The Sentinel=record., 1912-03-10
Progressive
CRUSADERS
PRESIDENT TAFT GIVES A NEW
DEFINITION OF PROGRESS.
I'VE MOVEMENT.
Says II Has Assumed the Character
OF Crusade and in Some Instances
the Proposed Remedy Is Worse
Than the Disease.

Chicago, March President Taft
tonight baye a new definition OF a
political progressive" in speech at
the banquet of the Swedish-American
republican league of Chicago. He
eliminated from consideration as real
irogressives those who look TO social
ism for relief from present. day evils
in government, declared that his dis
tinguished predecessor deserved most
of the credit for awakening the pub
tic TO the need lor action and argued
that progressive is that progressive
does pointing to some of the achieve
ments OF his administration as proof
that II has qualified under that defl-
milton
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 its political power and TO
bring about proper popular and gov
ernmental control and regulation Oi
the use of capital in legitimate ave-
nues and for legitimate purposes.
the president said:
THE progressive movement has as
sumed the character of a crusade and
ma.ly radical remedies were sug-
gested, the carrying out of which
would only be less destructive than
the threatened fatal course of the dis
ease. There were many. who had
long attacked our present institutions
as the basis of all injustice and in
equality and their voice became loud
er and more distinct end was listen
ed to with much greater favor than
ever before in the history of the
country.
~The growth of socialism in this
country is a noteworthy incident in
showing extreme to which many
90 in the solution of the problem W
would go in the solution of the prob
lens which i am discussing.
"The futility of every socialist
scheme which destroys The right of
property for the uplift of humanity
is that it is impossible to find a
sufficiently .strong motive for labor
or for saving. without this the wealth
of the world could not increase TO
meet the demands for the living and
comfort and increased physical hap
ii;;;.aaess ii;;;.aaess es the growing population"
The banquet was given in COM
memoration of the fiftieth anniver-
sary OF the battle between the Moni-
tor and the Merrimac and the presi-
dent referred to that first fight of
lie iron clads as sort of starting
point for a political speech.
There is nothing more inspiring
in the history of the world than the
story of the achievements of the re-
publican partyssince the Monitor re-
oeived her baptism of fire" he said.
Mr. Taft pointed out that the pro
aressive movement practically began
with the present century. Two dec
AIDES of enormous expansion IN all
lines OF endeavor in the United States
previous to 1900 he declared were re-
sponsible for eneroachments of big
business" in the field of politics and
it finally became apparent that these
racroachments must be stopped and
that legislation must be enacted that
would hold in restraint the corporate
and vested interests. 1t was in this
connection that he brought in ref.
erence to Colonel Roosevelt.
During the administration of my
distinguished predecessor and by his
appeals to congress and to the pub.
lie, the people and especially the bus
mess communities were reused TO the
necessity for action" he said. The
great public benefit arising from this
movement cannot be overestimated
1T put the people on guard III every
state and in every community. The
antitrust law and the interstate COM
\ merce acts to control law-breaking
corporations, both we're 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 uhe OBJ
stacles that they had TO overcome.