The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-04
TAFT TALKSAbOUT
 THEFOURTH, PEACE AND RECIPROCITY
He Ends Strenuous Day of Speech-Making at Ma
 riOn, Indiana
SPEAKS TO VETERANS
 ABOUT ARBITRATION
Says Mexican and Spanish Wars and That of 1872 Might Have Been Prevented-Interven
 in South America

Prevented-Interventio
 in South America
 Marion, Ind, July s.-With the tena- perature in his private car up above the 100 mark for hours at d time, Pres
 dent Taft hurried through Ohio and Indiana today. He began speaking from the rear platform of his car at Cleve- land just after breakfast and did not get through until o'clock. He ended a strenuous and sticky day with two addresses at the national home for disabled volunteer soldiers here. The President spoke of war, but more of peace and arbitration to the veterans To the bankers and editors of the Eleventh congressional district he talked about the Aldrich plan of currency. Tomorrow at Indianapolis he expects to talk of the third most important measure" of the administra tions reel procity agreement with Canada.
 On the way over from Cleveland In spite of the heat and the dust the President made nine rear platform talks Sometimes he talked about the heat and at others he argued for u safe and sane Fourth" and once in a while he turned to prosperity and Can adian reciprocity, which, he said, would bring more prosperity. In the speech to the old soldiers the President de- clared all of the foreign wars waged by this country except the war of the revolution and possibly the civil war could have been settled without blood- sh ed through arbitration No fewer than five times, said the President, has the United States intervened between South and Central American countries that felt belligerent and by peaceful per- suasion averted war
 Not Blind Enthusiast
 q am not a wild enthusiast or bliEd optimist," said the President II do not look forward to complete restor- ation of peace which cannot be dis turbed in the world even if these treaties of arbitration are adopted. Mod lt5S Nons improves only step bN step, and so tlie making ant confirm ing of these treaties must be regarded only as step. but as very long step toward the securing of peace in the world
 l The speech to the bankers and ed- | itors was in the nature of a reiteration 1 of his address to the New York state bankers at Manhattan Beach.
 Need of Good Currency System T do not know any Junction." said the President "of greater importance to the wage earner, to the farmer, the business man, the manufacturer. the banker and the capitalist, exercised by the govern- ment after the preservation of law and order and the maintenance of liberty and rights of property than the duty of the government to furnish to the people a banking and currency system which shall give them a constant and unvarying me- dium for the measurement of values and the interchange of products that shall able business to proceed in normal way"
 MT. Taft is the first President to visit Marion after his assumption of office, and thousands of people turned out to see him.
 Talks to Old Soldiers
 In his speech to the Veterans, the Presi- dent said in part:
 "I far from saying that war has not in times past accomplished much in the progress of the world. Whether the same progress might have been achieved in a more peaceful way, it is unnecessary to discuss. Probably not it was by war this country gained it's independence of Great Britain. One hundred and thirty five years ago the Declaration of Inde- pendence was signed which changed q protest under arms against unjust gov ernment to a successful revolution If England had been better advised proba- bly, war would not have ensued, and we might now be. as in the case of Canada. cherishing attachment to the mother country without exercising complete in- dependence.
 'Certain it is that the lesson which we taught England she took to her heart and in her colonial policy she continued to tighten the bonds which she had laid upon her colonies until now they have no weight, and are merely nerves of af- | lection from a mother to children. evinc- | ing an authority that, however great in | form, is in fact in the wisdom Of tho mother country one of only nominal re- | striction.
 Preventable Wars
 "The war of 1872 might certainly have | been averted by arbitration The ques- tions there presented were questions all 1 of which have been settled by the Juds- | ment of mankind, in favor or our sfde or | the controversy.
 "The war with Mexico-though there is some dispute over this-was over one of the questions capable of solution by an | inlrartial tribunal Wnetner the CIVIL war could have been avoided is very difficult question to answer. When 1 slavery has become embedded In the so- cial fibre of a country 1t is possible that only an excison by war knife can re- move the cancer.
 Nor shall I attempt to answer a simi- lar question to the Spanish war. It is one of those instances of interna- tional dssension like the Civil war; and yet believe that the submission of tho issues to tribunal might have affected Spain's treatment of Cuba in such a way that we could have avoided a resort to | arms
 "The awful consequences to heavily | armed countries under modern condi- | tions of war have been a great deterrent to war: but the Responsibility of men claiming to be patriots and desiring to overturn existing governments where law and order are not we'll established has | led to a great deal of guerrilla warfare. and to the suffering of innocent people. | who find no real principle involved ex- cept that of ambition for power. Much | of this kind of work has occurred in | South and Central America and In the l degree of guardianship which the United | States must feel over the republics Of | this hemisphere, in maintaining their | integrity against European invasion, We 1 ought to welcome every opportunity which