The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-10-27
Taft's speech at the luncheon here


yesterday as follows:
Mankato, Oct. 25.-"El Partido
Independista Explosivista" is likely
to become the battle cry and shib-
boleth of the republican supporters
of the president in their contests
with the progressives, if the rest of
the country takes the expression
with anything like the enthusiasm
and glad hurrah that greeted its
coinage by the president this after
noon in his address at the banquet
at the Elks' club.
The conditions and surroundings
all conspired to make the presi-
dents description of the divided
political parties most happy and eff
fective. At the head table sat
Senator Nelson and Senator Clapp,
just far enough from each other to
insure physical peace, while Cover
nor Eberhart, former Congressman
Tawney, Congressman Anderson,
Davis, Hammond and Miller were
all close enough together to make
it important and more comfortable
for them to give their undivided at
tention to the president.
After a brief reference to the
hearty welcome he had received in
Mankato, the president, announcing
that he was going to choose his
own topic. sprang his description
of party divisions as follows:
When the President Sprung It.
81 am glad to be here, and as I
| look up and down these rows, to
see that we are all gathered in
here, democrats, republicans and all,
without regard to the party. 1t is a
little. difficult these days to define
what republican is or what a dem
ocrat is. There are as many colors
and shades as there were in the
Philippines when they organized the
national assembly. They had first
those who were slightly 'conserva-
tive There were none that were
very conservative because that did
not go there, but there were some
that were slightly conservative that
called themselves Ell Partido Pro-
| gresista Independista.' They were
progressives toward independence.
That did not constitute the large
body who were going to the people
| on a somewhat more energetic plat
form. So they called themselves
Ell Partido Independista Immedia-
tista.' They wanted independence at
once. But there were some that
really thought that those two par
| ties were cold in their patriotism
and their desire for an immediate
change and immediate establishment
of the republic they were looking
to, so they organized a party, Eel
Partido Independista Urgentista.'
Then they organized another party
| which, in order to nail it to the
mast and have it understood, they
called Eel Partido Independista Elk
plosivista.' Now, whether we have
any parties of that sort in this
country l am not going to say, but
l only want to say that this is not
the only country where they have
great varieties"
| Silence, Then the Outburst.
There was just an instant's pause.
The application was SO obvious that
the first thought was that the presi-
dent had a personal intent in max
ing it apply to some of the guests.
But the president was standing,
laughing heartily and beaming good
nature on all the guests impartially,
just as the good story teller does
when he has a new one and knows
he is making hit with it. Instantly
pandemonium broke out, and the
guests rose and cheered until they
were hoarse. Within a few minutes
Gel Partido Independista EXPLOSIVES
ia" was rolling off the tongues OF
every man in Mankato, and those
who could not get it off glibly were
busy rehearsing the delinquent.
Before the train left Mankato, the
politicians had been busy classifying
the factions according to the Philip
pine example There were some diff
ferences of opinion as to best state
representatives of the first three par
ties named by the president, but
there was not a dissenting voice on
the proposition to place Senator
Clapp at the head of the Minnesota
eel Partido Independista EXPLOSIVES
ia" party.
Madison Lake, Mimi, October "a.
President Tafts special train
pulled into the Great Western de.
pot about five minutes late and
found a crowd variously estimated
at from a thousand to fifteen hun.
dred wet citizens standing in the
rain awaiting its coming.
The school children were banked
on either side of the track west OF
the depot and in front of it, every
kid" carrying a bright new United
States flag which was waved very
vigorously while the childish treble
of their young voices helped swell
and accentuate the great cheer which
the crowd projected toward his ex
cellency as the train ran by the de-
pot-through some misunderstanding
and stopped hundred feet from
;oo Oh xxy;<