The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19
TAFT IS MODEST
 IN SEEKING FUNDS He Says No Corporations Need
 Contribute PROPOSES TO OBEY LAW Taft Gives Out Statement That He Will Stick To This Rule and Carry On His Campaign Without
 Sush Funds.
PROPOSES TO OBEY LAW
By WILLIAM ROSTER.

Hot Springs, Va, July 1S.-(Special)- William H. Taft made the positive an nouneement this afternoon that the re- publican national committee will under no circumstances accept contributions from corporations in the impending pres idential campaign.
 Positively no contributions will be ac- cepted from corporations by the national committee" said the candidate. and you may quote me as saying so
 He had been discussing the act of Con- gress which forbids corporations contrib uting to campaign funds So far as this law applies to federal corporations and to federal officials there is no doubt as to it's constltutionality in the present campaign, but there is a decision of the supreme court of the United States which declares presidential electors to be state officials, and there is doubt in the minds of many high legal authorities MT. Taft included. as to whether Congress has any control over contributions made by state corporations to the campaign funds of state officiais-in this instance, president tial electors. The former Secretary of War seemed inclined to the view that in a prosecution based on the latter feature of the law the act could be successfully attacked.
 But this point will not be raised" said Taft We shall obey the law"
 There was decision and determination in his manner when he said it. He seemed to be happy at getting the statement bluntly before the people. It is the first clear-cut statement Mir. Taft has made on this subject. It clears the atmosphere decidedly Taft also discussed today the question of the labor vote, impelled there to by the published interviews with labor leaders in New York, in which the prob ability of MT. Gompers being able to de- liver the vote of the working men to Bryan was questioned.
 It having been suggested that the work ingman is usually a party man-republi can, democrat or independent-and usu- ally votes his party ticket, MT. Taft in- dorsed the sentiment. It can be predict ed, he thought that there is no class in the American electorate today so much under the domination of their leaders that their votes can be delivered to any specified party on election day. Between the regular party voters, he thought, there is an uncertain number of voters whose views may find expression through their leaders, but he believes that this floating vote is small. On the propriety of so-caled labor leader open ly espousing the cause of one party or another, assuming to deliver the vote of the members of his organization, MT. Taft declined to express an opinion. All that he said today, or all that he has been heard to say since the developments at Denver, Mir. Taft carefully differen- tiated between the individual working man who belongs to labor organization and the leaders of those organizations.
 On the subject of prohibition MT Taft has taken a non-committal ground Tho organizations of the liquor dealers have been quoting him as being opposed to prohibition But the candidate denied today that he had ever committed him self one way or the other on the ques- tion In the speech referred to- talking about the folly of legislative enactment of unenforceable laws, and he cited as instances several liquor laws which had been adopted in various communities He denies, however, that he ever entered into the details of prohibition. Taft and Bryan are agreed that prohibition Is not a national issue and therefore should nr be dragged into this campaign.
 MT. Taft has sent for Kellogg, the Roosevelt trust buster and national com mitteeman from Minnesota, to come here on Monday and go over the trust fea- lures of his speech of acceptance with him.
 The speech will be ready for the printer about the middle of the week and will be sent to Washington to be set up.