The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1912-02-13

Taft brought his celebration of
" Lincoln's birthday TO a close
here tonight with a political
kepeech to the Republican club, in which
khe bresthed defiance to the democratic
bparty, declared 1t was his belief that
fthe republicans would triumph next
November and made it plain that he
shad little sympathy with those of his
s~own political faith who call themselves
~progressives." but who are political
r@motionalists OF neurotics."
His speech came almost at the end
kof a strenuous day that took him to
ENswark and Orange. N. J.. and gave
him six hours in New York in which
ITO attend the political dinner and drop
in at banquets of the Retail Dry Goods
association and the Graduates club.
Leaving for washington tonight, the
president IS due in the capital early
tomorrow.
Alaska for Taft
While at the banquet of the Repub-
lican club the president received a tel
egram assuring him that two delegates
to the republican national convention
from Alaska, pledged to support him,
had been elected today.
Most of the prominent leaders of the
party in the state were present at to-
nights banquet william J., Ward. a
republican national committeeman, who
refused to attend the presidents White
House dinner to members of the ma
tionaI committee last December. also
attended
President Taft came to New York
from Newark. where he was the guest
at luncheon of former Governor Frank
lin Murphy.
Raps Progressives
In his address before the Republican
club here tonight President Taft said
in part:
Men praise lincoln today and at
tack the republican party, alto
gether forgetfuI of the fact that in
Lineolns life the man and the party
were so closely united in aim and
accomplishment that the history Of
the one is the history of the other
The truth is that the history of the
last so years. with one or two ex-
ceptfons has been the history of the
republican party.
With the effort to make the Sc
lection Of candidates. the enactment
Of legislation and the decision of
courts depend on the momentary
passions of a people. necessarily in
differently informed as to the is
sues presented. and without the
opportunity to them for time and
study and that deliberation that
gives security and common sense
to. the government of the people.
such extremists would hurry US
into a condition which could find
no parallel except in-sthe French
revolution, or in that bubbling
anarchy that once characterized the
South American republics.
Such extremists are not progress
sives-they are political emotional
ISIS or neurotics who have lost the
sense of proportion, that clear and
candid consideration of their own
weakness as a whole, and that
clear perception of the necessity for
checks upon hasty popular action
which made our people who fought
the revolution and who drafted the
federal constitution for the great
est self governing people that the
world ever knew.
It has been said and it is COM
mon platform expression, that it is
well 20 prefer the man above the
dollar. as IL the preservation of
property right had some other pur-
nose than the assistance to and the
uplffting of human rights. Pri-
vate property was established as
an instrumentaIity in the progress
OF civilization and the uplifting of
man. and 1T is equality of oppor-
tunity that private property pro-
notes by assuring the man the re-.
Sults of his own labor, thrift and
If-restraint.
we have permitted the establish
naent of corporations and the ac-
ouisition OF power through the corr
ruptfng use OF money in politics.
SO. as at times to give to few
dangerous control in legislation and
government but during the last 10
years much progress against such
ahuses. has been made in this re-
gard. Statutes have been passed.
ao4ably the anti trust statutes and
the interstate commerce law and
fts amendments, to restrain a mis-
use of the privileges conferred by
charter. and, If need be. there is
nothing in the future of the coun-
try to prevent and everything in
the principles and history of the
republican party to forecast prog
ress in this o-rection.
We have an army of mobile
troops. not more. than one to 1000
Of our population, and now it is
proposed by our DEMOCRATIC friends
in congress TO reduce that army b.
eliminating a third Of our cavalry.