The Colorado statesman., 1908-12-19
TAFT STANDS BY
HIS PLATFORM
OF THE OHIO SOCIETY OF
NEW YORK.
MUST REVISE TARIFF
ONE HUNDRED TABLES SUR
ROUNCED BY LEADING FiNAN-
cIERS AND STATESMEN.

New York, Dec. 16.-President-elect
Taft was the guest of honor Wednes-
day night at the twenty-third annual
dinner of the Ohio society of New
York Around the hundred tables of
the Waldorf-Astoria were men gath
cred from every section of the country
and leaders in many walks of life.
Mr.. Taft took advantage of the oc-
casion. in speech filled with more
earnestness than any he has delivered
since his election, to pledge his ad-
ministration and his party, so far as
he can control it, to loyal adherence
to the Chicago platform.
He uwelt almost wholly upon the
revision of the tariff, which he singled
out as the most important declaration
made at the last national convention,
and after having previously referred
to the veto power of the chief execu-
tive, said with all the emphasis of
which he was capable:
Better no revision at all, better
that the new bill should fail, unless
we have an honest and thorough re-
vision on the basis laid down and the
principles outlined in the party plat
form"
Mr.. Taft also referred to the Sher-
man antitrust law and declared for
its enforcement as one of the Roose-
welt policies that the party had
pledged itself to carry forward.
Seated at the Presidents table"
with MIR. Taft were the vice president
elect, Mr.. Sherman, Governor Hughes,
Henry w. Taft, president of the soci-
ETY.; Charles P. Taft of Cincinnati;
Horace d. Taft of Watertown, Connec-
ticut DR.. Arthur T. Hadley, president
of Yale; former Senator John C.
Spooner, one of those who responded
to the toasts; ]. Pierpont Morgan,
Paul Morton, Gov. Franklin Fort Of
New Jersey, Secretary Straus, Frank
H. Hitchcock, Bishop Leonard of Ohio,
Gen. r. C. Corbin, Admiral Casper
Goodrich and others.
At one of the ia les was perhaps
the most notable group of financiers
ever gathered at dinner in this coun-
try. There were e. H. Hartman,
George F. Baker, president of the
First National Bank; George w. Per-
kins OF ]. P. Morgan & Co.; E. H.
Gay OF the United States Steel Cor
poration; John Claflin, Frank A. Van
derlp, vice president of the National
City Bank; Darwin p. Kingsley, pres
ident o. the New York Life Insurance
Company; ]. P. Morgan, Jr.; ]. P.
Stotesbery, of Drexel & Co., Of Phila-
delphia, and Charles Steele of J. P.
Morgan & Co.
At another table were four Rookie
fellers-John D., John D., Jr., William
Rockefeller and p. a. Rockefeller.
active head of the Standard Oil Com
panv, and John G. Milburn, the spe-
cial counsel of the company.
Frank B. Kellogg, who has been
prosecuting the Standard, and William
Nelson Cromwell, brought to the
front in the recent Panama canal dis
cussion, were near neighbors to the
Rocl:efellers.
The Interstate commerce" in the
exchange of prominent men between
New York and Ohio, and the conspir-
acy by which only New York or Ohio
men are entitled to the presidency,
were constantly referred to by the
speakers and were the cause of much
mcrriment. Governor Hughes was
hailed by POSTMASTER Henry Taft
and by Senator Spooner as the sue
cessor of Mr.. Taft" when it should
again come New Yorls's turn to name
the occupant of the White house.
The Presidentelect was the last to
speak. He said:
Il am protectionist, but l am not
one of those who believe that the pol
icy of protection does not in a large
degree make trusts and monopolie;
easier of existence. But the way to
stamp trusts and monopolies out is
not by destroying the whole protective
system. We should not have excess
sive tariff rates, so as to tempt monop-
oiies and give the trusts an opportun-
ity to take advantage OF those eXces-
sive rates.
"If We do not tulfull the promise
| made in the Chicago platform. and
make only a surface revision, we will
be made accountable by the intelligent
American people and will suffer the
consequences with which failure to
keep promises is visited by the Ameri.
can people"