The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-08-24
TAFT TALKS TO
WAR VETERANS
Compares His Troubles to
LincOln'S.
HOPES FOR THE FUTURE

In Address at Grand Army Encamp-
ment President Dlgresses From
Peace Topic Long Enough to Con-
trast Situation Which Confronted
Country In 1861 to Present Time,
When Capital and Labor Are Pre-
pairing For Bitter Struggle.
Rochester, n Y, Aug. 2i.-The
sight of 10000 veterans of the civil
war, recalling the dark days of that
struggle, gave a twist to President
Taft's address before the G.. A. II.
campfire at the national encamp-
ment MIR. Taft had come to talk of
peace and he held his address prin.
cipally to this topic, but the renec-
ton of the immense struggle which
had centered about the old men who
marched before him in the parade
contrasted in his mind the political
struggle that has seethed about him
for the last few months, and which
was only temporarily relieved by the
adjournment of congress. and his
thoughts turned naturally to this
channel He said that when he was
tempted to think Of his own troubles
he had only to think of the troubles
of Lincoln.
when we contemplate what we
have live through and what we have
accomplished" he said, "it ought to
encourage us to feel that the prob
lens before us are slight in compari-
son with those we have solved. Our
very prosperity and the accumua-
tion of or wealth have brought other
problems. elusive and difficult in
their settlement. and have prompted
higher civic ambition with refer
ence to the condition of the individ-
ual and his equality Of opportunity
and with reference to use of wealth
by its owners, and restrictions upon
methods OF use unduly repressive to
competitors and to the public at
large.
Refers TO Higher Aims.
"Thcse higher aims for the better
ment of society; these new evils
growing out of the concentration of
wealth, and these combinations which
properly controlled are a great good
in the reduction of cost of rroduc-
tion, have invited from the active
minded OF today suggestions of rem.
edies that are so extreme that the
medicine to many OF us seems worse
IN NJ
charged with the responsibility, and
sobered with the difficulties, find our
selves in the middle of the road re-
sisting the tendency to Socialism on
the one hand and the inertia of reac.
tlonary oontentment with present
evils and ambition for greater con-
centration Of financial power on the
other; but we are gradually solving
the problem. The present does not
bring difficulties so great as you had
to meet and overcome in 81. II may
be longer fight, because 1t will not
involve violence or the shedding of
blood, but It must and will be solved
peacefully and by the earnest effort
Of the leyel-headed, the practical and
the courageous among us, and by re-
ducing tine influence of the dema.
gogue and the critical extremists on
the one hand and the reactionary in
fuence OF combinations of wealth on
politics and progression on the other.
"Its solution will be consistent with
the preservation of our ancient instl.
tutions of personal liberty ard pri-
vate property under the constitution.
The message that you bear, with
your experience and your success, to
those OF us struggling now with the
problem, is that although dark the
we retain in this country a God-fear-
ing, sober, intelligent people. we can
count in the long run on their work
ing out safely and sanely the prob
lens set before them. no matter how
many mistakes I'm the form of NOS
trums they may have been led into by
the speciousness OF half-baked the.
ories, no matter how often they may
have been defeated in their purpose
by the temporary success OF undue
and corrupt influence CT concentrated
wealth. This thought has come to
me time and again since have had
the responsibility of the presidency;
and when there seemed troubles and
burdens that were hard to bear, my
mind has reverted to those which
Lincoln carried, and in comparison
With his sad mental struggles mine
have seemed boyish and of little
weight"
The contest for commander in.chief
Is between Colonel John McEroy of
Washington and Judge Harry M.
frimble of Chicago, with chances ia.
toring the latter.