The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-23
TAFT DEFINES HIS ATTITUDE TOWARD
 PROGRESSIVENESS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE II

going along the middle road between
 them and that is what I am trying 10
 dc and I believe the legislation of the
 past administration has been along that
 line. We have brought the railroads un- der a condition of reguIation that has
 satisfied them that the country is bound to have their business discharged ac- col ding to law and likewise under such supervision as to insure that 1t will be according to law, and l have heard. tuf- thernore no complaint that the present regulations do not secure that result
 The President said that with regard to the trusts the country was in a tran story period, adding:
 "In this sense the supreme court or the United States has decided what the law is, and now business has got 10 square itself with that law. We might as well make up our minds to that' gen tlemen. We can protest as much as we will what the law ought to be, but the supreme court has said what the law IS, and I have learned that when they have to do so they can adjust their affairs. It can do it without endangerng the prog ress to which they thought some other method was absolutely indispensable. With respect to much of what has been discussed as progressive the federal government has nothing to do. That is matter of state governments to set | tie, and state governments are making different experiments, and, presume, the l conservative states will walt to see how trese experiments work out But occa- slonally there crops out something eX- | treme something in the form of a Ju- dic:al reform, a recall of judges and appr,~al is asked. When a proposition Is made that seems to me that would de- stroy all possibility of good government in the maintenance of an untrammelled judiciary. it Is the function in me vested, whom my judgment is invoked under the constitution, to say that the executive disapproves so far as he is concerned. and he will allow no state to come into the union with any such radical heresy expressed in its state constitution. and with the sanction of the federal govern ment upon it..
 My friends. I did not expect to make a political speech this afternoon. What
 the future is know not. I only know this, that I am going ahead to do the bes. l can and I am going through thls cc untry on this trip and try to explain some of the issues which have arisen and make them clear to those people whom
 can reach with my voice or through
 the kindly press if they report what say-because believe the time has come
 for sober second thought. I have confi-
 
 ways be trusted not only to exercise their sober second thought but also a
 discriminating sense as to what is fact and what Is fustian after a time. It wort happen at once and sometimes we have to wait for it until after we die and
 that is not quite so satisfactory; but in any event, We middle of the road people
 wllo are not extremists are, we believe
 the real progressives, because you do nor make progress by great strides-you
 make progress step by step
 We can depend upon the people to recognize progression other than that pro
 posed by platform declaration that are
 for the public and not to be put into force and law to accomplish real reform
 but are made for the purpose of cam paign uses only"
 At a banquet of the Knights of Cor
 lumbus tonight President Taft took up
 the Philippine question. He said he might
 be accused of reviVing the dead issue,
 but the issue could hardly be regarded
 as dead as long as the democratic party continued to write in it's platform dec
 laration for the relnquishment of the
 islands and so long as resolutions con tinue to be introduced in Congress look ing to the relinquishment of the islands
 Shortly before midnight the President
 retired aboard his train preparatory to depart for St. Louis later.
 Peoria. H., September 22.-The Her aid Transcript referring to the eh- thusiasm says:
 If there existed in the mind of President William H. Taft any doubt IS to the loyalty and unanimity of the republican party of Illinois to himself his administration and his candidacy for second term, 1t was dispelled when 200 republican leaders represent ing six congressional districts, greeted him with cheer after cheer and one after another the committeeman pledged their districts to him first, last and all the time"