The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-17
President-EIect Speaks Of The Difficulty Of Carrying
 Out Promises
POLICIES OF THE PARTY
 MUST BE CARRIED OUT
Taft Says He Is Protectionist But That He Believes That When Tariff Rate Is Excessive 1t
 Should Be Reduced.

New York, December 16.-Bringing his stay in New York to a close tonight President-elect Taft was the guest of honor at one of the most notable ban quets ever held in this city, the twenty third annual dinner of the Ohio society in New Fork.
 MT. Taft took advantage of the occasion tn speech filled with more earnestness than any he has delivered since his elec- ton, to pledge his administration and his party so far as he can control it. to a loyal adherence to the Chicago plat form. He dwelt almost wholly upon the revision of the tariff, saying:
 Better revision at all, better that the new bill should fail, unless we have an honest and thorough revision on the basis laid down and the principle out lined in the party platform.
 Seated at the Presdent-elect's table with MT. Taft were the Vice President elect, MT. Sherman; Gov. Charles E. Hughes of New York, who paid a glow ing tribute to Mr. Taft during the course of the evening; Henry w. Taft, president of the society and toastmaster; Charles F. Taft of Ohio Horace D. Taft of Watertown, Conn; pr. Arthur T. Hadley, president of Yale university; former Sem ator John C. Spooner, one of those who responded to the toasts; J. Pierpont Nor gan, Paul Morton. Coy. Franklin Fort of NeN Jersey, Secretary Straus Frank Hitchcock, Bishop Leonard of Ohio, Gen. H. c. Corbin, Admiral Caspar Goodrich and others.
 guest of honor was perhaps the most not able group of financiers ever gathered together at dinner in this country.
 Presidential States.
 Postmaster Taft called attention to the fact that during the last 40 years New York and Ohio had furnished all the oc- cupants of the White House. Had Pres idents Garfield and Mckinley filled the terms to which they were elected Ohio would have lad the distinction of having furnished Presidents for 8 of the last % years.
 Verify he concluded, "Ohio has won her title If the mother of Presidents.' And if I may venture the prediction sug- gested by the presence here tonight of the distinguished governor of this state, the game of presidential see-saw between New York and Ohio promises to go on in definitely"
 The President-elect was the last speak CT of the evening.
 I've had very peculiar experience this evening", said Judge Taft but went through t with less suffering than had expected It was the task of listen ing to my brother tell what he thought of me with due regard to delicacy and propriety. From the patronizing manner with which he spoke, you might think that he is older than I am, or at least that he makes such claim, but as a matter of fact he is two years younger than am, and in the past, when my dis cipline was more strict, think I have several times had the best of him.
 Philippine Plea.
 Judge Taft referred to the fact that the first time he had ever had the honor to attend an Ohio society dinner in New York was shortly after his first return from the Philippines, when, then as now, he was making plea that America should do all that lies in it's power to make lne people of those islands grateful and proud of the altruism which the Uni ted States had displayed trustee of an unfortunate people,
 T am going to talk little politics to- night" said MT. Taft, and I want to in- vite your serious attention to some of the peculiarities with which we have to deal in our form of government as com pared with the governments of other na- tions. Ours is essentially government of parties England also has parties, but
 
 party on one man. They do not divide the responsibility as we do here under several different heads. The division of authority in our parties sometimes makes 1t extremely difficult to carry out the promises so freely made In the course of campaign. The President Is the executive of the nation, and while in the White House Is rightly regarded as the head of his party, for In the campaign which follows his term of office he is in sense made responsible for what has happened during the party's admin iBtration. Yet, when we come to the se- lection of a candidate and the adoption Of a platform, declaring the principles of the party, this work Is left to a convention of men gathered from all of the states of the union.
 Duty of Executive.
 "Once the party has adopted its plat form in convention, and has successfully gone before the people on that platform, 1t becomes the sacred duty of the execu- tive, sacred duty of the leaders of the Senate and of the House of Repre- septatives to carry out the policies thus declared. Hence, 1t Is that in respect to the blanks In the Chicago platform the strongest obligations rest upon the many heads of the party as 1t soon will come into power, and they should respond and see to it that the. mandate of the people Is carried out.
 Ut am protectionist said Mir. Taft, amid an outburst of cheering. But" he went on, 'I am not one of those who believe that the policy of protection does not in a large degree make trusts and monopolies easier of existence. But the way to stamp trusts and monopolies out is not by destroying the whole protective system. We should not have excessive tariff rates so to tempt monopoles and give the trusts an opportunity to take advantage of those excessive rates. Thero