The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-04-07
Tells His Hearers to Attend to
Present Day Problems.
NEW ERA is COMING.
One of HumanizatiOn ant
Brotherhood He Declares.
Roosevelt But Voices the Spirit
Of the Age.

Omaha, April 7.-Secretary Taft
rounded out the first day of his trip to |
Nebraska with a speech at the Audi |
torium last night, where he was the |
honored guest at a banquet given by |
the Mckinley club. It was a stren- |
uous sixteen hours, which began at 8
In the morning and ended at midnight. |
The secretary took occasion to place
before the people the issues of the COM |
ing campaign as he views them and in |
cidentally to reply to the recent utter
ances Of w. ]. Bryan when the Demo- |
cratic leader criticised the action of
the Mckinley and Roosevelt admins
trations for their policy in the Philip |
pine islands. The secretary stated that |
Mr.. Bryan was not consistent in his
utterances because he had been the |
means In a large degree of bringing
about the signing of the treaty of
Paris, whereby the Philippines came
under the control of the United States, |
and he is now criticising the action of
the administration because Of its ef-
forts to teach the Fflipinos the art of
self-government.
dealt at length with the question Of
railroad legislation and industrial COM
binatiOnS, which he considers one OF
the principal issues of the campaign.
The secretary entered the banquet
hall arm in arm with Governor Shell
don to the strains Of Hail Columbia"
the banqueters rising and sending up
cheers. During the serving of the
menu an orchestra dlscoursed patriotic
airs which brought a chorus of cheers
from the galleries where five thousand
persons had gathered. Twelve hundred
persons were seated at the banquet
tables.
william Allen Whites Address.
William Allen White spoke of 1.-The
American Business Man." He said:
Generally speaking, taking the
country at large, and allowing for a
few million exceptions, the people of
this nation during the last thirty years
of the nineteenth century devoted
themselves to making more or less
honest dollars. And again, speaking
generally and allowing for few-an
almost negligible few-irregularities by
thieves in and out of Jail, the dollars
that were made were reasonably hon.
est dollars. And, finally, speaking gen.
orally again, and also allowing for the
rascality of perhaps less than ten thou
sand notable plunderers, the dollars
made by those who accumulate them
by wholesale, and in carload lots were
Just as honestly acquired as the dollars
made by doing business in small way,
by the dozen or by the gross, retailing
money in broken packages. The ethics
of the time frankly were the ethics of
the time and as the time is passing,
let US admit frankly that they were
the ethics Of all of US, those Of you who
succeeded in storing away fortunes,
and those Of us who keep our accounts
in the red. Some played the game bet
ter than others, but practically all OF
us played by the same rules, and the
object Of the game was to win the prize,
which was always large, round. shin
ing dollar. According to the rules of
the game when a man had dollar
in his possession, 1t was his dollar, and
the gentleman who reached for that
same dollar and only grabbed the thin
and unsatisfactory atmosphere had no
rights in the matter that the owner of
the dollar was bound to respect.
Therefore, in those halcyon days,
gentlemen who spent valuable time ex-
planning how they might have won,
generally addressed their remarks to
train. For in those days this was a
busy world, and the people had no time
to spend listening to the minority re-
port And so the world wagged on. and
we were all part of 1t, and all reason
ably proud of it, and this is no time
the statute of limitations and revive
the famous suit of the pot against the
kettle.
Had Their Places In the World.
For today, the nineteenth century
methods of business man like Mr..
Carnegie has no more vital interest to
the world than the love aaffirs of Sol
ONION: indeed, the fact that Mr.. Car
negie pursued the dollar, coy, uncer-
tain. and hard to get, in those unre
generate days, using more assiduity
than tact, may be met with the coun-
ter statement that Solomon's multi
farious courtships are probably more or
less open to question under our rigor-
Gus twentieth century standards. Yet
Solomon and Mr.. Carnegie had their
places in this world. And probably
while both had the acquisitive spirit,
each paid his penalty for it, and it is
doubtful whether Solomon had more
trouble reducing his vast accumulation
of wives than Mr.. Carnegie is having
in getting rid of his money. And it is
likely that the folly of Solomon in ac-
nuirine a thousand wives-at least 900
Of whom were almost unnecessary, and
to all intents and purposes useless, and
in a way superfuous-and the equal
folly of Mr.. Carnegie in gathering his
hungry, vicious, interest earning, use
less uillions-it is likely that the vain
follies Of these two we'll meaning and
otherwise admirable men will be equal
1v inexpIicable to an enlightened pos
toritv For in the years that are COM
mo the lust for money and the love
for many women will be set down by
normally constituted persons as twin
foIlies that bring their own Furnishing
cares. 1t is not at all lkely that We
Wi1l ever lose either the Creosus or the
ART in this world. But as the centuries
90 nv thew will appeal to our tolerance
Father than to our admiration.
ut is something like 5000 years since
rolomon was the envy of the world,
with his magnificent stock of staple
and fancy domestic relations. Today
a few fools may secretly envy him. In
600 years the same devil of greed
may be in our blood that courses there
(Continued on Page Eightl