Evening star., 1909-07-01

NEW HAVEN, Conn, July president
Taft had a busy and interesting day as
the honor guest of the Yale commence
ment exercises yesterday. In cap and
gown he walked in the digniied process
sion of graduates. fellows and faculty to
the commencement exercises in Woolsey
Hall. He attended a meeting of the Yale
Corporation spoke at the midday dinner
of the alumni. presided over meeting
held for the purpose of arranging for
memorial for Yale men who died on both
sides in the civil war stood for nearly
two hours with President Hadley at the
commencement reception and rushed last
night from a meeting of Skull and Bones
TO board his private car. which was at
tached to the midnight train for Wash
ington.
Warning to Leaders.
The greatest interest of the day at
tached to the Presidents speech warning
the republican leaders to keep the party
promises. The President declared that If
the party which placed him in power and
so long had controlled the government
failed to live up to its promises and the
expectations of the people, 1t would be
relegated to the position of minority
opposition.
The President spoke extemporaneously
and his utterances as to the duty of the
party of which he is the head seemed the
result of a sudden impulse rather than of
studied intent.
Mr. Taft made no effort to explain his
warnings. The Yale men caught his
meaning and the significance of the re-
marks coming at this time of the tarin
f, debate. however, and they stood upon
their feet and cheered for several min
LII ,~f rot
Dickinson, democrat. upon whom Yale
conferred an hogorary degree.
Tribute to Dickinson.
After paying tribute to others upon
whom the university had conferred hon
orary degrees the President came down
to Secretary Dickinson and said:
You went south of the Mason and Dix
on's line to get a Secretary of War to
give a degree TO. Well, ii is we'll that
you did. because he is going to build the
Panama canal, and other universities will
follow where YOU got in early. One OF the
difficulties that has confronted Brother
Dickinson out in Chicago, where he has
a temporary residence. was discussion
as to what constituted an orthodox dem
ocrat, and whether really he ought to be
counted a democrat. if he allowed HIM
self TO go into a republican cabinet
We'll when you come TO discuss what
is a democrat these days you are pre-
sented with very much the same diff
Guilty that | have before me now in giving
certain rules for the construction of the
pure food law as to what whisky is. They
say there is straight whisky. and then
there is 'reetifed whisky, and then there
is limitation whisky. Now, / speak with
a good deal of hesitation in saying wheth-
Ell my friend Dickinson is a straight
democrat or a 'rectified' democrat. l
would not dare to say in his presence
that ne was an imitation democrat.
The truth iS and speaking seriously.
| consider myself most fortunate that |
was able TO obtain for that important
place in my cabinet a man who repre-
sented the highest ideals of the south,
who knew no section in his patriotism,
and whose coming into the cabinet was
significant of the friendlineSs Of a large
element in that southern section, that it
is in my heart TO bring close to the north
Obligations to the People.
Now. my dear friends, in suggesting
differences among the democrats. l am
far from ignoring some difficulties that
there on our side. l remember in
1904 that Charles Francis Adams gave
what ] may call perfectly good Adams
reason for the election of the democratic
candidate over the republican candidate.
He said that one of the essentials of a
successful tree government was an able,
patriotic and efficient opposition and that
as the democratic party had utterly
failed In reaching that ideal, he was in
favor of putting the republican party in
that place. Now, | venture to say that
while that may not be the reason which
shall move the American people, 1t is
true that If the republican party does not
i've up TO its promises and what the peo-
pie expect of il, ii will be relegated TO
a position like that of his majesty's OPP
position. And therefore | may say by
way of caveat that We have troubles of
our own.