New-York tribune., 1908-06-26
WHERE TAFT STANDS
The Republican Candidates Tie1rs
on Present Dan Problems.

United States will have no difficulty in construct
ing from the important passages in Present
Day Problems" by William H. Taft, just pub
Iished by Dodd, Mead & Co. platform broad
enough 10 cover practically all great problems
before the country at the present time. This work
Il compilation of the most notable addresses OF
MI Taft from the time Of his inauguration as
Civil Governor of the Philippines down to his ap-
precation of General Grant Memorial Day, this
wear covers wide range of subjects Among
these topics the Philippine question, CHINA
Japau the army the Panama Canal the Work OF
the present administration, the recent panic, the
relations of labor capital the federal juofciary
and the administration of criminal law
THE PHILIPPINE QUESTION.
Our work in the Philippines, Mr.. Taft holds, is
not one of choice but of necessity. Any DISCUS
sion of the value of the islands TO US IS merely
academic so far as our relations to them are con-
cerned In All address delivered at Boise CITY,
Idaho on November 3, 1906. he said;
We got Re9 {Re Won Tietory there and he
had won that victory We could not get out s pc
The first one was Should We turn the islands ds
hack TO spain? When we had invoked the aid OF
aFds ouP It would not have been fair for us to to
spain With whom We had fought With the FIJI.
pinos our side. The next norm @ OF tme me- 10 the
Fiiininos? While we were there the F1itplnqs
government under AguinaIdo OF eF hee g5 never
was in the history of those islands in the PAIN PAIN
such tTranny such want altogether Of decent
government. there was under AsHinalqR4' INA 10 ss ne
absolutely Impossible to turn the lsanas oFtI tie ~
that goyernnen to ft osg Gemms was that we
should take the islands ourselves thsd we @ SnoUI r
children exercising sacred trust for them: a tnat
and should educate them and gradually ran dI eH
up by practice in sef-goTernment unt!L g'9ps s3Ds
and that is the theory that We are attempting 10
carry out.
RELATIONS WITH CHINA AND JAPAN
The Republican candidate is among those
who view with alarm the growth Of China with
her teeming millions into great industrial en-
pire II believe he said, an an address before
the American Association Of China, at Shanghai,
last October that this instead of njuring foreign
trade with China would greatly increase it, and
while it might change its character in some re-
spects It would not diminish its profit A trade
which depends for its profit on the backwardness
Of a people in developing their own resources and
upon their inability 10 value at the proper relative
prices that which they have to sell and that which
they have buy Is not one which can be counted
upon as stable or permanent He believes there
fore that IL they are wise the United States and
others who favor the open door policy sincerely Will
encourage the Chinese Empire to take long steps
in administrative and governmental reforms in the
development of her natural resources and in the
Improvement Of the welfare of her people
On September So 1907, speaking before the Cham
Der of Commerce at Toxic Mr.. Taft referred to the
question uppernlost in the minds of many thought
full Americans and Japanese, although hardly serf-
ously considered by either. He told his auditors
that war between Japan and the United States
would he a crime against modern civilization; that
it would be wicked it would be insane. He
said:
taa Whdt has J@Bsn to gain by it, What has the
point in her history when is looking forward
Tith confident nope to great commercial conquests-
ing every nerve for victories of peace With the
Islarvelous industry, intelligence and courage of
her people. there is nothing in trade. commerce
Scb a4f popular @ sonentment d and
war that would stop all this?
Continuing, he spoke Of the work Japan had un-
dertaken ir Corea, where reforms less beneficial
to the people of the Hermit Kingdom than to
their neighbors who had sought to bring them
about under way. He added:
She [JapanI has undertaken with legitimate in
teresL IN so close nelghbor TO reform and re
erned misgoverned by fifteenth century meth
DDS. His majesty the Emperor has shown his ap-
to Corea Japan's greatest statesman who has ex-
6iDited his patriotism by accepting the heavy bur
his country in the past. he has earned a right TO
ter what criticism may he uttered the world Will
have confidence that Prince Ito and the Japanese
government are pursuing a policy in Corea that
will make for justice and civilization. and the
age when the intervention Of stronger nation In
the affairs Of people unable to maintain a gov
better government becomes a national duty and
works for the progress Of the world
THE PANAMA CANAL
The name Of Secretary Taft will always be in
separately connected with the work on the Panama
Canal which under his direction as head Of the
War Department assumed imposing proportions. In
his speech before the Ohio Association at
Put-n-Bay,. July H. 1906. after referring to the
early history OF the canal and dwelling on the
failure Of De Lesseps. who came fresh from his
triumph at Suez, he told Of the progress made
since the Americans took hold of the project first
in the conquest of disease later In the victory
over more material obstacles in the labor Of
construction Speaking of the critics who could see
nothing but failure in connection with every part
of the work he said:
Al these are r., preparations before the dirt be
gins TO fy.' The American people want every
they are not entirely reasonable in their com
great enterprise like this is to get really ready
before you begin. James j. Hill. one of the great
railway constructors of the world told me
that he worked two years making preparatfons
before he put spade into the ground in building
trouble with you and the President Will be that
You will be under more or less pressure OF public
opinion 10 make appearance Of doing the work
Of actual construction. and will he pushed into
There has been a very great pressure to co on
and make the dirt fly. Everybody wants to know
digging dirt. is not the work of construction5
il is work of preparation We are just about ready
TO begin actual construction.
Since then the actual work Of construction has
amply justified the preparations carefully made
COMBINATIONS OF CAPITAL
Mr.. Taft gave expression TO bis views relative 10
nbina tions of capital in his Boise City address
In November. 1906. Reference first made TO
the counrys great increase in wealth. necessarily
resulting in the development OF certain evils the
remedy of which had been the study of many
statesmen. He stated first the obvious truth that
one the easiest habits to fall into in discussing
a situation, especially if the person discussing il