The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-04-16

tration OF William III. Taft, Attorney
General George w. wickersham. at
the Appomattox celebration Of the
Hamilton Club tonight. flayed the
Presidents detractors: smote the
Republican insurgents hip and thigh.
reviewed the acts OF the first year OF
the Administration and, declaring
that every pledge made In the Repub-
iican platform of 1908 had been full
filled to the extent of the possible
limits OF executive action. challenged
In ringing tones. What other admin
istration can point to the accomplish
ment OF 50 much In so short a timer"
IL as the general feeling that the
Attorney General was speaking for
his chief as he recalled the campaign
pledges one by one and pointed to the
Executives action upon them after
taking Office.
The Administrators determination
tn enforce the Sherman law against
trusts and monopolies. he reiterated;
the tariff, he defended and declared
that as a revenue producer II had no
equal. while its maximum and mini
mum provisions provided a powerful
weapon for the protection of Ameri-
can commerce. Pointing to the treas
ury's statement on an estimated sur
plus OF more than $4,000, 900 for the
fiscal year ending on June 80. 1911.
the Attorney General said 1t reflects
economies which would reduce the
annual expenses Of Government forty
two million dollars and turn an esti-
mated annual deficit of a hundred
millions into surplus of thirty-five
millions, while after dinner orators
were eloquently dlscoursing on the
subject.
Every Republican must choose. the
Attorney General declared. whether
or not he was with the Republican
party and the President.
He that hath no stomach for the
fight let him depart" quoted Mr..
Wickersham. In a shout which en-
phasized the sentiment. "The time
OF running with the hares and the
hounds is over. Treason has ever
consisted In giving aid and COM
fort to the enemy. II anyone wishes
60 Join the Democratic party, let him
do so; but let him not claim to be a
Republican and work In and out OF
season TO defeat Republican measures
and to subvert the influences Of the
Republican President"
Arranging his argument to follow
the sequence OF events Mr.. Wicker
sham began by saying that the pre-
vious az Gministration had been charac-
ter.yed by a determined and coura-
geous attack on abuses OF privilege
ana power. upon which had been
reared aggregations of capital whose
existence and unshackled growth
threatened the stability Of free
institutions"
"a higher standard of business
morality and obedience to law ne I
been set" declared the Attorney Gen.
eral. "but In the attainment Of these
ends the country had been shaken TO
its foundations and the work Of per-
fecting the machinery by which those
standards might be maintained. by
which. 20 use the language Of Presi-
dent Taft the law breakers might be
promptly restrained and punished
but which should operate with sufi-
cient accuracy and dispatch to inter-
fere with legitimate buiness as little
ar possible was. as the President
pointed out In his speech OF accept
ahce. 10 the chief function Of his Ad-
ministratlon.
IL would be n strained analogy, the
Attorney general thought to liken
too closely the task confronting the
Administration OF President Taft with
the work OF reconstruction following
the civil war.
THE terms which Gen. Grant had
advised Gen Lee would be acceptable,
he said. however. were as simple
and conclusive as those which nearly
a half century later President Taft
offered 10 the managers of great
trusts and monopolies.
con this anniversary Of the peace
OF AppOmattox the mind naturally
turns To many points OF similarity In
the conditions prevailing i'm these
two different epochs. The danger
from armed resistance To constituted
authority Is open and manifest. and
is met by simple. obvious methods.
The dangers 10 free institutions. aris-
ing from the concentration OF vast