Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-12-14
BENEVOLENT ASSIMILATION,
HE SAYS, HELPED
DISCUSSES PAST AT DEDICATION
OF Mckinley ORGAN
Declares Late Presidents Policy Will
Be His Own-Describes His
Promotion to Supreme
Bench


memorial organ in Metropolitan temple
| told an audience which repeatedly IN
terrupted him with applause the story
of his official association with the late
president, and declared with references
to the Philippine islands that the pohcy
laid down by Mr.. Mckinley in 1900 had
heen the policy of the present as it VIII
be the policy of his own administration
in the White House. -.
Andrew Carnegie and John j. McCook
also spoke. A..
1T was in February, 1900" said MI
| Taft. in relating the personal narrative
of his resignation from the bench anu
entry into public life, which IN elsnI
wears has brought him to the presl-
dency. that L received from Mr. NC
KinIev a telegram which read like thls'
| IF Won have no other engagement, you
will do me a great favor by Gaining Oh
me in washington some time next
week. .,,is+
ing on the supreme court bench at tne
time, but 1 went to washington JUS
the same. Arriving at the White House,
| I was ushered into the cabinet room
ana there I met the president.
Judge he said, I'd like to nave
YOU go to the Philippines.
IT said, Mr.. President, what 40 you
mean by going to the PhillPpl a9Sist
government there and 1 would like
".But. MIR. President I said, I am
sorry we have got the Philippines.
don't want them and think you ousht
to have some man who is Hore ~
sympathy with the SITUATION
Neither One Wants Them
".you don't want them any less than
do replied the president. But we
have got them and in deallhs wiz
them l think 1 can trust the man WY
didn't want them better IMAM Coll '--0
man who did. 5,, nv,
lyon can readily understand con-
tinued Mr.. Taft, 1.-The feelings OF man
whose only object in going to WASH
ing+on was in hope of finding vacant
cushion on the supreme court pehcIa'
to be asked to go 10000 miles Iro It
home. But after L had taIkeo WIZ
Mr.. Mckinley and with SecIet@t rso0'
I decided l would go and IN a hurry;
mir. McKinley's idea-and it IS the
idea we are still carrying out IN the
Philfppines-was one Of beneVolellI as-
similiation. .,.4 ,,,,o,,
"Vhere Providence has thrust upon
us the responsibility of a people our
d1ltv In aiding them, is like that Oh men
Fa1lored nv fortune whose duty 1t is to
helm the helpless and unfortunate IN
the community. 1 speak of the Phlllp-
mines with the confidence that comes OF
having watched the progress Oh the
islands. In good faith we are carrying
out an altruistic policy. we must con-
tinue this policy and mold the lslanuS
for the benefit of the people who i've
| there.
eff we use the Philippine islands for
nurposes of exploitation or or mere
benefit to us at the expense OF THESE
people, we depart from the falth ana
desert the base upon which Mckinney
would have had us carry our beneVo-
Lent work there to a splendid success"
Mr.. Taft paid striking persona
tribute to the character of Mr. Nc
Mr., Taft told of the active part Mr..
Mckinley took in the direction OF the
war during the Spanish war and paid
tribute to him for his hesitancy IN
rushing into a conflict for which the
country was nl-prepared.
Our Sublime conceIt
"Some of US seem to have such
sublime faith in our own abllltles anu
in Providence that we think we can
whip any country in the world without
gums. Some day we may find out dill
ferently.
DO YOU remember how martial we
were when President Cleveland sent
his Venezuelan message? Wen, we
had at that time just one gun uoWH
here at Sandy Hook and that was the
only gun we had along the entire coast
line. all the way from Maine TO FLORIDA
and from Lower California 10 WASH
| ington. with which to fight the navy
of England.
"But the Lord looked after us, as
they say he does after children ana
| drunken men. Mckinley knew how
unprepared we were and he stood IN
| the breach and prevented an onrush
! into hostilities until such time as we
were at least able to cope with ma
| ton as unprepared as we were our
| selves"
Mr.. Taft gave out some further de-
tails of his proposed trip to Panama,
| saving he would take along several
consulting engineers. This has been
his custom on the four other trips he
has made to the isthmuS and is for
the purpose of securing information
! other than that given TO the layman.
The many stories that have recently
been printed about the canal, including
| one that the work would only result IN
| failure, Mr.. Taft said, had not caused
him to plan the trip, but had con-
! tirmed his inclination to make the Voy-
| age. He said he might continue his
annual trips to Panama after entering
| the White House.
Mr. Taft deplored the accident on the
isthmus and hoped the injured men
would not suffer serious consequences.
! With reference to his interview with
| Congressman Burton in Washington
Yesterday Mr. Taft said he had re-
| iterated his position of keeping hands
| entirely off the senatorial fight in Ohio.
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