The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-02-19
PLEA FOR MODERATION.
keynote of Taft's Speech on Railroad
Regulation at Concord.

War Taft had few spare moments from
the time of his arrival in New Hamp-
shire until late hour last night. He
delivered two addresses, one at Con-
cord, the other at Manchester, and at
tended several receptions. a luncheon
and a dinner given in his honor. Mr.
Taft was met at Boston early in the
morning by a committee of the Taft
club of Concord, headed by former
Governor Frank w. Rollins and Win
ston Churchill. The secretary was
driven to the state house, where he was
received by Governor Floyd.
A reception at the Eagle hotel follow
ed. This lasted an hour, and the secre-
tary was entertained at luncheon by
the Taft association of New Hampshire,
at which 100 members were present. AT
2 o'clock he addressed mass meeting
in Phoenix hail.
Three cheers for our next president.
were given In responses to a call from
the gallery.
Following the mass meeting the sec
rotary went to Manchester, where he
was the guest of honor at a reception
given by the Derryfield club, and short
ly afterward was entertained at a din
ner Following this function the secre-
tary and his party were driven to the
Calumet club, where a reception was
held.
The secretary then went to the state
armory, where he was received with
honor by the national guard and Span
ish war veterans. The secretary made
a brief address to the soldiers and then
left the armory for Mechanics hall,
where a public meeting was held. Here
Mr. Taft delivered his second extended
address Of the day. At the close OF the
meeting he became the guest of Cover
nor Floyd who took him to his resi-
dence for the night.
In his address the secretary said:
You all remember our Democrat OPP
ponents attacking the president, Theo-
dore Roosevelt, when he was running
for the presidency as gentleman whom
it was unsafe to trust with the power
of government. That he would walk
about the stage and the world with a
chip on his shoulder and that as soon as
the shadow of McKinley's administra-
ton had lifted and he was given an in
dependent latitude from the people We
would get into fight at once. What
has been the result? 1t has been said
he wants the navy to go round and
knock the chips off in order to show the
world what a great people we are. what
has been the result of increase of the
navy and Roosevelt at the head of it?
Never before in the history of the world
| has a president or a king made so
much for righteousness and peace
among the nations as Theodore Roose-
| welt. Now we need navy. We are a
wealthy people; we do not want to use
| a navy to fight; we want to use a navy
commensurate with our wealth, with
our population and with the extent of
our jurisdiction and therefore when
Roosevelt is in favor of increasing the
| navy l may venture to say you will find
people back of him in carrying out that
| policy.
| eff we have got a navy at all, we
| ought to know that we have one, and
there is nothing that tests the efficacy
| of a navy so much as a long trip, SUCH
as that which sixteen of our battle
| ships are now taking. 1t is nobody s
business where these battleships are
| going, provided they keep to the ocean
| and don't invade anybody's land. They
are only on a practice trip; they are
going to the Pacific side of this coun-
try, where we have a coast line nearly
as long as that Of the Atlantic side,
and 1t Is a proper measure of training
/ for our navy"
Discussing the prosecution of cor
porations by the government, Secre-
| tary Taft said:
| ''It did not come easy to enforce the
! law against the wealthy, because the
violations of the law that they are
| guilty of are not done in the light.
| Men who are poor and humble VIII
| violate the law it is easy by the pro-
| cess of the court to seize and commit
| to prison, but the weather. men who
| have influence and who occupy posi-
tons of high responsibility, 1t takes
bring to the bar.
"I am not here to denounce railroad
| men but am here to say this, that
the railroads, many of them, have got
to discrimination in rates, that the old
interstate commerce law had become
in fact a dead letter and the result OF
| the movement which led to the new
to- - Ar,o Low - ~
| was that the railroads of the country
| were brought again within the lines
of the law.
"I am not denouncing railroad men
for what has occurred in the past
They have often been visited by black
mail and strikes, to use a technical
expression, and they have gone into
the state legislature to prevent that
| blackmail and then found that getting
there they have had to do something
on their part that they are ashamed
to tell Of They are more, sinned
against in many respects than shining
| They built up system in this
country which we may all be proud OF
but they have had lesson in the last
two years that I have no doubt has
gone home to the hearts of all OF
them.
ut is the business of the Republican
party to avail itself of this mora
awakening of the people SO as to give
reasonable, moderate measures to pre-.
vent further violations of law without
destroying or injuring those sacred
guarantees of life, liberty and property
that have been handed down to us by
our fathers.
| I'm remedial legislation to keep the
use of private property within lega
bounds. we must have moderation
and we must have a party in power
with a sense of responsibility to SEE
that these pillars of our government
shall not fall through an excess anc
! | extremity of denunciation which doe.
not look at things with a proper sense
OF appreciation"