New-York tribune., 1909-06-25
AGAINST TAFT PLAN
Er-Judge Parker Says Corporation
Tar Is DeceiUing.

The address of ex-Judge Alton B. Parker. in
which he warned his hearers to keep out Of poll
ties if they thought there were fortunes to be made
out of 1t and attacked the tendency to federa4
control the feature of the ffty-seventh an
nual commencement Of the College of The City Of
New York yesterday There were 13l graduates, 81
receiving the degree of Bachelor Of Arts and 90 tho
degree of Bachelor Of Science.
The exercises opened with the academic process
sion into the great hall. President John F1nlay.
ex-Judge Alton B. Parker. Professor Samuel A
Baldwin the Rev. G. Ashton Oldham. the Rev.
John j. Wynne. Edward NJ. Shepard chairman OF
the board Of trustees: Trustees Frederick P. Bel
Iamy Lee Kohns William Henry Coroitt. Theo-
dore F. Miller. Parker D. Handy. Charles Strauss
and Egerton L. Winthrop tr.. and James ". Hyde.
secretary Of the Board Of Education. marched in
the procession.
In his address to the graduates Mr. Parker said:
advise you never TO enter public life With the
10 be made there. Every period has its problems;
% % re aI,sd az tbs ci,izaDs W. forget that the
people alone soveresn-upon therefore; rests
an6 y6u % owe It TO- our yonse as Citizens to
give your hearts TO the solution of the problems
We know that laws are not enforced because the
Many good men have kept aIoof from politics
thinking mat It wa not worth their effort and
their own ends Party machinery Is faulty and and
to be held responsible as the other party. think
this IS due to the fact that It has been in power
When the need arose in the eos TO prosecute
some OF the corporations politicians even called
upon the ATTORNEY General to try 70 stop pro
ceednEs because those corporations had contrib
uted largely 10 the campaign funds, and today
It has become almost too late because the public
opposes prosecutions fearing that panics may
ensue.
II want to end this partnership between the
government and politics must take away from
the political machines the power 70 close bar
gains for campaign fund contributions
There many tricks which serve not only 20
mislead the public but also the various executives.
by trying 10 create the impression that certain
measures being demanded by the public II
is done in the way the New York Central did II
II got M one of those citizens movements which
purported to demand that its tracks on the West
Side in the city should be elevated. II opposed
being forced to Il by the legislature although II
was roads desire TO have those elevated
Such tricks were practssd long ago, and skituily-
When read in the papers about the proposed tax
Of . per cent the net returns of corporations
was impressed that this, too, belongs in the cate
zorv Of tricks Its purpose is said 10 oe 70 IalSe
revenues and I don't mean 70 say that revenue -
not what the President wants. Presidents also are
deceived But since 1893 there have been euortS
made by the corpora bons TO get away from SLate
control and the surveillance OF close nelZnhoTS. ne
Insurance companies to serve as the entering
wedge and the Hepburn law introduced last year
had for its second purpose the estdhlishrnen mt o
close relations between the government ana tns
corpnrations This new law VIII under the curse OF
tax statute take away the eorporations from
state control