The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-22
TAFT REPLIES
 TO MIR. BRYAN People Rule Though Repub Party. AN. ANSWER TO CHALLENGA Presidential Candidate Addresses
 Repubs of Virginia.
Asr. Taft Reviews Results of rast Three PresIdentiaI EIeetious ana Tsu. Why Republicans
 Were vistorious.

Hot Springs, Va, Aug. 2i.--'The peo- pie have ruled through the Republican party"
 This Is William H. Tafts answer to Air. Bryans challenge: 'shausthe peo- pie rule9s
 The answer was made in an address by the Republican presidential candidate today before gathering Of several thousand Virginia Republicans who came to the mountains to see and hear him and to celebrate Virginia Day. To make hts point perfectly clear, Mr. Taft referred to the first election of
 MT. Mckinley "as one of the most in- teiiigent and effective expressions of popular will ever manifested to the world. and the maintenance of the gold standard and protective tariff by his administration was correct in-
 depreciation of the peoples will.
 "This was shown to be so." he com tinued. "by even a greater majority
 or the party in 1900. and a still greater
 majority In 1904, when Roosevelt was elected, and we may well submit to the ] country whether his administration has not expressed the will of the people"
 Preceding Mir. Taft in a short ad-
 dress. Congressman c. E. Slemp had
 this to say in answer to the samu question:
 "csn 1t be possible that he tBryanl, had reference to the political situation in Virginia? Does he not know that under existing laws. sixty per cent Of the white and ninety per cent Of the negro population of voting age have been disfranchised7 Does he not know that they have no voice In the Kov- ernment of either this State or the nation? And can he call this a rnie of the people? No wonder Mr. Bryan
 will make no political speeches in the South. Conditions here don't suuare
 with his battle ery.'
 Mir, Taft was introduced by colonei
 Allen. His reception was cordial and his speech heartily applauded. Record o9 Democrats.
 Mfr. Taft reviewed the record Of thk
 Democratic party from the time Of fi,s
 last Democratic Administration in 1895
 During this administration" hS sa stl.
 .it repealed the Mckinley tariff Bsll
 passed in 1890, and enacted the Cor
 man- Wilson tarin bill os isa5. tVnh for revenue and under the operation
 of the Wilson tariff bills sub
 sequently passed. a period of industrial expression set in, which continued
 through the next Presidential cam
 'Ths remedy for this depression as l proposed by the Democratic party un-
 der its leadership was change from | ahe gold standard of currency and value, which was the measure of all pecuniary obligations to a silver stand ard, a change which would have sealed 1 the debts of all by quite fifty per cent and would have produced q fInan- 1 eial crash in which the business dfs~
 aster would only have been exceeded
 by the injury to our national financial
 As soon as the Republican party | came into power in 1897, he sald, ft repealed the Gorman-W Wilson tarin bill
 and enacted the present DigIey taria
 bill and with the assurance of an i honest money standard confidence was restored and a period of business ex- pansion and prosperity followed to an
 extent never before known in the his- Wages were never higher" he de- | clared. and the- average standard of l living of wage earners. farmers and
 the enjoyment of fife was advanced | beyond precedent.
 Attending this great prosperity
 abuses developed growing out of ths | dishonesty of some prominent men en- | trusted with the management of xhs | business of the others, and of greed | of financial power on the part of oth- CTS, stimulated by the enormous suc- cess incident to the combination of capital in large corporations" These abuses, he said took the form of violation of the anti-trtlat law
 and the granting of rebates and dis | crimination by railways to large ship | pers. When the extent of these perfis were brought home to the people, he
 said. President Roosevelt evoked the
 attention of Congress and the public
 to them. and proceeded to enforce the laws then on the statute books. | Lauda the President.
 Roosevelt. reaiizins the fum danger | to which our society was exposed un-
 less the offending corporations. rail-
 way and industrial, were made to obey
 and fear the law, took vigorous action
 in the recommendation of new legtsla-
 tion and in the enforcement of the old. 1 that anything effective was done to | check the growing evils.
 The Republican Congress which had
 been elected with Roosevelt in 1S04.
 Mir. Taft said. made record for rem
 edial Legislation along the lnss reeom-
 mended by the President, which as he l said himself. has never been eauailed
 Mir. Taft referred to the railway
 rate bill, the bill creating the bureau
 of corporations, the pure food law and the meat inspection, most of which, he l declared. encountered the open bitter
 ness of ali the corporations and failed | In spite of continued opposition they were finally enacted into law. what has been the result of this
 legislation and executive setiong, s1., ne diseriminations have been actually abolished No monopoly of business | in any lines Is now maintained by P secret reduction of freight rates which | is denied competitors
 | He declared that the people have | ruled through the Republican party | I.have no hesitation ip saying that not | has any other national administratien< i done 90 much for the cause of labog | by inc enactment of remedial iegislaF | lion as the Roosevelt and the Repuhlll | can Congress elected and sitting during l his terms of office."
 ii is true. he said. that additional | legislation ts needed to perfect the | iaid down by Mir. Roosevelt and de- | eiared in the remedial statutes already | passed.
 'erhe present Congress-" he added. 1 mas re-enacted the employers liability l act; has strengthened the safety ap- | piiances act; has passed the govern ment employees compensation act: has l alrnrfea lnVaallcailnna into nina aIa.