The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-08-06
TAFT'S SpEECn
OF ACCEPTANCE
President Outlines His Aims and
Political Beliefs.
REFERENCES TO THIRD PARTY.

Defends tho Working Of Payne Tar.
IN Bill and Suits Brought to Dissolve
Trusts.
Mr.. Root and Gentlemen Of the Mott
ocaton Committed accept the nomi-
nation which you tender. l do SO with
profound gratitude to the Republican
party, which has thus honored me
twice. accept 1t as an approval Of
what have done under its mandate,
and as an expression Of confidence
that In u second administration ! will
serve the public well. The issue pre-
sented to the convention. over which
your chairman presided with such q
Just and even hand, made crisis In
the party's life. A faction sought to
force the party to violate a valuable
and time honored national tradition by
intrusting 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 pro-
posals involving dangerous changes in
our present constitutional form Of rep
resentative government and our inde-
pendent judiciary.
This occasion Is appropriate for the
expression of profound gratitude AT the
victory for the right which was won at
Chicago. by that victory the Repub-
lican party was saved for future use
fulness. II has been the party through
which substantially all the progress
and development In our country's his
tory In the last fifty years has been
finally effected. 1t carried the country
through the war which saved the Un-
lon and through the greenback and sill
yer crazes to a sound gold basis, which
saved the country's honor and credit.
1t fought the Spanish war and sue
cessfully so,ved the new problems Of
our island possessions.
1t met the incidental evils Of the
enormous trade expansion and extend
ed combinations Of capital from 1897
until now by successful crusade
against the attempt Of concentrated
. wealth torrOntrol' the cOuntry's politics
and Its trade. 1t enacted regulatory
legislation to make the railroads the
servants and NOT the masters OF the
people. 1t has. enforced the antitrust
laws until those who were not content
with anything but mOnOpOlistic con-
troll Of various branches Of industry
are now acquiescent in any plan which
shall give them scope for legitimate
expansion and assure them immunity
from reckless prosecution.
The Duty Of Government.
The Republican party has been alive
to the modern change in the view Of
the duty OF government toward the
people. Time was when the least gov
ernment was thought the best and
the policy which left all to the indi-
vidual, unmolested and unaided by
government. was deemed the wisest.
Now the duty Of government by posi-
tive law to further equality Of oppor-
tunity In respect Of the weaker classes
In their dealings with the stronger and
more powerful is clearly recognized.
II IL In this direction that real prog
ress toward the greater human hap
piness IL heing made. 1t has been
suggested that under our constitution
such tendency to so called paternalism
was impossible. Nothing Is further
from the fact. The power OF the fed
eral government to tax and expend
for the general welfare has long been
exercised. and the admiration one feels
Tor our constitution IL increased when
we perceive how readily that instru
uent lends itself to wider govern
mental functions In the promotion Of
the comfort of the people.
The list Of legislative enactinents fol
the uplifting Of those Of our people sui
Sering u disadvantage in their socia
and economic relations to others enact
ID by the Republican party In this and
previous administrations is long one
and shows the party sensitive to thu
needs Of the people under the new view
of governmental responsibility.
Thus there was the pure food law
and the meat inspection law to hole
those who dealt with the food Of mil
lions to strict accountability for III
healthful condition.
The frightful loss OF life and liml
10 railway employees In times pas
has now been greatly reduced by stat
utes requiring safety appliances ant
proper inspection. of which two i'm
portant ones were passed In this I'D
ministrati0n.
The passage Of time has brought tn
burdens and helpiessness Of old age 4
many Of those veterans Of the civil
war who exposed their lives In tn
Vupreme struggle to save the nation
and. recognizing this, congress ha
added to previous provision which pa
triotic gratitude had prompted. sui
stantial allowance, which may
properly characterized as an old men
pension.
Railways and Employees.
In the making OF the contract Of en-
ployment between q railway employe
and the company the two do not stan
an an eOuality and the tePmn Of III