New-York tribune., 1907-08-25
TAFT in OKLAHOMA.
OPPOSES CONSTITUTION.
Easier to Reject than amend 1t, Tie
Tells Republicans.

Oklahoma Citv Okla Aug 2i-Secretary
Taft delivered a speech in Convention Han I'D
a large crowd tonight He began by defnlhs
the issues of the Oklahoma and Indian Terri
tory state election as twofold-hrst. the accept
ance or rejection of the constitution; and. sec
ond the election OF Republican or Dernoera'is
state and legislative ticket and United states
Senator's He explained his attitude as tnat
of a Republican putting himself in the place
of citizen of Oklahoma. and advising the Re
publicans Of Oklahoma in respect to the WIS
dom or otherwise of adopting the constltu-
ton
Mr. Taft discIafmed entirely any authority
to speak for the President on the subject OF the
validity or invalidity of the constitution lOr
the reason that the function which the Presl-
dent would perform in deciding whether to ap-
prove it judicial one, as he would
have to judge whether the proposed constitution
conformed 10 the enabling act and the Consti-
tuition of the United States 1t was not the
function of the President TO reject the constltu-
ton merely because he did not approve It's WIS
dom and did not like its provisions from
political point of view.
Mr. Taft commented at length on the neces-
sity for maintaining the power OF the courts
and condemned the requirement that jury trial
should intervene between an order OF injunction
and nunishment for it's violation He said that
the writ of Injunction was one of the most
beneficial powers that a court could have and
that it was just ) useful in defence OF the poor
as in the defence of the rich. and any weakening
of il as an instrument for Tenedyins wrongs
vrou,d onerate in favor of the rich malefactOr-
He spoke at length on the hypocrisy Oh 'ho
trainers of the Oklahoma constitution IN puA-
nortine 10 make an instrument by which the
will of the people would be sustained pure anu
unde6Iad and then, by the merest poltlc@i
aG a
which there might be a majority OF ten tn0usiiii
for the Republican ticket in the state and yet
there would be a Democratic Legislature ana
Democratic Senators. This itself showed Vha'
a mockery an attempt by initiative ana reler-
endurn to ascertain the true will OF the people
was and how empty their declaration 10 let
the people rule
The Secretary commented on lhe heaNS
ro,sa which the state would be subjected TO IN
tn unnecessary number OF o1nceS anu Siso
upon the severe impairment Of the system OF
education bv limitations upon taxation 1or edu-
ca+IoraI nurpOses which in the Indian Terri
tory II was said by those who knew. could
nrobanIv not afford more than two months
education in a year. The constitution provided
for separate Schools white and negro. and yet
made no provision by taxation for carrying out
any such system
For these reasons the Secretary said that II
he were a citizen OF Oklahoma he would GER
tainlv vote for the rejection Of the eonst1tu-
ton because he believed that il was a great
deal easier 10 reject the constitution than 10
amend it so as 10 eliminate it's defects; and he
would be confident citizer that the next
Congress would come to the aid of the people
of oklahoma by new enabling act calling
new convention.
Secretary Taft then took up again the na-
+ior,I issues the tariff and the disastrous ef-
feet of a revision of it. the policy with respect
TO the dependencies in the Philippines. the
questions OF government ownership or regula-
ton OF railways the treatment by the present
administration of trusts. the foreign policy and
the navy He urged that the new state OS
Oklahoma should be a state that would range
itself under the progressive principles of Theo-
dore Roosevelt. who did things, rather than
with the ranks of a party of ineffcenCy and
uegation like the Democratic one, which had
the support only OF the states OF the solid
South. united by the ghost of past issue and
the unfounded fear of sO-caIled negro dOmina-