The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1908-07-24
NO DONATIONS
FROM The TRUSTS.
Judge Taft Says Committee
Will rot Accept From Them.
Has. no Fear That GOmperS Can
Deliver Labor Vote to
Any Candidate.

Hot Springs, Va, July 1S.-'The
National Republican Committee will
accept no contributions from corpora
tions,' said Judge William H. Taft
Presidential candidate of the Republic
can party to-day and in an interview
he also referred to labor prohibition
and other questions.
Mr.. Taft said that not only would
the law of New York State, pro-
yiding for the publicity of campaign
contributions be obeyed by the Ma
tional Republican Committee but the
Federal law prohibiting such contri-
buttons by corporations in connection
with the election OF President, Vice
President, representatives. or Senators
would be obeyed without regard to
any question of validity that might
arise in respect to any provisions of
that law.
Answering questions as to the APP
plication of the national law to con-
iributions for the election Of Presiden-
tial electors, Mr.. Taft declared that
the law would be obeyed exactly as il
was passed by Congress.
AS 10 the right of a labor leader to
attempt O influence the votes of men,
bers of the organization of which he
is at the head, Mir. Taft at first ,au-
ghingly said that that was a ques-.
tion of propriety upon whcih he was
not sufficiently informed to discuss.
When asked as to his ideas of the
power of the leader of alabor organi-
cation to throw it's vote to one party
or another he declared that. in his
opinion i, could be predicted that
there is no so-called class of the
American lecto:afe whose votes
could be delivered by its leaders.
He said that after eliminating men,
bers OF both political parties from n
labor organization the expression of
a leader might indicate how the re-
naming uncertain quantity might vote
in the election but he declared that
Just as is the cas- generally indeadng
with any so-called clnssof citizens
before expression could be given of the
nature of their vote it would be nee
essary to eliminate the members of one
or 'he o'her political parties.
The question calling forth this stae-
IN
Gompers, of the American Federation
of Labor but Mr. Taft avoided making
any personal reference to Mir. Com
pers or any other leader or organized
labor.
Asked whether he would have any
new remedy 10 offer for the so-called
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
discussed 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 to-
day to assertion of some journals re-
speeding the liquor interests that he
is opposed 70 prohibition. He re-
piled 'tnat he had never publicly discuss
ed the ethical side OF prohibition.
and he look he view, as he understood
Mr.. Bryan had done that the prohibi-
ton issue was not involved in the ma
tional campaign.
From what had come to his atten-
ton in respect to the representations
of these journals he inferred that they
had based their statements on speeches
he had made in which he criticised the
action of some State Legislatures in
passing prohibition and other laws
without providing the machinery for
enforcing them.
Frank b. Kellogg will return here
Monday to further discuss with MIR.
Taft the features of his speech in re-
lation to the regulation of so-called
trusts