Bisbee daily review., 1908-12-23
TAFT TO TAKE OHIO SOCIETY
 FROM STANDARD
Control of influential Ohio So- ciety In New York To Be Wrested From the ArchboId Crowd.

t'H" 1Oflhs Dec. Zz.-lI 16S d6- yeloped here that the speech of Presl- dent-elect Taft before the Ohio So- ciety at the Hotel Astor in this city Wednesday night was the princlpaI part of well-formed plan to destroy the influence which has heretofore been exercised in that organization bS the Standard Oil company. The Ohio Society is probably the most infiu- ential body of it's kind in New York, and Is pronounced power in business and political affairs
 It was the boast of John D. Arch bold and other magnates of Standard oil last year that this corporation has gained cast-iron control of the so- ciety. At the dinner last year fifty or sixty seats were taken by Standard Oil and there was a cooked-up plan to have MT. Taft be present and then subject him to seorching criticism by Senator Foraker of Ohio, who, since that time, has received much undesir- able advertisement by his connection with the Standard. Thaft at that time refused to attend the dinner.
 This year, however, Henry w Taft, brother of the president-elect, is presl dent of the society, and severaI months ago he and other leaders of the organization decided that if the society was to have a wholesome and useful existence the domination of Standard Oil must be done away with. In accordance with this plan it was determined to have a meeting tnIs year which should be an unmistaka- ble demonstration that the Ohio So ciety could not be used by any inter est, however powerful that interest might be.
 The principal speakers will be the president-elect, Governor Hughes ol New York, and John c. Spooner for mer senator from Wisconsin, who is a lawyer in this city at this time. The speeches will be of a tenor to snow the progressive character of the element which now controls the organization. MT. Taft had intended to make a few well pointed remarks about tariff re- vision, but owing to the thorough un- derstanding which he reached with Speaker Cannon and other members of the house of representatives on this subject, he does not now expect to treat this topic as the principal sub iect of his address. He will. however, make speech in which the dominant note will be the necessity for progress sive work in legislation.
 This overthrow of the influence of the Standard is the direct sequel of last years performance by the cor poration's representatives. Archbold and other prominent men of the com pany are Ohioans, and they saw op- portunity for them to do some great missionary work by bending the or ganization to their will. Not only did they fill fifty or sixty seats with their followers, but they knew in advance the kind of speech Foraker would make. They then set about trying to induce MT. Taft to be present at the dinner. No avenue of persuasion was neglected. Not only did they use every means of inducement possible in New York, but they went to Ohio and enlisted certain members of the state organization to ask Taft to be present. One of these Ohio men prac- tically threatened Taft with political disaster if he did not go to the ban quet.
 Taft, however, saw what was in the air and stuck to his original refusal. Foraker, when the time came, made a speech bitterly assailing Taft, basing the assault on a speech Taft had made prior to that in New England, in which Taft gave some reasons for the then existing business depression. ForakeT made the erroneous promise that Taft had put all the blame for the panic on the Boer War, which had happened six or seven years previously, and then ing criticism. The wisdom of the president-elect in refusing the invita- tion was fully demonstrated by that speech.
 It is more than probable that simi, lar tactics would have been pursued this year had it not been that Henry w. Taft and his following in the SO ciety took hold of things months ago and made up their minds to throw of the hold Of the Standard Oil. With the successful carrying out of the plan this week the abolition of the Standards power in the society is made complete.
 The benefits of this to Mir. Taft, es- pecially in Ohio, cannot be overesti- mated. He is strong in his native state because of the prominent man ner in which he has always figured as an opponent of gang rule and other objectionable political methods ir Ohio. He first made himself dear to the voters there by his scorching de nunciation of George R. Cox, the boss of Cincinnati and Hamilton county. His next bid for the gratitude of the people came in the manner in wnica he renounced all friendship or asso- csation with Senator Foraker as a re- suit of the exposures of Foraker's re- lations with Standard Oil.
 The role he will play at the dinner of the Ohio society will round out rrrhaf 5aas haan a rnnsf nlaasinc rnrar.