The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-08-02
PRES. TAFT's ACCEPTANCE.
CONTINUED from 1st page)

president launched into bitter at
tack upon those responsible Tor the
nonular unrest" of the present day
aStarted by sensational journalism
and unjust and unprincipled muck
raking" he said, "demagogues nave
seized the opportunity to intame the
nublic mind that they might turn Pc
culiar conditions to their own adVan-
tage " IN the formation of new par
ties the president said, these men
have promised the satisfaction OF I'M
rest by the application of panacea.
~ do not say that the two gentle
men who now lead, one the Demo
cratic party and the other the former
Republicans who have left the party
in their attacks upon existing condl-
lions. and in their attempts TO satlsly
the popular unrest by promises OF
remedies, are consciously embracing
socialism. The truth is that they
do not offer any definite Legislation
or policy by which the happy condi-
lions they promise are to be brought
about but if their promises mean
anything, they lead directly toward
the appropriation of what belongs TO
one man, to another.
"The truth is, my friends, both
those who have left the republican
party under the inspiration OF their
present leader, and our old oppon-
ents, the Democrats, under their can
didate. are going in a direction they
do not definitely know, toward an END
they cannot definitely describe, with
but one chief and clear object and
that is of acquiring power for their
party by popular support through the
promise of a change for the better.
"These gentlemen proposed to re-
form the government whose present
defects, if any, are due to the failure
of the people to devote as much time
as is necessary to their political du-
ties. by requiring a political activity
by the people three times that which
thus far the people have been willing
to assume.
But after we have changed all the
governmental machinery so as to per
NIT instantaneous expression of the
people in constitutional amendments,
in statutes and in recall of public
agents, what then?
Votes are not bread, constitutional
amendments are not work, referen-
dums do not pay rent or furnish
houses, recalls do not furnish cloth
ing, initiatives do not supply employ
ment, or relieve inequalities OF con-
dition or of opportunity. We still
ought to have set before us the de-
finite plans to bring on complete
equality of opportunity and TO, abolish
hardship and evil for humanity. We
listen for them in vain"
The president discussed at some
length the recall of judges and jul
dicial decisions and the proposals to
forbid the use of injunction to pro-
tect property against secondary
boycott and the use of juries in con-
tempt proceedings brought to enforce
DEGREES or orders. The recall of de-
cisions he labelled the "grotesque
proposition by the leader of former
Republicans who have left their
party"
"The Republican party" concluded
the president, Stands for none of
these innovations. IL refuses TO
make changes simply for the purpose
of making a change and cultivating
popular hope that in the change
something beneficial, underlined. will
take place. We favor the greatest
good to the greatest number. We be-
lieve that we have made progress
from the beginning to now and that
the progress is to continue into the
far future; that il is reasonable pro
gress that experience has shown to
be really useful and helpful, and from
which there is no reaction to some
thing worse. 1t is said that this is
not an issue in the campaign. IL
seems to me it is the supreme issue.