Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-10-03
Taft's Address on the Y. NJ. C. 4.

anxious to bring this about, but they
hesitated, reluctant to arouse any
sectional feeling against a course
of the Roman Catholic church as one
with whom we could have diplomatic
relations, something contrary to the
presidents in our government since
it's beginning. Accordingly, they con-
suited the ministers of the leading
Protestant churches, explained the
difficulties arising and the necessity
for the action proposed, and produced
from them assurances that they
would stand by the government in TAX
ing the commonsense course-the
American course of dealing with the
man who had the authority to act, and
| was designated as the agent of the
government.
Justice Done in Philippines.
II went to Rome and effected gen
eral understanding as to what was to
be done, and was prepared when the
apostolic delegate came to the Phil
ippines to close with him, after a
great deal Of negotiations, the con-
tracts of the settlement which do not
think it too much to say brought
about a result which was just both to
the church and to the people of the
islands and to the government of the
United States in the jurisdiction.
venture to think that but for the
spirit of tolerance, both on the part of
the Protestant denominations and the
Roman Catholic church that now pre-
walls in this country, such result
could not have been obtained
Now the Y. M. G. A. with no de-
nominational distinction, has done
much to contribute to the spread of
this spirit Of tolerance and it is to be
commended because it has done So"
Where the association has inn
pressed Mr.. Taft most, however, with
| its usefulness is in the American de-
Tendencies in the tropics. Referring
to his experience on the isthmus of
Panama, Mr.. Taft said:
"There we had to introduce $4,000
people in a strip fifty miles long and
ten miles wide, in series of seven
teen towns. OF these $4,000, perhaps
| 10000 were Americans and 10000
tropical negroes and Spaniards and
Greeks, community in which vice
would be triumphant in month I'M
less something radical was used to
stop it. We organized clubs and put
in charge graduates of Young Mems
| Christian associations. Four of these
are large and are doing most excel
| lent work on the isthmus, and will
now have to be added to by three or
| four more.
| Good Seen in lsthmus.
81 have been in them and through
them and have seen their work and
| cannot speak too highly of the real
good that they are doing. They are
full justification for the expendi-
| lures which the secretary of war and
the commission have authorized in
building the buildings and paying the
young men who are carrying on this
work.
''In addition to that, we pay and
employ as many as ten or dozen
ministers of various denominations
and furnish them churches, because
we find that the inculcation of a
moral religious tone among the peo-
pie and the maintenance of higher
standard of living by the presence OF
churches and such Y. M. G. A clubs
as have been established make men
steadier, make them more effective In
their work for the government, and
as a mere business proposition JUS
titles the expenditure of the money
! devoted to the construction of the
canal for the purpose of furthering
and making more certain that con
| struction."