The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-03-21

tonight gave a new definition of a "po
litical progressive" IN a speech at tn,
banquet of the Swedish-American Re
publican league of Chicago. He elLmi
mated from consideration as real pro
/ gressives those who look to socialism
for relief from present day evils il
government, declared that his dis
tinguished predecessor" deserved
most of the credit for awakening the
public to the need of action and ar
gued that progressive is that pro
gressive does" pointing to some OF
the achievements of his administra.
ton as proof that it has qualified un.
der that definition.
THE term progressive 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 cor.
porate capital and undue vested privi-
lege of their political power and to
bring about proper popular and gov
ernmental control and regulation of
the use Of capital in legitimate ave-
nues and for legitimate purposes.
Administration Progressive.
AN administration which has been
successfully progressive in deed is
entitled to the approval of the people.
The present republican administra-
ton, in what it has accomplished in
legislative and executive action, is
able to point to many real steps of
both in the way of avoiding
disturbances of business,
in the way of regulating the use of
capital and privilege and
its abuses and in the pres
ervation for the public of what be-
longs to it, as well as in ameliorating
the legal status of certain classes of
the people and in increasing the func-
tons of the government for the bene-
fit of the whole people.
The progressive movement has as
sumed the character OF crusade and
many radical remedies were suggest
ed, the carrying out of which would
only be less destructive than the
threatened fatal course of the disease.
No Motive for Labor.
THE growth of socialism in this
country is a noteworthy incident in
showing the extremes to which many
would go in the solution of the prob
lem which am discussing.
THE futility of every socialistic
scheme which destroys the right of
for the uplift of humanity is
that it is impossible to find a suffi-
GENTLY strong motive for labor or for
savings Without this the wealth Of
the world could not increase to meet
the demands for the living and COM
fort and increased physical happiness
Of the growing population"
The banquet was given in commem-
grafton of the fiftieth anniversary of
the battle between the Monitor and
the Merrimac, and the president re-
ferred to that first fight of the iron
clads as a sort of starting point for
political speech.
There is nothing more inspiring in
the history of the world than the story
of the achievements of the RepubIi-
can party since the Monitor received
her baptism of fire." he said.
Refers to Colonel Roosevelt.
Taft pointed out that the progress
sive movement practically began with
the present century. Two decades of
enormous expansion in all lines of en-
deavor in the United States previous
to 1900, he declared, were responsible
for, encroachments of big business"
in the field of politics and it finally
became apparent that these encroach-
ments must be stopped and legisla-
ton must be enacted that would hold
in restraint corporate and vested in.
-erests. 1t was in this connection that
he brought in reference to Colonel
Roosevelt.
During the administration of my
predecessor and by his
appeals to congress and to the public
he people and especially the business
were reused to the ne
'essity for action" he said. "The
great public benefit arising from this
movement can not be over estimated.
t put the people on guard in every
state and in every community"
The antitrust law and the inter.
state commerce acts to control law
breaking corporations both were
passed some time before, said Taft.
But" he continued, "the first stem
and the most important, was the stir.
ring of the people to the nature of
he crisis that they had to meet and
he obstacles they had to overcome"
In conclusion, the president pointed