The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-04-28
With New Candidate Repub.
lican Policy Of Expansion
Would Not be Attacked
REGARD PARTY ASDEAD
WITH BRYAN AT HEAD.
Secretary Declares This Govern.
ment Responsible to World for
People Who Became Its
Wards Under Treaty Of
Paris-Labor's Right
to Organize.
to Organize.

- BRIDGEPORT, CONN, April az
l. Secretary William II. Taft paid
TX another visit to Connecticut to-
night. He was the guest at q
large banquet given by the
Bridgeport Republican Club, held in
the State Armory.
Secretary Taft spoke on national at
fairs. He took up those questions
which. he thought. would be the issues
in the coming campaign. anticipating,
he said. that the Democratic candidate
would be Mr.. Bryan.
Mr.. Taft said that the country is
approaching great contest. 1t may
be little early, but he could foresee
the issues and he would take for
granted that Mr.. Bryan would lead the
go called Democracy. He said he
called 1t "so-called" Democracy for
the reason that many men like to
speak Of it in the past tense, as II tho
party was a dead one" with Mr..
Bryan as the Democratic nominee.
Mr.. Taft said the choice of the issue
would be as to whether the Republi-
can party is right in carrying out the
policy Of President Mckinley, which
was that of expansion forced upon the
country by. fate through the Cuban
War. III there was a new candidate
he said, I'VE would not hear or TINS
issue and the policy of the Republi-
can party in this respect would not be
attacked
Duty to Our Possessions.
Mr.. Taft spoke OF the part Mr.. Bryan
I.took when confirmation OF the treaty
of Paris was before the Senate. He
said that If Mr.. Bryan's. contention is
that we should not have taken the
Philippines he should have Joined with
Senators Halls and Hoar and those
Democratic Senators who opposed the
I terms OF the treaty and could 11a'ua
prevented its confirmation. Mr.. Taft
said that the United States is Srespopsi-
Bile to the world for the safety Of the
people and the property which came to
it by the treaty, and Mr. Bryan was
instrumental In thrusting those re-
sponsibilities upon us. And we are
doing our duty said Mr.. Taft. "in
laboring to teach the people who have
straints of self government and the
benefits of self-government, and we are
moreover la boring to make them self
governing people"
Secretary Taft argued for large
navy as the best way to assure the
we'll being of our outlying possessions,
and eulogized President RoOsevelt's S
administration.
Right to Form Unions.
Mr.. Taft said that he recognized the
right of la boring men to form unions.
He believed that such unions should
be encourag ged, for they are accom-
plishing great good. They have
brought employers liability acts and
statutes against child labor. "Combi-
nations of labor bring as much power
as combinations of capital" lie said.
but we middlemen, who do not come
into combinations. want to see those
combinations kept within the law. and
If either goes across the line then the
law must step In; for, next to God. our
great respect must be for the law"
In conclusion Mr.. Taft spoke on the
negro question, and said that the fu-
tture offers much encouragement for
that race.