The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1912-02-09
MAKE CAMPAIGN
ON FACTS, TAFT'S
PLEA TO PARTY
President Draws Line Sharp
ly Between Regular Re-
publicans and Pro-
gressives.
Confident Of Victory.

Reviewing the achievements of his
administration in his address at Colum.
bus, Ohio. President Taft drew the line
sharply between the old.line Republi.
cans and the progressives of his party,
and said the time was at hand when
the "denunciation of the progressives
must cease and when the nation will
| demand facts"
He held not the slightest doubt. he
said, that the Republican party would
win out in the November elections.
The president made one Of the most
aggressive speeches he has delivered in
many months. He indicated that he
had grown impatient with the attacks
that have been made upon the Repub-
lican party and upon his administra.
tion in the last few years. He said
that the old line Republicans were pro
81 lessive-progressive enough to adopt
all the leg slation that progress de-
manded-but said that he was not the
sort of man to promise to make a
heaven on earth" or to reform the
world in day.
SEES VICTORY IN 1912.
He said that in his mlnd there were
three reasons why the party should be
returned to power next November.
One was that it had dome reasonably
and fairly we'll" ia the administration
of the government in the last years and
deserved the continued confidence of
the country; the second was that it was
progressing and would put in opera
tion aith necessary legislation that is
progrt ssive;' and the third was that
the party was mot chasing chimaeras
and not unsettling the foundations of
government merely to indulge in the
tancies of hope
The presidents political speech came
as surprise to many of his auditors,
who listened respectfully when he be
gan, reviewing in narrative fashion his
knowledge of William Mckinley.
he switched suddenly into a discussion
of present-day politics. and the diners
cheered him wildly when he said:
Il believe that lhe Republican party
is going to be successful in November,
1872 and l believe it thoroughly and
sincerely and without any mental
reserv a, ions whatever; and 1 believe
that because l have real faith in the
intelligence and discrimination of the
American peUple.
EXPECTS PEOPLES ENDORSEMENT
II believe that they know what good
service it. believe that they have in
telligence and discrimination enough to
enaole the party organization through
the press and though political speakers
in the campaign Of education that is
coming 10 convince that the service of
the best of the last four years has been
such that they can trust it for the next
four years
"A campaign is four months long
1t seems like four years, but every
voter who has been put on the 'qui
yive' will have his interest aroused aod
will know the candidate accurately,
and will have been given fair op-
portunity in that time to judge which
party offers the best argument for the
next term
From his optimistic look into the fu.
ture the president turned to the past
and present and his voice, husky as ii
was, rose to higher pitch. He spoke
of the Democratic victory at the polls
in 1912 and declared that this was not
the fault of the Republican party. but
of disaffection within its ranks.
WANTS ONLY SQUARE HEARING.
"Who are the persons who are going
up and down the land distributing
these viewsf Whose lungs have been
used for years in condemnation and de-
nunciationi Were there any regular
Republicans' Haven't they all been
shooting at the old Republican party
and the old administration
Now think we are getting to the
point when we are to get our innings.
Well deal not IN prophesies and not in
unfounded denunciation, but with
facts. Let's get down to facts. and
then II they beat us on the truth we'll
take our beating. But let us have a
square hearing and q square deal, and
ask them to brush aside the fogs of de.
nunciation