The Mena weekly star., 1908-02-13
IA MEMORABLE BANQUET
Eleven Hundred Men Attend Annual Feast of Missouri Young Re-
 publicans at Kansas City.
SECRETARY TAFT WAS GUEST OF HONOR
In Addition to Those at Table Thou sands of Spectators Filled the Great Balconies of Convention Hall to Hear the Speeches-Mr. Taft's ForcefuI Address.

Sdnu6 or spectators rtlteo tne 6Fedt Balconies of Convention Hall to Hear the Speeches-Mr. Taft's ForcefuI Address.
 Kansas City, Feb. 12.-There have been great banquets In the history of the American nation, and there have been great crowds of men and women assembled, but never in his tory, perhaps, has there been ban Quet where HOO men were seated
 at the board with 17,500 seated spec tators. These figures can represent only to the mind in vague way the
 reception and banquet that was ten. dered William H. Taft at Convention hall Monday night.
 It was the seventh annual banquet of the Association of Young Republic ans of Missouri, and the greatest and most successful effort on their part toward the entertainment of a distin- guished national guest. It was sue cessful beyond the most sanguine ex. pectations of the men who undertook " SdAAy Ouh Q PhOEi hhliiC thnt was colossal in its proportions The mag nitude of the problem. which seemed appalling at the outset. developed into we'll balanced mechanism that was never falling in the course of the evenings events. and at no time was
 there the slightest evidence of mis-
 carriage in prearanged plans. The
 task of supplying the banquet board where HOO men were seated was
 carefully carried out.
 In addition to Secretary Taft, who was the principal speaker, addresses
 were made by Attorney General Had.
 ley. Judge Selden P. Spencer of St
 Louis, and others. Many of those
 present came from Kansas, Oklahoma
 and Nebraska.
 Eulogizing Lincoln, Secretary Taft
 said he was party man "as all men
 must be who expect to leave their in
 dividual impress upon the political
 character of the Nation.
 "The course of the republican party
 since it's organization in 1858. and it's
 real assumption of control in 1861.
 down to the present day, is remark
 able for the foresight and ability of it's leaders, for the discipline and solidar
 ity of it's members, for its efficiency
 and deep sense of responsibility for
 the preservation and successful main
 tenance of the government, and for the greatest resourcefulness in meet ing the various trying and difficult is-
 sues which history of now full half
 century has presented for solution" Secretary Taft enumerated tho
 various policies of the party, and said
 that only twice "in all that remark
 able history of 4S years have we lost
 the confidence of the people of the United States to the point of their
 turning over the government to dem ocratic executive.
 Secretary Taft referred to abuses
 that had been pyacticed by corpor- ations and declared that conviction
 seized the people that there were many
 engaged in the management of cor porate wealth who regarded the sta
 tutes as dead letters, and themselves
 as privileged class. We were pass
 ing into a regime of an irresponsible plutocracy." said he. During the last four years there has been great
 moral awakening to this danger among
 the people and a popular demand that the law-breakers-no matter how
 wealthy or how high or powerful their position-shall be made to suffer. Un- der the leadership of Theodore Roose- welt, the republican party has not fal- tered in its determination to meet the requirements of this situation. and to enact such legislation as may be nee essary to bring to close this period of illegitimate corporate immunity" Secretary Taft spoke of the recent panic and of President Roosevelt's message contains an answer to the charges made that the administration is responsible for the industrial de- pression which has followed" said the secretary, "and the sharpness and emphasis with which this unfounded attack is met, shave heartened the great body of the people as by bugle cali lO ftHeWtu Suppuft oh thc poiSiSS of the administration.
 @The republican party follows the administration upon this social and moral reform-approves its attitude in favor of vested rights, of maintain ing the power of the courts, of rem dering more equality by legislation the
 basis of dealing between employer and employee, of strengthening the
 regulative power over railroads and
 other interstate corporations, and of prosecuting those law breakers who continue to defy public opinion. Roose- yelt leads his party as Lincoln led
 his-as Mckinley led his--to meet the
 new issues presented, to arm our pres
 ant civilization, and fit it with bold
 front to resist the attacks of socialism, md to transmit to the coming gener-
 ations unharmed the great institution
 of civil liberty inherited from our
 fathers"