
it. We will assume the responsibility
for this government without retaining
the right to say that it is properly
conducted That course III govern
ment did not follow, but it proceeded
to administer the government Of the
Philippine Islands for the benefit of
the Philippine people,"