The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-05
Also Pays Respects to
"Disposition of Pub
lie Journals. !"
HE IS INSPIRED BY
BANQUET CHEERS
Enthusiastic Reception at St.
Louis Leads President to Make
Vigorous Speech Where He
Had Intended but Few
Words-Pays Tribute to
Supreme Court.

ST. Louis Mo-. May 4.-PresidentI
Taft's flve-day trip to the Middle West
ended to-day and he left !ate tonight
for Washington, where he is scheduled
to arrive Friday morning.
1t remained for st. Louis TO give
Mr.. Taft the heartiest demonstration
of his present journey. The apparent
warmth of reception seemed to AFFECT !
/ the President and when, at the lunch
/ con of the Business Mems League late
In the afternoon, President Walker
I Hill praised him amid deafening ap- !
plause for Ills appointments of Lur-
I ton and Hughes to the Supreme Court |
! bench. Mr.. Taft launched into vigor-
GUS speech, In which he paid his re
spects to Bryan for his reported criti-
I cisn of Governor Hughes, and decried
/ the cant of the demagogue." and the
disposition of public journals TO
make unjust charges against men In
| public life
| Most Sacred Duty.
] The President declared that he held
| the appointment OF men to the SUI
preme Court bench to be the most
! sacred of his duties His speech
! aroused the business men to hisn
pitch of enthusiasm. Mr.. Taft had In
| tended to say only word or two, out
| the cheers of his hearers seemed TO
| inspire him to go on.
| .Hence IL is that to me, lawyer.
continued Mr.. Taft, "the Supreme
! Court of the United States is the most
| sacred thing that we have in this
| government and that the appoint
ment of men to that bench is the
/ highest and most sacred function that
! the executive has to perform.
"Now. do not like to be invidious
in my remarks, or to quote what may
] have been a misquotation, but L did
| hear or see criticism of one appoint
/! men. on the ground, as I understood
lit that the appointee was not an I'M
jlsplaca5lc fccgof wealth and corpora :
i tions I think perhaps that criticism
| has been misunderstood, and that the
i utterer Of II did not intend to give it
/ the meaning that. thus stated, 1t seems
! to have. believe that all. Democrats
and Republicans, Republicans and
/! citizens and we all are that,
are in favor of having upon that
bench men who are foes of nothing
but what is wrong. and are in favor
/ OF ecual Justice to every one. whether
/ that be an organization of men doing
business under the law and using the
/ instr,Imentality of corporation toj
promote the industries in the country
or be the humblest citizen struggling
| with his hand to earn a livelihood for
his family.
II do not mean to say that men by
| their habits of life may not acquire a
| bent or a prejudice in one direction
| or another, and that it isn't wise to
select for the highest tribunal men
| who have not such a bent and who
| have not in their makeup the danger
l of prejudice to one interest or against
| another But I do mean to say that
/ there is in the public journals. and
I in what I may call the cant of the
4 denagogues, a disposition to charge
that kind Of a bent In favor of cor
4 porate wealth and corporate greed and
I. corporate monopoly. when there is no
/ justice for the charge at all.
I May Lead TO Danger.
4 This assumption of peculiar hon
esty, manifested by class declaration
and the stirring up of class spirit is
something that ought to be deprecated
4 in our republic or else 1t will lead to
great danger. We ought to take up
the discussion Of public questions and
discuss their effect with judicial calm
y ness and not have our minds diverted
by charges Of prejudice and corrupt
, supported by evidence or calm con-
sideration.
} "And so. my friends, I have taken
Il up more than my allotted two min
J. utes (cries of go on No. all [
am appealing for is justice and
square deal; not especially for my
], self, for, indeed. am in position
where I can get along better than
some of the rest without 1t; but I am
appealing for justice IN dealing with
all classes.
IT said all classes. or course. prac-
tically, it is pretty hard to give 1t.
To our socialistic friends, who are
engaged in decrying our present in
/ stitutions could furnish good deal
better ground for their complaints
] than they give themselves. | think if
they were to object to our administra-
!, ton of Justice and the delays In 1t
| arising from the traditional methods 8
{ pursued in courts. by which the man
: with the longest purse has the advan-
i tage because the litigation Is drawn
. out. they would be getting, as the
a children say, pretty warm in reach
ing a subject that will bear full dis
: cussion and in which we shall have
. to have very decided reform.
e I'VE have got to arrange 1t so that
cases are decided promptly. am
bound to say that the United States
i courts are not-aaodels in this. but
t all courts may be reformed In this
. regard.
c What is driving you merchants out
t of courts into arbitration? It Is the
cost of litigation"
t The President then referred to what
. no termed an Instructive trip down the
S mississippi Ihver in which he referred
8 to the possibilities of making 1t a
g great stream for the transportation OF
e commerce
e Coming In Time.
II learned, too,' he said, that the
h government had done a great deal on
S that stream and that It's engineers
4 had acquired q great deal of informa
h ton with reference to the economical
S expenditures OF money to make it g
q great highway of commerce And II Is