Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1912-03-10
TAFT Defines A
REAL INS0RGENT
GIVES A SAFE AND SANE IDEA OF
WHAT THE PRESENT DAY
PROPAGANDA MEANS.
TERM A PROGRESSIVE ONE
IT'S LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS POINT
THE WAY TO REAL STEPS
OF PROGRESS.
Takes A DIG At teddy
Hold To Scorn He Who Fawns Upon
the People As Though They
We're Incapable OF Error.
TERM A PROGRESSIVE ONE
Takes A DIG At teddy

CHICAGO, March 9.-President
Taft tonight gave new definition Of
a political progressive" in speech
at the banquet of the Swedish Ameri-
can Republican league club Of CHI
cago. He eliminated from consldera-
ton as real progresSives those who
look to socialism for relief from pres
ent day evils in government, declar-
cd that his distinguished predeces-
sor" deserves most of the credit for
awakening the public to the need for
action, and argued that progressive
is as progressive does" pointing to
some Of the achievement of his ad-
ministration as proof that 1t has quail
fled under that definition.
The term progressives. said the
president, INCLUDES all of those who
have been moved to efforts of reform
by the necessity for legislative and
governmental action to deprive corpo-
rate capital and undue vested privi-
lege of It's special power. and to bring
about proper, popular and government
tai conditions and regulation of the
use in capital in legitimate avenues.
and for the legitimate purposes.
Handsome is that handsome does"
said he quoting the old maxim
What Taft Has Accomplished.
IAN administration which has been
successively progressive is entitled TO
no n tu Of
present administration in what II has
accomplished in legislative action, Is
able to point to many real steps of
progress both in the way of avoid
ing unnecessary disturbances in the
way of regulating the use of corporate
capital and privilege, and in the pre-
servation for the public of what be-
longs to it, as we'll as in amelioria-
ton the legal status of certain classes
of the people and in increasing the
fuvctions of the government for the
benefit of the whole people"
Turning from those he considered
progressive to those he held to be
radical in their desires for govern
mental changes, the president contin-
ued:
Assumes Crusade Character.
"The progressive movement has as
sumed the character of a crusade and
many radical remedies were suggested
the carrying out Of which would be
only less destructive than the threat
aned fatal courst of the disease. There
were many who had long attacked
our present institutions as the basis of
all injustice and inequality, and their
voice became louder and more dis
tinct and was listened to with much
greater favor than ever before in the
history of the country.
The banquet was given in comme-
moration of the 50th anniversary OF
the battle between the Monitor and
the Merrimac, the first fight of the
iron clads, as q starting point for a
political speech.
Mr.. Taft pointed out that the pro-
gressive movement began with the
present century. Two decades of enor
nous expansion in all lines Of en-
deavor in the United States previous
to 1900 he declared, were respon-
sible for encroachments Of big busi-
ness I'm the field of politics. and 1t
finally became apparent that these en-
croachments must be stopped and that
legislation must be enacted that
would hold in restraint the corporate
and vested interests. II was In this
connection that he brought In ref
erence to Colonel Roosevelt.
Started BY Mr.. Roosevelt.
my predecessor began this move
ment, and by his appeals to congress
and to the public. the people, espec-
ially the business communities. were
aroused to the necessity for action,
he said. "The great public benefit
arising from this movement cannot be
overestimated. 1t put the people on
guard in every state and every COM
munity. The anti trust law and me
interstate commerce acts to control
law breaking corporations both were
passed some time before" said Mr..
Taft. But" he continued. the first
step and the most important was the
stirring of the people to the nature OF
the crisis that they had to meet and
obstacles that they had to overcome.
Government is framed for the
greatest good for the greatest num-
ber. and also for the greatest good Of
individuals. and the problem Is the
balancing of these two objects in such
q way as that both may proceed side
BY side. While We would not part