The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-07-20
Candidate Taft Also Says
Nay
NOT ALARMED BY GOMPERS
Prohibition Not Issue of Campaign
Nothing New as to the Trusts
Taft Talks on the
Situation.

Hot Springs, July 20.-"The national
republican committee will accept no con
tributions from corporations" said
Judge William II. Taft, republican can
didate Saturday and in an interview
he also referred to the labor prohibi.
ton and other questions. Mr.. Taft
said that not only would the law OF
New York state providing for the pub
licity of campaign contributions be
obeyed by the national republican com
mittee, but the federal law prohibit
ing such contributions by corporations
in connection with the election of presi.
dent, vice president, representatives or
senators would be followed, without
regard to any question of Validity that
might rise in respect to any provisions
of that law to contributions for the ell
ection of presidential electors. Mr.. Taft
declared that the law would be obeyed
exactly as it was passed by Congress.
As to the right of labor leader to
attempt to influence the voters of mem
bers of the organization of which be Is
at the head, MIR. Taft at first laughing
ly said that was question Of prop
riety upon which he was not sufficient
ly informed to dicuss. When asked as
TO his idea of the power Of the leaders
of labor organization to throw its
vote to one party or another he de-
clared that in his opinion it could be
predicted that there is no so-called
class of the American electorate whose
votes could be delivered by its leaders.
He said that after eliminating members
of both political parties from labor
organization the expression of leader
might indicate how the remaining un.
certain quantity might vote in the el-
ection, but he declared that just as is
the case generally in dealing with any
so.called class Of citizens, before ex-
preston could be given of the nature
Of their vote it would be necessary to
eliminate all members of one or the
other Of the political parties. The ques-
ton calling forth this statement, refer.
red to Samuel Gompers, president Of
the American federation of labor, but
MIR. Taft avoided making any personal
reference to Mr.. Gompers or any other
leader of organized labor.
Asked whether he would have any
new remedy TO offer for the so-ealled
trust problem in his speech of accept.
ance, he replied that he did not know
of anything new that he could add To
a question that had been so widely dis.
cussed, and stated that he would have
nothing to say ON that matter outside
Of what he had said at various times
in his public utterances.
Mr., Taft's attention was called YES.
terday to assertions Of some journals
representing the liquor interests that
ne is opposed to prohibition. He ex.
planned that he had never publicly dis.
cussed the ethical side OF prohibition
and he took the view, as understood
Mr. Bryan had done, that the prohihi.
tion issue was not involved in the ma
tional campaign. From what had come
to his attention in respect to the re.
presentations of these journals he was
informed That they had based their
statements on speeches he had made in
which he criticised the action of some
state Legislatures in passing prohihi.
ton and other laws without providing
the machinery for enforcing them.
Frank b. Kellogg. who has had eharee
Of the prosecution of corporations for
of the Sherman antitrust