Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-02-19

/ For the time we are an Asiatic
power. We cannot remain isolate and il
! Is our business to see that our world
| influence is for the good"
At this point, for the first time in
| his speech, Mr.. Taft mentioned the
! name o: President Roosevelt. At first it
| vas passed without applause, but
| when Mr.. Taft said:
mo man ever has made so much for
righteousness and peace among the
nations as has Theodore Roosevelt" a
storm of applause, the greatest of the
afternoon. broke forth.
Further applause greeted his state
| nent of the belief that the nation was
| behind the President in his foreign
policy.
With reference to the Pacific voyage
Of the American Atlantic fleet, Mr.
Taft said:
With the Orientals it is necessary to
fill the measure of the eye in order to
be convincing"
The personal application appealed i'm
mediately to his hearers and they laugh
ed and applauded and laughed again.
Is 1t is no ones business where that
fleet is going to- was another sentiment
that pleased the audience greatly.
Finally the Republican party is the
party of equal protection and enforce
ment of the laws" he said
"In the great industrial expansion
which we have witnessed recently greed
took such hold upon some men that they
forgot and transgressed the laws of God
and man. Abuses crept into the manage
ment of great corporate enterprises. Then
came a moral awakening which showed
that now, as always, the heart of the
people is all right.
1.-The railroads had made the old In
terstate law a nullity. The new law, the
rate bill, has brought them back to hon.
esty.
'It is not necessary now for the rail-
roads to busy themselves about legisla-
ton If they obey the law the people will
see that they get fair play.
THE Republican party will guide this
moral awakening of the people in the
right way and with a sense of moral re-
sponsibility."
In his reference to the people of the
Philippine islands Sec. Taft said:
Ladies and Gentlemen-I appeal to you
whether the task of helping poor un-
fortunate people that have been brought
up under our trusteeship and guardian
ship. even if it costs us six million dol
lars a year is not a task worthy of a
great nation like ours. The fact that we
have gone into the Philippines makes US
an Asiatic power; the fact that We are
close to China gives us position Of ad-
vantage with reference to the great en-
pire and the trade of the Pacific; the feet
l.& l.; -,
us an influence among the nations of the
world that 1 hope will always be used
for good and the national morality. We
are a nation SO widespread, SO great in
population. so great in wealth, so close
to other nations. by reason Of the rapid
ity of communication today. that we can
not remain isolated and therefore it is
our business to see that our influence is
for good and that that influence shall be
weighty when it is eXerted. You all re-
member our Democratic opponents at
lacking the President, Theodore Roose-
vent when he was running for tine Fres-
idency as a gentleman whom it was I'M
safe to trust with the power of govern
ment that he would, walk about the stage
and the world with chip on his Shout
der and that as soon as the shadow of
the Mckinley administration had lifted
and he was given an Independent latl.'
tude from the people, We would get into
fight at once. What has been the re-
suit. 1t has been said that he wants the
navy-he wants to 60 round and knock
the chips off in order to show the world
what great people We are. What has
been the result of the increase of the
navy and Theodore 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 a navy; we are
wealthy people; we do not want to use
navy to fight; we want to use a
navy to prevent lighting. And a navy
(Continued on Page Tenn