New-York tribune., 1905-06-16
Mr.. TAFT TALKS AT MIAMI
COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
FaUors Relaxing Chinese Exclusion
Urges Federal DiUorce Lac.

Oxford Ohio June 1b-The feature of the eighty
first commencement of Miami University here to-
day the address OF Secretary Taft. 1t was de-
| lvered IN the commencement tent on the campus
The unusually large audience made frequent IN
terruptions with applause
Reference made by Secretary Taft TO the
enormous material expansion of this country and
to its standing among the nations beyond that
which could be accorded by them to one which
had insular possessions and confined itself
within the He continued:
| The powerful influence which it has exerted to
bring about Reafs 5acs dae auSf Tb anq
of the President has had much to do with the
vene Confidence In his inpartiality and integrity
has doubtless aided our naaonal at pTesuge IN Sc
| Touching the application of the Chinese Exclu-
! sion law. the Secretary asked
preventing perhaps one hundred Chinese coolies
we should Subject an equal number of Chinese
merchants and students Of high character to an ex
animation of such inqusitorial, hunilia ting, IN
sulting and physically uncomfortable ch.~acter as
to discourage altogether the coming OF merchants
One of the great commercial prizes OF the world
lug b, nc ~ ~ chinsse nstursI friendship for
us and continue to enforce an unJustiy severe law.
and thus create in the Chinese mind disposition
chants from Chinese shores simply because we are
afraid that may some time lose the approval OF
certain unreasonable and extreme popular leaders
OF California and other coast States? Does the
question itself? is II not the OuN OF
regard the unreasonable demands Of portion or
3as eet 1 the Fy Vest and Insist on extending JUS
tice and courtesy to people from & wnSm we are
benefit in the way of international trade?
The Secretary then paid some attention to Porto
Rico and the Philippines-"the burdens which we
nave assumed due to the Spanish war" He said:
do not for a moment contend that now or for
years they win prove anything but burden to the
United States we do enjoy the benefits of the in
onzation; must we decline to assume the burden
thereof? Hence when an = alien People @ &c come f q te
experiment. of educating them to govern them en-
Tecreants if we declined to accept the responsi-
bty and thus thEew the people cop P back into ,,
mately in self-destrucion or despotism
Secretary Taft then directed attention TO a few
purely domestic questions, with respect to which
he declared the American people ought to act
These included the maladninistration Of the GRIM
ina law the increase in divorce and the inadequate
salaries paid TO government officials Secretary
Taft said the maladmnistration of the criminal
law is disgrace to community. He added:
The ratio of the number of those convicted OF
psa e tier rg deree to nf the HGber Of
cides in the country oveT Is SO snls1 as 70
IS true in respect to almost all other crimes. al
though there are some which awaken the lnds9a- ma "a
propter 1Ua pnI punsRment The delays in the law and
5 shs sIres fo 05 e S0 1fl condton Which prevails
SO many parts of this country in which crue! yncn-
inrs Involve whole communities in crtnhnality.
Regarding divorce Secretary Taft said:
Last wear there were 612 divorces out of every
900 marriages. If this continues to grow. what
viii become OF that which is to-day the foqnda-
ton of our civilization and our State-the home
and the family? Ought there not TO be some radi>
cal measures by which to prevent the loosenesS
with which the marriage bond is tied and the ease
with which it may be dissolved? Now If 1t were
given to Congress to pass Uniform laws Of
riage and divorce, we could be certain first that
the ma atorty in the Congress of the Union would
see to it that conservative restrictions upon the law
of divorce would be enacted and that for no light
eason should there be separation of those joined
together in matrlmony under the law; and, sec
ondy, could be certain that, administered as
the divorce law would be. by judges Of the federal
courts subject, they all would be. to the gen
eral supervision of the Supreme Court of the
United States, there would be uniform admins
tratiOn of the law in the courts.
The honorary degree of LII D. was conferred
on Secretary Taft and Professor F. B. Dyer. super
intendent of the public schools OF Cincinnati.