Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-02-13
HONOR TO MEMORY
OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Taft and )usserand at Grand Rapids
Knox at PittSburg ---Foster and
Gaines at Portland, Ne.
SEC. TAFT'S SPEECH.

Grand Rapids. Mich, Feb. 12.-The
Lincoln Club banquet here tonight
was a brilliant success with a galaxy
Of speakers never equalled in Michi-
gan political banquets. 1t was held in
the Klngman Furniture Exposition
building and more than 1000 persons
occupied seats at the table. The hall
was elabOratcly decorated and as a
compliment to Ambassador Jusserand
of France, French colors were min
gled with American. President Roy NJ
Atkins of the Young Mems Republi-
can Club and President Charles Hold
en- of the Lincoln Club opened the BAN
quet with greetings. United States
Senator William Alden Smith was
postmaster and introduced the guests
of the evening.
The speakers were Ambassador JUS
serand Congressman George Edmund
FosS, Secretary of War William H.
Taft, Gov. Curtis Guild, Jr., of Massa-
chusetts and Director John Barrett of
the Bureau of American Republics at
Washington. Although all of the speak
ers were greeted with enthusiasm, it
was Sec. Taft who received the great
80 outpoi % VI applause. II CoItIllutu
for several minutes before he could be-
gin his address. Interrupted frequent
ly by applause, he spoke as follows:
What would Lincoln do today?"
Il did not select this toast and
should not have chosen it of my own
free will. 1t is difficult to fit into a
new niche of history a really great man
whose greatness is indissolubly asso-
clated with particular crisis in which
he lived. One cannot take him from
the environment in which the grand
ness OF his character stands out There
are few lives which seem to have been
shapen SO providentially to meet a
country's great need as that of Iincoln
with reference to slavery and the Civil
War. Coming from a childhood of the
greatest perjury and discomfort and
squalor, mingling with the humblest
and the poorest in a Western settle
ment, Lincoln acquired sense Of
equality and democracy and a love of
equal rights that never left him and
gave deep color to his whole life His
soul revolted at human slavery He
had a tenderness of heart and q SYM
patty with his fellow man that mani
tested itself in the smallest details of
his life and he had a power of putting
himself in another'S place which gave
him a profound sense of Justice He
understood the play of human nature
as few men have. He knew the mo-
tives and the things which influence
the plain people as no other American
in our American race of politicians
has understood them. He had n sense
n nd Of i,t nv
preston and capacity for creating
apt stories which enabled him TO give
force by homely Illustration to the
arguments which his great power of
logic ablcd him to drive home.
HE was Il party han as every man
must be who wishes to leave his in
dividual impress upon the Individual
character of the nation. do not mean
for a moment to deprcciate indepen-
dence Of party or mugWumpisn. be-
cause | believe that the independent
vote on the whole exercises more di-
rect effect in the election than the par
ty vote. 1t must be that while all indie
pendent voters as q mass exercise
mere control over the decisions in an
election as individuals they do not do
so. The man who would retain his
individual influence and affect good
measures in our country where parties
are a necessity in the carrying on Of
the government. must be a party one
And no one recognizes this more fully
than did Lincoln For this reason we
may say. in the first place. that If
Lincoln were living today he would
be a Republican.
His mind was not directed, even
during the war, to economic subjects.
He safely delegated the finances of
the country to his secretary OF the
treasury. Mr.. Chase. AS a follower of
Mr. Clay, he was i'll favor of the pro-
tective or American system as 1t was
called. During his administration the
Morrill, tariff was passed for the sys-
tenn of protection to American indus
tries on the modern plan, was then
fully inaugurated. We therefore as
sign him to a place in the present day
among protectionists.
"NNhere would he stand in respect
to our Philippine policy and expan-
Continued on Page Twelve.)