Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-12
PROBLEM OF THE PERIOD
Survival of the Right of Private
Property.
SOME LIMITATION IMPERATIVE
Declares That He Has No Doubt
That a Solution Will Be
Reached.


feeding was the principal occupation yes
| terday of the next President. He did
full justice yesterday afternoon to the
most famous of the widely reputed bar
becues of Charles S. Boiler. given on his
extensive cotton plantation. about ten
miles from town. and last night he faced
a spread of "'possom and taters,' besides
a menu of heavy dimensions. as the guest
Of the local bar association. Mr. Taft
had to divide the honors. At the barbe
cue he distinguished himself by eating.
| while at the banquet he went noticeabiy
| light on the food, but came in strong on
| the oratory.
The barbecue party consisted of about
| thirty distinguished guests from Augusta,
| including c. ?. Taft, his wife and daugh-
| ter, Mrs. w. II. Taft. Mr.. and Mrs. John
Hays Hammond, Frank H. Hitchcock and
| others. There were barbecued chickens,
| lambs and pigs, stuffed potatoes, tomatoes
| and peppers salads and hash and pud-
dings, all served in the open with the
weather like June days of the north.
Talks as Lawyer to Lawyers.
1t was nearly banquet time when Mr..
Taft got back from his heavily laden
board. and he remarked with some feel
ing that sleep was really what nature
craved However, always at home. and
|
yers, his after dinner speech was med
ley of interesting comments on law and
the legal profession. He described the
attractions of the lawyers life and of the
| life of the judge, and expressed his re-
greet on leaving that life. He spoke of
the Importance of the lawyer to the COM
munity in which he lived, of the neces-
sity of enforcing the law, and of the dire
results of a laxness in this direction.
| 1t was Mr.. Tafts remarks on the United
/ fot4 r,t fl,pt s,ff .f0l he
| keenest attention. He described this body
and the weight and importance which at
| tach to it's decisions a new element in
! civilization. The United States. he said.
was the originator of a court of last re-
sort, whose mediation and settlement of
| fundamental disputes was accepted as
| final. It's benefits were apparent, and It's
| usefulness was growing one, partcu-
larly in the settlement Of constitutional
! questions. 1t was true, he said, that We
had gone to war once through ignoring
| this tribunal.
The unique position Mr. Taft found him
| self in during the campaign-of having
| to defend himself on the stump for de-
cisions he had rendered on the bench
was subject he discussed with no little
interest. This, he believed. was the first
instance of the kind on record.
Mr.. Taft paid a feeling tribute to the
south as lie has found it ON his present
visit, with its preponderance Of hospitality
and good fellowship, all of which he has
| enjoyed to the utmost
Limit on Property Rights.
| In his speech Mr. Taft asserted that the
supreme test of our present civilization
was to come in the present and the two
succeeding decades in the form of sur
vival or destruction of the right of pri-
vate property. He regarded this right as
| essential to civilization the right of
liberty and said the tests of the lawyers
and courts would come on this question
| I'VE have reached the time when we
must recognize certain limitations Mr..
Taft continued. (which previous condi-
lions did not require assertion of in the
form of statutory law. upon the use of
private property wherever it is represented
in combinations of capital We must rec
lognize today that those combinations may
be hurtful, and it must fall to our pro-
fession with arguments in the courts, by
| the judges themselves, by the arguments
of lawyers in the legislatures to lay down
the line of Limitation which shall inter-
fere as little as possible with the individ-
ual freedom Of property on the one hand
and shall stay the progress toward In
furious combination and injurious mo-
nopoly on the other.
| Il believe this to be a lawyers ques-
| ton and problem that must be worked
out. not through contentious not through
mere rhetoric or elOquence, but by the
careful consideration Of the limitation as
| it shall be settled in the statutes and in
terpreted by the COURT
| Expects Solution of Problem.
| This problem is now on, and therefore
| I state it with considerable solemnity
and seriousness. We have got to work it
out more or less by experiment, but in
| that working out we have got to depend
upon the clear-headed both at the bar,
| on the bench and i'm the Legislature. to
| reach a solution. And l have no doubt
| 1T will he done
| Mr. Taft spoke at some length regarding
! his complete happiness in his legal work,
| and expressed regret that he had to give
| IT all up Ito become Il mere executive.
| He mentioned the responsibility he should
| feel as the incumbent of the White
| House i'm the appointment of federal
! judges. In this connection he gave what
he considered the qualifications required
OF men for the bench, mentioning the
| quality TO hear both sides of case i'm
| partially and to make this desire appar-
ent. for" he added, 1.-THE appearance of
| justice Is almost as necessary in these
days when courts are attacked don't
| know whether these days differ from
other days in that respect-but the ap-
pearance of justice is only less I'M
portant than the doing Of actual Justice"
| Other speakers were Judge Emory
Speer OF the federal judiciary, Judge X.
B. Hill Of the state Judiciary and Judge
Henry c. Hammond of the local state
| Judiciary.