New-York tribune., 1908-02-23
DEFENCE OF PRESIDENT
Congressman Longzoorth Says He
Did Not Cause Panic

iNOr1a, H., req. EZ--Ihe Specldi party Cl Spsdh-
for the Creme Coeur Club banquet at the Coli
o-nght. In honor of Washington's Birthday.
arrived this afternoon from Chicago. The party
consisted of Admiral Coghlan. L. S. N: Repre-
sentative Nicholas Longworth and Senator Robert
Taylor. Of Tennessee. DR.. Woolsey Striker, presi-
derf of Hamilton College another of the speak
arrived last evening AT the dinner this even
ing Mr.. Longworth the principal speaker
The subject of the toast of Mr.. Longworth was
1905 He began his speech with compliment 10
Speaker Cannon, saying that there was no man i'll
the country who knows more of the workings OF
the government in its every phase and in its every
department than does Uncle joe" THE American
people," Mr.. Longworth said, 'owe a debt TO
Speaker Cannon that it would be impossible to pay
in full by the gift of any office, even the Pres-
dency and whether he shall attain that great
est OF all offices not mis- place is secure in MS
tory of the great American statesmen
Here. the soil of his own state, among the
people that rightly honor him, it would i'll become
me to advocate the claims of any ether in this
country for the office of President of the United
States; and if be, 1 am. pledged to the cause
of another, is because / do not believe that
yorr favorite. Joseph G. Cannon, fully measures up
the Stature of President. 1t is because the
to whom my allegiance is pledged. the man
whom L regard as supremely qualified for the high
est place in the gift of The people is son OF Oh1o
resident of my Congress district and my life
long friend If circumstances should be such that
Mr. Cannon should be the choice of the Republi-
their candidate for President there will he
who will put his shoulder to the wheel more
ardently end enthusiastically than l.
The dawn of 1908, Mr.. Longworth said was not
propitious at least from the standpoint of general
business prosperity not propitious as that
of 1907 He continued:
do not believe that the vast majority of Amer
and revere Observation-Disclosures, ever could
be brought to believe, that our present financial
aHe TO oeGH @ 9nd Thch b
human events: If we stop to think for a moment EN-
only not peculiar to the United States but is world
wide.
PRESIDENT NOTHING TO DO WITH PANIC.
to do with the New York panic, or whatever
you please call it, than he had with the late
some of his utterances. some of the Investigations
Of the ne socac9 ID pb high nanc not have
FASTENED by little the time at which some of the
rottenness and dishonesty aere bound to tepple;
but do say that had ne sat suPney IgcG aad to
raising his hand against it the crash would I not
have been followed by al hurricane compared to
which the present condition is is as & zephyr: a,o,s
which have contributed 70 the conditions which at
worldwide existence, where the credit of the na-
tions have been stretched to the breaking point;
which the President helped to bring to light, but
for the existence of which he was no more re
condition which disclosed to the amazed and angry
corporations which existed by their sufrance, and
supposedly for their benefit, were managed upon
system of brigandage which, to use the expression
of a constituent of mine would make Jesse james
look like piker."
NO GENERAL ATTACK ON CORPORATIONS.
Some of the calumniators of the President have
said that ne has attacked all American corpora
ti0ns and all American business men. When ana
to point out in any speech that he has ever made
in any message that he has ever sent to Congress,
any possibility. construed as an attack upon any
however great provided only that the wealth
acquired honestly and that the corporation was
They say that he is not sane and conservative
uphoiding brgandage, then I hope that he is
sane If conservatism consists in allowing dishon-
esty to run rampant in the management of certain
great corporations. then glad that, according
to that definition, he is not conservative.
conservatism and foresight alone resoiute cour-
Of some Of the mosP ON upon in the the eoGnGry
and it would have been easier for man less truly
light, or having done so. to have yielded to the
storm which turning on the light aroused II was
possible the building of the Panama Canal; il
in bloody war between two of the great nations
of the world and to insure permanent and lasting
peace between them
THE MEN WHO SUFFERED.
Who the stricken? They the very men
light Their cry is indeed hiiing the land But the
cry Of the strIGkea lick is an expensive proposition to
the law Of the land are expensive 10 pay. Their
bills are heavy. No wonder there IS weeping and
wai!ing and gnashng of teeth.
These men who purport TO represent the business I
interests Of the country tell YOU in breath
that confidence is necessary for business progress,
and in the very next breath they tell you that
fdence impossible under present conditions; that
under the laws Congress has recently passed. under
policies of the present administration. there
be no confidence in the business community
I say you that it is just such statements
these, published throughout the land. that tend, :
If anything would tend, to shake confidence: 10 pre- /
vent It, If it be prevented, fp)m restoration.
These men are the real enemies of every honest {
business man. They are the real enemies of Amer :
lean institutions
This country is all right. The great body OF our ,
is all right. and you more stop .
our progress than you Change the AL !
ready business confidence is returning Every day !
business is improving. Only the other day d $50 /
000 900 bond issue of the city Of New York sub
;crbed for almost ten times over. Times i'm
proving daily. The cr0akerS and the pessiuistS
Will soon find their occupation gone
The dinner was attended by more than fifty rail-
cnad nresidents .a,araL