The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-04-11

Two Speeches.

a The speech of President Taft before the League
of Republican Clubs of the District of Coumbia
and The speech of Attorney General Wickershan
before the Hamilton Club of Chicago, both deliv
cred Saturday night are in strange contrast. The
President Is speech was conclliatory, plea for
loyalty, afiiliation and party harmony,
Il am in no defiant spirit tonight, !" he declared
III want aIl the ranhs | want the help Of all
Whether in the past they have slipped away q lit
lie want them back 10 help that Grand Old Party
upon which the real progress of the country de-
pnlds'
And again be declared that he was reading
nobody ont of the Republican party" "We want
them all in the ranks he protested.
-. Those men who in good faith stand to the leg
lslaflon we seek TO redeem party pledges have the
right to stand in the party as Republicans. Ii
they don't want to help with this legislation, we
shall not quarrel with them. II is their privilege 70
II vote and speak they will. We desire them and
Is Republicans. / don't want to say anything to
separate them from or to assert they are not as
sa1ceEe N their Repubhcanism as | am myself -
True, he said that Republicans were to be known
BY their fruits, and that a. Republican reads him
self out of the party when he is disoyal, and all
that But there was word Of defiance in the
President remarks there was no flourish of tho
big stick The speech throughout had the pathetic
rang of " Wont you come home, Bill Baileyf"
In totally different temper and language was the
speech Of the Attorney General, who is member
Ct the Presidents official household.
lie that has stomach for the fight let him
depart, quoted Mr.. Wickersham, in a shout which
emphasized the sentiment THE time of running
with The hares and the hounds is over Treason has
.eTer consisted in giving aid and comfort to the
sneny Ii any one wishes to join the Democratic
party. let him do SO; but let him not claim to be
Republican and work in and out of season to defeat
Republican measures and to subvert the influence
Of the Republican President"
Every Republican must choose. the ATTORNEY
General declared, whether or not he was with the
Republican party and the President or against
shem That was but another way of saying that
fAa man who is not with the President il against
tna party and all such must return to their al
#aestaiaee er get eat And We are informed by the
correspondent who reported the speech that it was
the general feeling that the Attorney &c neral was
speaking for his chief he recalled the campaign
pledges one by one and pointed to the executive $
action upon them after taking office
What does it mean9 Why was the President 3
spokesman IN Chicago aggressive and defiant while
TIE President himself speaking in the same hour
ENas IN supplant mood?
81 Ii is political puzzle The president of the c,ub
had said that Mr.. Taft would make keynote
speech Mr. Taft politely denied. saving that the
statement was not authorized, that the club pres
dent had ben misinformed. What does it means9
We repeat Had an aggressive program been ar
ranged and did tho President heart fail him after
he entered the hall? Did he have stage fright ?
Did he lack stomach for the fightY" At any rate
these facts are strikingly emphasized There is
rank insurrection in the Republican camp and
the President is pleading for peace And again it
II emphasized that the Taft way is not the Roose
welt way. In this CASE at least, the President has
departed very far from my Policies. Imagine
President Roosevelt making overtures to opponent,