The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-16
TAFT PLEADS : FOR THE LAW President-E Elect Defends
 Constitution. AT CIVIC FEDERATION MEET Seth Low Elected to Head Organ
 ization. Notable Assembly of ssen and Women Hesr Addresses oa Lesnl .na Labor Prosiems--sxf.. Taft
 Henorea.
AT CIVIC FEDERATION MEET

New York. Dec. 1s--The annual sas- sion of the National Civic Federation in, this city was brought to close tonight with . brilliant banquet which grouped together with over a score of individual tables, President-elect and Mrs. will liam H. Taft, Samuel Gompera, prest- dent of the American Federation of La- bor; August Belmont; A. R. Garrettson. chief of the Brotherhood of Railroad Conductors; Melville E. Ingalls,. formes president of the Big Four Railroad: President Seth Low. of the Federation. and Mrs. Low: former Judge and Mrs. Alton B. Parker. and Andrew Carnegie
 At other tables at the banquet hall of the Hotel Astor sat employees and em- ployers of many corporations. John D. Rockefeller, JF.. and Frank B. Kollogx. who has been prosecuting the govern ment's inquiry into the Standard oil Company. were near neighbors. thosah not at the same table. Andrew Carnegie and John Mitchell sat side by side
 The notable throng of men ana wo- men heard an extemporaneous aa- dress by the President-elect. which waa a defense of the Constitution and of the sherman antitrust law.
 09ffIcers Are Chosen.
 Mrs. William H. Taft. wife Of the President elect of the United staaaa, was elected. honorary chairman Of the woman's department of the National Civic Federation ct it's executive ses- sion today. The following were elect ad officers for tii c ensuing yaar
 Chairman. Mrs. Horace Breck, Ls- banon, Pa; First Vice. Chairman, Mrs J. Borden Hartman, New York; Sec ond Vice. Chairman, Mrs. Joseph MadiIl Mccormick, Chicago; Third vieo- Chair man. Mrs William IT Crocker. Huriin- game. Cal; Fifth yicerc chairmans Mrs. B. Frank Mebane, Spray, N O.. Tfeax- urer, Mrs Mary Hatch Willard. New York: Secretary, Mrs. Marcus II 1. Samuel oompers. President Of the American Federation of Labor, presid- ed at the afternoon session. and the speakers included John Mitchell, who discussed the question of reEponsibiIIty for industrial accidents. Among other things, he said:
 T believe that every employer should be made to pay toward the expenses of industrial accidents. Then, and then only. to my mind, will you reduce InS uuinD0r or Acc1uSnte. The following officers were unani- mousiy chosen:
 President. Seth Low; vice-P Presidents. Samuel Gompers, Nahum J. Hachalder. Ellison A. Smyth and Benjamin rfe Wheeler; Treasurer, Isaac N. sslig- man; Statistician, Ralph P. Falkner; Secretary. D. c. Cease.
 The sessions closed tonight with a banquet at which President-elect Taft spoke.
 Taft Defenda Constk4utaon.
 The notable throng of men and wo- men brought together by the federation led Mir. Taft, who was the principal speaker of the evening. to remark that he had been sitting with company with which, 1t hardly would have been we'll for him to associate with prior to the election.
 He then declared amid cheers that all was closed book to him and he would be the President of all the people.
 Mir. Taft was the last of eight speak CTS. Those who preceded him were Mir. Low, who acted as toastmaster. and Belmont. Ingalls, and Garretson. Mr. Taft spoke entirely extemDoraneousiy and briefly.
 Much had been said during the evsn- ing concerning the pkoblem of the "twi- light zone" where State Jurisdiction ends aud Federal authority begins. The Sherman antitrust law also had been attacked by Melville E. IngaIls. who as- sailed 1t as an antiquated measure