The Mena weekly star., 1908-02-20
WHAT NOULDLNCO[NDOl
Secretary Taft Answers the Question at Birthday Celebration at
 Grand Rapids, Mich.
MANY NOTABLE SPEAKERS WERE PRESENT
Probable Attitude of Martyred Presi. dent on Present Day Questions Out. lined by Mir. Taft-French Ambasss. dor and Gov. Guild ef Massachusetts Were Among the Other Speakers.

Were Among the Other Speakers.
 Grand Rapids, Mich. Feb. 14.--The Lincoln club banquet here Wednesday night was a brilliant success, with q ] galaxy of speakers never equalled in Michigan political banquets. More than 1000 persons occupied seats at | the tables. The hall was elaborateiv decorated, and as compliment to Ambassador Jusserand of France, French colors were mingled with the American.
 | The speakers were Ambassador Jus serand. Congressman George Edmund Foss, Secretary of War Taft. Governor | Curtis Guild, Jr, of Massachusetts, and Director John Barrett. of the bi- reau of American republics at Wash l ington.
 Although all of the speakers were greeted with enthusiasm, it was Sec retary Taft who received the greatest outburst of applause.
 It continued for several minutes be- fore he could begin his address. In. terrupted frequently by applause, he spoke In part as follows:
 What would Lincoln do today?
 T did not select this toast, and should not have chosen 1t of my own free will. It Is difficult to fit Into a new niche of history really great man whose greatness Is indissolubly associated with a particular crisis in which he lived. One cannot take him from the environment in which the grandness of his character stands out. There are few lines which seem to have been shaped so providentially to meet country's great needs as that of Lincoln with reference to slavery and the Civil war Coming from q 1 childhood of the greatest penury and democracy and love of equal lights that never left him and gave deep color to his whole life His soul re- volted at human slavery. He had a | tenderness of heart and a sympathy with his fellow man that manifested itself in the smaller details of his life, and he had power of putting him self in anothers place which gave him profound sehse of justice. He under stood the play of human nature as few men have. He knew the motives and | the things which influenced the plain l people as no other American in ouf American race of politicians has uRa derstood them. He had a sense of humor and a power of quaint expres- sion and capacity for creating apt stories which enabled him to give force by homely illustration to the arsui ments which his great power of logic enabled him to drive home"
 Reviewing the principal events of recent years and particularly the pos session of the Philippines. he gave his opinion as to the position he believed the martyred president would have as: sumed on each. and concluded as | follows.
 Finally, can there be any doubt where Abraham Lincoln would have stood in the issues which peculiarly | distinguished the administration oi | Theodore Roosevelt? refer to the | struggle which he and his administra tion have made for the elimination l ttOtfi OQi UucfHCGc diu EOlllltdl of the corrupting influences of the un, lawful business combinations and the demoralizing effect of disobedience to law by our great railroad and trans portation companies. The one thing that distinguished Lincoln In all his life was the contention in favor of the equal administration and protection oi the laws. From the soles of his feet through all that long frafne to the tor of his head, he was a democrat in the true sense of the word and opposed to privilege and class immunity. He 1 was not an enemy of wealth lawfully accumulated. He welcomed and en. couraged internal Improvements and of l course cherished prosperity developed by business enterprises and the com. binations of capital. but he always ex ! alted in the consideration of every Issue the rights of the individual and especially of the humber members oi society who were least able to protect | themselves. Therefore, we may know with certainty that can not brook con, tradiction. that in the struggle to make all business lawful. to take away from great corporations the Illegal privi. leges and immunities that official in. vestigations have shown in many in, stances to prevail, Lincoln would have made the same good fight which has endeared Roosevelt to the same plain people of the country who upheld the hands of the martyred president through all the great trials of his ad. ministration."