The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1912-08-09
PRESIDENT TOLD
OF NOMINATION
TAFT FORMALLY ACCEPTS POSI-
TON AS REPUBLICAN
LEADER.
STANDS ON PARTY PLATFORM
On Speech Addressed TO Senator Root
Present Occupant of White House
Declares Willingness to Appeal
to Voters on His Record.

Washington, Aug. Senator Root,
at the head of the committee appoint
ed to notify President Taft Of his re-
nomination by the Republican party
for the presidency Of the United
States, listened to the following speech
from the chief executive:
Mr.. Root and Gentlemen of the Noti-
fication Committee:
/ accept the nomination which you
tender. | do so with profound graft
tude to the Republican party, which
has thus honored me twice. / accept
It as an approval OF what have done
under its mandate, and as an ex-
preston Of confidence that in second
administration / Will serve the public
well. The issue presented to the con
vention, over which your chairman
presided with such a just and even
hand, made a crisis in the party's life.
A faction sought to force the party
to violate valuable and time-honored
national tradition of entrusting the
power Of the presidency for more
than two terms to one man, and that
man, one whose recently avowed
political views would have committed
the party to radical proposals involv-
Ing dangerous changes IN our present
constitutional form of representative
government and our Independent
judiciary
Achievements of the Party.
This occasion is appropriate for the
expression of profound gratitude at
tho victory for the right which was
won at Chicago. BY that victory, the
Republican party was saved for fu-
ture usefulness. 1t has been the
party through which substantially all
the progress and development in our
countrys history in the last fifty
years has been finally effected. 1t
carried the country through the war
which saved the Union, and through
the greenback and silver crazes to
sound gold basis, which saved, the
country's honor and credit 1t fought
the Spanish war and successfully
solved the new problems Of our island
possessions. 1t met the incidental
evils Of the enormous trade expansion
and extended combinations of capital
from 1897 until now by a successful
crusade against the attempt of concen-
trated wealth 10 control the coun-
try's politics and its trade. 1t en-
acted regulatory legislation to make
the railroads the servants and not
the masters OF the people 1t has en-
forced the antitrust laws until those
who were not content with anything
but monopolistlc control of various
branches of industry are now acquies-
cent in any plan which shall give
them scope for legitimate expansion
and assure them immunity from reck-
less prosecution.
The list or legislative enactments
for the uplifting of those of our peo-
pie suffering disadvantage in their
social and economic relation to others
enacted by the Republican party in
this and previods administrations Is a
tong one, and shows the party sensi-
tive to the needs of the people under
the new view of governmental respon-
sibility.
Public Mind Enflamed.
After mentioning in some detail
these enactments under the Repub-
lican administration, Mr.. Taft con-
Sfnued:
In the work of rousing the people
to the danger that threatened our CIV
ilization from the abuses Of concen-
trated wealth and che power 1t was
likely to exercise, the public magma
ton was wrought upon and reign
and unprincipled undertaking has fol-
lowed, In which much injustice has
been done to honest men Dema-
gogues have seized the opportunity
further to inflame the public mind
and have sought to turn the peculiar
conditions to their advantage
Looks Like Socialism.
In the ultimate analysis, | fear, the
equal opportunity which those seek
who proclaim the coming of so-called
social justice, involves a forced division
of property, and that means social
Ism. In the abuses of the last two
decades it is true that ill-gotten
wealth has been concentrated in some
undeserving hands, and that If it were
possible To reGistribute 1t on any equi-
table principle to those from whom 1t
was taken without adequate or proper
compensation it would be a good re-
suit to bring about. But this is OBJ
giously impossible and impracticable.
All that can be done is to treat this
as one incidental evil OF a great ex-
papsive movement In the material
progress of the world and to make