The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-29
Principal Speaker at Laying of Cornerstone at Dayton
ALSO HANDLES THE TROWEL
Secretary of War Discusses Great Work of Y. M. c. A. in the Amer Ican Foreign Possessions. Civ
 en Flattering Reception.

OdyIOus O., ApTn zo.-oeCkeldiy ol W dl William H. Taft delivered the principal address here today at the laying of the cornerstone of the new building of the Y. M c. A. He also handled the trowel as the stone was lowered into it's place and smeared the mortar around like a master mason.
 The secretary, in company with his brother, Chas P. Taft, left Cincinnati early today and arrived here at noon. His friends had planned a parade of civic so- cieties before the laying of the corner stone. but by the wish of the secretary this was dispensed with.
 The secretary was given a fattering re- ception by a throng of about 5000 people He spoke in substance as follows
 Expresses Appreciation.
 After expressing appreciation of his good fortune in being able to be present on the occasion of the dedication of this great new building in your beautiful city, to the high purpose of the Young Mems Christian association" Secretary Taft said:
 'The great advantage of the institution is that after long experience it has come to be conducted on the most approved business principles and while it fur 1dishes, on the one hand, an opportunity for the contributions of those who love their fellow men, it furnishes, on the other, an example of assistance to those who need assistance which is not extrav- agant or excessive and which does not discourage self-help by creating a spirit ry1,a nV75f "a benefits which it offers.
 The truth is, the growth of the Young Mems Christian association has been the advance of and an assistance to the growth of the spirit of Christian toler- ance among all denominations. We are all more tolerant today than formerly. never was so fully conscious of this fact than when the question arose in the Philippine Islands in regard to the con- tinued ownership of large body of agri- cultural lands by certain religious orders ot the Roman Catholic church. By cir cumstances not really connected with re- ligious conditions at al but growing out of political conditions, the Catholic people of the island had been aroused to bitter hostility against the ownership of these lands by the religious orders, and with the restoration of peace and the resort to the courts Co which the orders would have been titled), for the collection of rents CT the eviction of 600O0 tenants, the prospect of a new insurrection was immi- nent and a solution which offered itself was that the government should buy these lands from the friars and then sell them on easy terms to the present ten ants In order to bring this about, how ever, it was necessary to secure the con- sent of the head of the Roman Catholic church. and it was thought wise there- fore to send a representative to Rome to confer with Leo XIII upon this ques- tion in order, if possible, to bring out q friendly and amicable solution But 1t was seriously objected that the Protes- tant denomination of the church would resent deeply the establishment, even temporarily, with what seemed to be diplomatic relations with each.
 Count on Good Sense.
 Finally the President, after consulting the representatives of the leading Prot estant denominations, counted upon the good sense and the religious tolerance of the people of the United States, and con cluded to follow the ordinary business principle that when one wishes to accom- plish result to deal with the person with whom an agreement should be reached. After much negotiation, both at Rome and Manila, 1t was finally concluded, and no persons were more considerate of the difficulties presented and sympathetic with the policy adopted to meet them by the President than the Protestant de. nomina tions, whose opposition had been feared
 q venture to think that fifty years ago such a result would not have followed, and that the motives of the government and of the President would have been misunderstood, or misconstrued. It was one striking instance of the brotherhood that now exists between the great Crist- ian denomina tions."
 Secretary Taft said he had not thought 1t specially appropriate for him to de- liver an address on this occasion. z had not been particularly identified as an individual. with Y. M. c. A. work, Out when I remembered he said "the oppor- tunities we have for observation of the usefulness of this associa' n in the army of the United States in Philippines, on the Isthmus of Panan ( md in ,,ther foreign dependencies, felt at T juld be falling to render testimony whit was due this occasion if did not say me- thing upon the subject of the scope it's operations within my official cognizance. had to put myself seven thousand miles from home to know the power for good this association exerts"
 The Great Work.
 The secretary referred to the great work which this association was doing for the elevation and assistance of rail road employees and to the fact that Con- gress had given authority to the secretary of war to grant permission to maintain in all military reserves such buildings as the work for the promotion of intellectual, physical and moral welfare of the garri- sons might require.
 But nowhere said the secretary, Ifs the opportunity for usefulness of the Y. M c. A. greater than among Americans in the Philippines Porto Rico, Cuba, and on the Isthmus of Panama. It is inevita- ble that a great majority of the Ameri- cans who got first to our tropical depend encies, a long distance from the United States. should be wandering and irrespon- sible."
 He pointed out that even staid and up- right men of good habits at home. often yielded, when in the tropics, to the temp tation to drink and otherwise dissipate This was due in a measure. he thought to the fact that there were few places of amusment, the libraries were insult ncient, and home surroundings were lack