The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-30
Taft Declares United States
 Owes Much to Him
DEVELOPED 4 WORLD POWER
Secretary of War Addresses Club In Cleveland at Mckinley Birthday Banquet and Praises the Mar
 tyred Presidents Deeds.

Cleveland, O., January 29.-McKinley, the martyred President, was the keynote of several addresses delivered at the Tip pecanoe clubs annual Mckinley day ban- quet here tonight, at which Secretary of War William H. Taft was the guest of honor. The secretary spoke on "The Republic" All of the speakers confined their remarks to the life and deeds of Me- Kinley, who was eulogized as an illus trious son of Ohio, and discussion of the problems engendered by the Spanish American war and the acquisition of the Philippine islands and the islands of the Caribbean sea.
 Secretary Taft arrived here at noon. He was met by a reception committee, head ed by ex-Governor Myron T. Herrick, and taken to the Union club, where an ip- formal luncheon was served. Late in the afternoon the secretary was taken to the Tippecanoe club rooms, where public re- until 4:30 o'clock, when MT Taft was hurried away to address the local chap ter of the Red Cross society.
 Ohio politics was not overlooked by MT. Taft. For over an hour he conferred with his state manager, Arthur I. Vorys; Wal ter c. Brown, chairman of the republican state committee, and local leaders. The real fight was left in the hands of yorys and Brown.
 MT. Taft will leave here tomorrow morning, going direct to Washington
 There were some expectations that the banquet would develop a political air, ow- ing to the presence of Mir. Taft in his aown state. MT. Taft, however, at no time during his stay here, made any public ref erence to political matters.
 At the banquet F. w. Prestiss, former president of the Tippecanoe club, acted as toastmaster. The speakers of the even ing were the Rev. pr. Paul F. Sulpen of the Second Presbyterian church, Con gressman Duncan E. Mckinley of Cali forna, Secretary Taft and John W.. Grggs former governor of New Jersey, and attorney general ofgthe United States under President Mckinley.
 Secretary Taft spoke as follows:
 Taffs Address.
 "Gentlemen of the Tippecanoe club:
 q thank you for your cordial greeting, and for the honor of addressing you on this the anniversary of William McKin- ley's birthday. 1 express to you my grateful acknowledgment.
 q shall venture to speak to you to- night on that what l think will ever be remembered as the great and distinguish ing characteristics of McKinley's admin istration-the expansion of the United States into a world power.
 Those of us who look back to Me- Kinley's administration find it difficult to separate from his administration the great battle for honor and the integrity of the nations plighted faith with which his administration was ushered in.
 "The conditions surrounding that con- troyersy make it one of the most remark able victories for popular government that has ever been achieved. With an un- doubted majority of the electorate, em- bracing many of both parties, lured to a support of free coinage of silver, by the sophstica1 arguments of pseudo scien- lists and by the severe stress of the most grievous industrial depression, change was effected and majority of voters were ultimately made, by hard educa- tional campaign, to see the right and forever to stamp out the heresy that a debt may be honestly paid by rendering to the creditors a little more than half that value which he loaned to his deb tor. But while this was a most impor- tant result in the history of the country it was rather an electoral victory than one of the administration of Mckinley. That which really distinguishes the ad- ministration of Mckinley is the war with Spain and the expansion which fol- lowed it
 Island Territory.
 Taking up the question of cur island possessions, Secretary Taft said:
 Since the foundation of our govern ment the people of the United States- that is the states as distinguished from the territories-ha been engaged in gov erning other people. But it is said that we have been governing them with a view ultimately to making them a part of our government. The question Is whether we have power to govern other people for any time. We have done it for 100 years. We did it in the case of Louisiana. We have done it in the case of every territory that was subsequently, admitted to the United States, and we are doing it today in the case of New Mex leo and Arizona. What inherent difference is there between the government of l territory and the government of a colony by the Congress of the United States and the executive appointed in accordance with it's direction?
 "Of course, I know the nice distnc- t1onS that are made Tn supreme court decisions between an organized ter ritory under tn constitution and ter ritory under the constitution and ter the government of which Is not brought within the operation of certain limita- tions of the constitution. but I am speaking now as man to man, as lay man to layman-what. in principle Is the difference between the assertion by Congress of the right to pass a law which shall be obeyed by men in New Mexico who have no voice in the selec- tion of representatives or the senators who vote that law, and the passing by Congress of such 2 law for the gov ernment of the Philippine Islands or Porto Rico. or Cuba when these islands are within our control? If the lat ter is 8 violation of the declaration nf independence. we have been violating the declaration of independence for
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