Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-03-23
FAT|GUED BY HIS
TRIP Taft IS BACK
IN WASHINGTON
Presidents War Talk at Peace
Banquet Stirs Arbitra-
ton League.

WASHINGTON, March 23.-President
Taft, after a six days absence from
Washington, returned this morning,
reaching the Union station at 7:15 a.
m. AS the President was somewhat
fatigued from his journey he did not
leave his private car until 8 o'clock.
Peace advocates are today discussing
President Taft's sensational utterances
last night at the banquet of the Amer
lean Peace Arbitration League at
the Hotel Astor, in New York, on the
subject of peace. Ex-senator James
M. McCreary, of Kentucky, presided,
and many of the Presidents remarks
were ~jocularly directed at him.
WAR is HE'LL said Mr.. Taft as he
proclaimed in favor of arbitration that
is backed up by the nations prepared
ness to fight.
w are all in favor of virtue the
President continued. I'VE are all in IA
vor of goodness and we are all in IA
vor of peace, and as peace can be best
maintained by arbitration and concilia-
ton of course we are in favor of 1T
even if we come from Kentucky, in ia
vor of arbitration rather than war.
Il say we all are, but l know that
there are some gentlemen who, in order
to be unlike most others, favor war as
a necessary treatment of a nation in
order to develop it's finest qualities, and
I am not disposed to say that as we look
back in history some of the most dread
full wars in history, notably that of our
Civil War, could hardly have been
/ q UOiHad 10 Vn wara 10 anonnnnlioh fha
good which that war did accomplish,
but as a general thing we are opposed
to war because war is hell.
"And when you have said that as
a means of determining by arbi-
tration or Cancellation it seems to
me is difficult to arouse a controversy
on the subject, but we stand together
on this, that because we are in favor of
universal peace and In favor of arbitra-
ton in order to secure it that we are
not in favor OF one country giving up
that which we now use for the purpose
of securing peace, to wit: Our arma-
ment in our army and our navy.
Il do not want to seem Inconsistent
in speaking SO emphatically here in
favor of peace by arbitration and In
using every effort that / can bring to
bear on Congress to nave two more bat
tleships this year.
1.-THE expense of armament is work.
ing toward peace. The expense of war,
1 am sorry to say, is having greater
weight In securing peace than the ex-
pense of lives
Nov, if we have a permanent court
of arbitration, one to which we can
easily refer all questions, the opportu-
nifty is likely to be seized upon-cer-
tainly to be seized upon by that coun-
try that is, in the contest to follow, If
a war is to follow, not quite prepared,
and so, by it's demanding or proposing
a reference to the court, it will put the
other country in the attitude of desir-
ing war, an attitude that 1 think no
country would like under present con-
ditions to occupy before the world.
81 agree with the Monroe doctrine,
out l think it has come pretty near
getting US into trouble a number of
times. But we got over it"
At this point some n said:
Without war;"
Eyes, without war; the President
went on, because the Lord looks after
children, drunken men and the United
States.
"Now, there is one question that I
think is within the actual control of
Congress, action upon which will pro-
mote the power of the executive in pre-
venting questions of embarrassment
and difficulty between this country and
other countries with which w would
be at peace.
ct believe it is within the power of
Congress to put in the hands of the ex-
ecutive and in the courts of the United
States the power, on the n hand, to
prosecute, and on the other hand to
hear crimes denounced by the Federal
law, which consist in a violation of the
rights Of aliens secured by treaties
made by the United States with other
countries"