The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-07-09
TAFT GIVES
WARNING
c,yS REPUBLICANS MUST BE
GOOD OR DEMOCRATS
WILL GET IN.
Jr,,romptu Reference to Politics
At Yale Dinner Brings Hearty
Applause- Party Must Pay At
tention to Wishes of People or
Take a Back Seat.

New Haven, Conn. July S.-Presi
1ort Taft paused in the course of an
oftar dinner speech to 1900 graduates
of Vale. gathered at the annual alumni
1;rner TO issue serious note of warn.
inc TO congress and to the leaders of
the Republican party. The president
declared that if the party failed to live
mn 70 its promises and to the expecta-
tions of the people it would be relegat-
cd TO the position of a minority oppo-
sitiOn.
The president spoke extemporane-
onslv and his utterances as to the Re-
nnbjican duty seemed the result of a
trdden IMPULSE rather than of studied
preparation.
Mr.. Taft made no effort to epxlain
his warning. The Yale men caught
his meaning and the significance of the
remarks coming while the tariff mea-
curp is still under consideration. and
they stood and cheeered for several
minutes. Mr.. Taft had been speaking
Of Secretary of War Dickinson, Dem
ocrat. upon whom Yale had during the
dav conferred an honorary degree.
With the best of good humor he taunt-
ed the Democracy as to it's present con-
dition and this led him into the declar-
alton as to his own party.
Going to Build Canal
NV --o,,+ co,+l, Of tbo Noco,, o,,J
Dixon line he said, ''to get the Sec
rotary of war to give degree to; it is
well that you did, because he is going
TO build the Panama canal, and other
universities will follow where you got
in early
Zone of the difficulties that has con-
fronted Brother Dickinson out in Chi
cago, where he has temporary resi-
dence. was a discussion as to what con-
stituted an orthodox Democrat an
whether he really ought to be counted
as Democrat if he allowed himself to
60 into a Republican cabinet. Well,
when you come to discuss what is a
Democrat these days, you are put into
very much the same Difficulty that 1
have before me now in giving certain
rules for the construction of the pure
food law as to what whisky is. They
say theree is straight whisky, and
then there is 'rectified' whisky and
then there is imitation whisky. Now
| speak with a good deal of hesitancy
in saying whether my friend Dickin
son is straight Democrat or a 'recti-
fed Democrat. would not dare to
say in his presence that he was an 'im-
itation' Democrat
in suggesting differences among
Democrats | am far from ignoring diff
ferences on my own side. remember
in 1904 that Mr.. Charles Francis Ad-
ans gave what l may call a perfectly
good Adams reason for the selection of
the Democratic candidate over the Re-
publican candidate. He said that one
of the essentials of a successful free
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 that shall
move the American people, it is true
mat IT the Republican party does not
live up to its promises and what the
people epxect of it, it will be relegated
10 a position like that of his majesty s
opposition. And therefore 1 may say
oy way OF caveat that we have troubles
OF Onr 01En -