The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-01-11
FIRST QUESTION
WAS DECLINED
Secretary Taft Volunteered to
Answer Queries Put by New
York Audience.
ADDRESS AT COOPER UNION
APPEARED IN ROLE OF PRESI-
DENTAL CANDIDATE.

New York. Jan. 1O.-For the first time
since he became a recognized candidate
for the Republican presidential nom
ination, Secretary Of War William H.
Taft tonight faced a New York audi
ence, set forth in detail his stand on
the question of the relative interests
and rights of labor and capital, and in
turn submitted 70 a rapid-fire attack
from the audience, which quizZed him
keenly and in a somewhat cOntrover-
sial spirit, according to the practice of
the Peoples Institute. whose guest he
was. The secretary proved equally eff
fective in attack and defense, and his
prompt and forcible replies and occa-
sional witty sailies evoked the same
demonstration of applause as greeted
the salient points of his address proper.
Two thousand persons, it's capacity,
had crowded into Cooper Union when
police reserves were summoned to clear
the walks in front of the building,
where 1000 or more had congregated.
"The Next President"
As the form of the secretary of war
made its way through the throng, a
shout of Three cheers for the next
president" was the signal for a noisy
ovation. that continued until Mr. Taft
bowed his acknowledgment from the
platform.
In his prepared address, the secretary
pointed out the dependence, one upon
the other, of capital and labor He de-
clared that great aggregations of
wealth properly employed widened the
field of labor and were to be welcomed,
while wealth improperly used was TO
be condemned. He advocated unionism
insofar as sympathy and the resultant
cooperation made for the common
good.
At the conclusion of his address, the
audience had its turn. Chairman
Charles Sprague Smith announced that
Secretary Taft would read questions as
they were handed up.
First Question Declined.
The first questioner desired to know
if the secretary would stake his pOIit-
zeal future on the attitude taken by
the administration on the Brownsville.
Incident.
Secretary Taft declined to answer the
question, stating that the matter was
now before the senate committee, and
there had been no discussion in the
senate.
DO you think a laborer gets enough
mcney?" was another question, to
which Secretary Taft laughingly re-
piled:
Il don't know what the labOrer gets.
don't know what labor he performs,
but I do know that some get more
than they ought TO have, and think
some should get more"
There was a loud shout when the Sec
rotary commenced to laugh while read
ing over question which inquired
why he had changed his attitude to
ward labor since he left the Ohio
bench. The secretary declared that his
attitude had not changed. and that the
things he had said tonight he had al
ways stood for.
Would Not Discuss Tariff.
rs not an industrial situation based
on a tariff false one?" The secretary
replied that if the tariff was abolished
now there would be no business at all.
Further. he said. he would not discuss
the tariff issue at this time.
A question concerning the right of
an employer to bring injunction pro-
Ceedings induced the secretary to cite
a case in which ne appeared as counsel.
Moores & Co. had obtained a judgment
of S1,500 against a labor union. he said
and it took ten years to obtain the
=
injunction had been obtained by Moores
& Co. they would not have suffered
any damage. Shortly afterward a hu-
mOrously-inclined auditor sent up the
question, which caused a gen.
eral laugh:
IF it took Moores & Co. ten years
to collect 81, 800, how long would it take
the United States to collect $29. OOO, OO0
from the Standard On?''
The secretary said that the solution
would require an advanced form OF
mathematics with which he was not
familiar.
One Question UnanswerabIe.
There was one query over which the
hesitated. while his face as
sumed a thOughtfully serious express
sion. Then he read:
What is a man to do who is out OF
work in financial crisis and is starv-
iEg?"
There was an audible pause. The
secretary looked to the far corners of
the big room, and the long lines Of
workmen gathered there.
God knows" he replied. 'They have
my deepest sympathy If they cannot
get work. It is an awful case when a
man is willing to work and is put in
this position
L am asked" said the secretary, IF
Continued on Page II.