The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-09-23
TAFT MAKES HEART
TO HEART TALK
TO VOTERS
President Says He Is Not a
Politician.
HAS TAKEN MIDDLE COURSE
In An Address at Peoria He Talks
Over the Issues in a Personal
Way

Peoria, ILL.,, Sept. 23.-President
Taft had a heart-to-heart talk at Pc
oria, yesterday with the leaders of the
different republican factions in Him
OILS; defined his status as to progress
siveness, pleaded guilty to being a
very poor politician, acknowledged
again that his ambition had lain in
the direction of the office OF chief
justice, rather than the presidency,
admitted that he undoubtedly had
made many mistakes, but asserted
that as president he had tried to do
what he thought to be right What
the future held for him he did not
know; he would go ahead doing the
best he could.
Mr.. Taft declared he was not allied
with the extremists of his party,
either conservatives or progressiyes,
but had tried to take middle ground
between the two. But we middle-of.
the-road people believe we are the
real progressives, said the president,
because you do not make progress In
great strides, you make 1t step by
step" The president was in ser
ious mood. He declared that while
1t might not be so for time, the peo-
pie in the end would distinguish be-
tween the fact and fustian" and
would recognize the difference be-
tween substance in progress and plat
form declarations written for cam
paign purposes, only. The speech
made by the president was the most
significant and interesting of his trip
thus far. He still was downcast by
the defeat of the reciprocity agree
ment In Canada, but his only refer
ence to that subject. was made earl
Ter in the day, when he addressed the
workingmen in a manufacturing es-
tablishment where farming implem-
ents are made. Il was sorry to hear
that in Canada they do not care to
have closer commercial relations with
u.s. he said. IF reciprocity had been
adopted. we could have gotten our az
ricultural implements into Canada at
@ substantial decrease. But | guess
We can get along.
so far as the veto of the Arizona
bill is concerned, just vetoed that be-
cause / would not do anything else. |
wrote my heart into that veto. My
friends, ! have tried to follow what |
thought to be right in the administra.
ton of my office. There has been a
division in the party and have been
charged with not being progressive
and therefore to be condemned What
one does, this man thinks is progress.
! siye, another man thinks is retro
grade. There are, however, two great
schools-one which believes that the
present is not perfect, perhaps, bun
that changes from 1t would be danger
Gus. They are the strictly conserva.
tive and perhaps are known as the re-
dictionary Then there is another
class at the other end which is ex
IRENE in its view that the whole pres
ent condition is wrong and there must
be radical changes II we live at all.
Now | think-perhaps ] am wrong
about it-but think am going alone
In the middle of the road between
those two; at least, that Is what
am trying to do, and believe the leg
lslation OF this administration has
been along that line. We hav,
brought the railroads under a condi
ton OF regulation that has satisfied
them that the country is bound tC
have their business discharged ac
cording to law and under such super
vision as to insure that IL will be &C
cording to law; and | have heard nc
complaint that the present regulations
do not secure that result,
with respect TO much of what has
been discussed as to being progress
sive the federal government has
nothing to do. That is a matter fol-
state governments TO settle and state
governments are making different ex
periments and | presume the conser
vative states will wait to see how
these experiments work out Occas
lonally hwever. there crops out some
thing extreme In the form of a judicia
recall In a constitution rendered I,
the government for approval. Undel
those conditions when a proposition Il
made that seems to me TO destro,
all possibility of good government II
the maintenance of an untrammelet
judiciary. II is the function OF the OK
ecutive when his judgment Is invoke,
under the examination to say that HI
disapproves that feature, and that =,
far as he Is concerned, he will ALLOW
no state to come into the Union Will
any such radical heresy expressed II
It's constitution and with the sanction
OF the federal government upon t.
AT banquet of the Knights Of Col
umbus last night, President Taft tool
up the Philippine question lie sall
he might be accused Of reviving
dead issue. but the issue could hardl,
be regarded as dead so long as tn
democratic party continued to writ
in its platform a declaration for re
llnquishment Of the islands and s.
long as resolutions continue to be In
troduced In Congress looking to th
REIMBURSEMENT OF the islands.
WARD WlTHDRAWS FROM RAcl