Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-06-16
MIAMI HONORS TAFT.
Secretary of Wars Address
 at Oxford University.
HE RECEIVED DECREE OF IL. D.
Spoke on Racial Question, Prattaeg Booker Washington-RefeF te War In Far East, Our Colonies
 and Chinese Exclusion Act.

lH
 Booker washington-Referredit ts
 War Tn Far East, Our Colonies
 and Chinese Exclusion Act.
 OXFORD, O., June 1.-The honor ary degree of IL. D. was conferred on Secretary of War Taft and Professor Y. B.sDyer by Miami university here. Secretary Taft in accepting the honor remarked that when he married one of the daughters of the president of the board of trustees of Miami university he was in some doubt as to his relation to the institution of learning, but now by the action of the trustees it was made clear that he was son-in-law of the university.
 The feature of the commencement was the address of Secretary Taft. de livered in the commencement tent erected on the campus among the for est trees.
 In opening his speech Secretary Taft touched on the racial question in the south and in this connection said:
 "An encouraging feature of the pre- ent increase of wealth is that a large proportion of th.s increase has been in the south, part of our country which heretofore has been largely agricul- tural and poor. The change In the ma terial conditions in the south in spite of the political difficulties that certainly are there, is creating better state of things with reference to the racial question. The work of Booker Wash ington in teaching his people how to use tools instead of giving them su- perfcial university education which they cannot use, added to the indus trial demand for skilled labor, will, I am certain. put the negro population in a better condition materially, and when that is brought about their spiritual and intellectual uplifting is much cas- fer"
 Reference was made by Secretary Taft to "the enormous material expan- sion of this country" and to its stand ing among the nations beyond that which could be accorded by them to one which had no insular possessions and confined itself within the seas. He continued:
 "The powerful influence which 1t has exerted to bring about peace between the Russian and Japanese nations Is It. self an evidence. The personality of the president has had much to do with the willingness of the powers to allow i'm to intervene. Confidence in his impartiality and integrity has doubt less aided our national prestige in sc curing this end devoutly to be wished"
 Touching the application of the Chi. nese exclusion law, the secretary said:
 "One of the great commercial prizes of the world is the trade with the 400 100000 Chinese. Ought we to throw away the advantage which we have by reason of Chinese natural friendship for us and continue to enforce an un- justly severe law,a and thus create in the Chinese mind a disposition to boycott American trade and to drive our mer. chants from Chinese shores simply be- cause we are afraid that we may some time lose the approval of certain unrea- sonable and extreme popular leaders of California and other coast states!
 The secretary then paid some atten- ton to Porto Rico and the Philippines -"the burdens which we have resumed due to the Spanish war" T do not" he said. flor a moment contend that now or for years they will prove any thing but burden to the United States"