The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-12-22
TAFT SPEAKS AT
ANOTHER BANQUET
Gave His Opinion on Panama Canal
and Praised Army and Navy
Doctors.

NEW YORK, Dec 22.-Former
President Taft dined with six hundred
other Ohioans at the annual banquet
of the Ohio society here The former
president delivered one of the princi.
pal addresses of the evening, discuss
ing the Panama canal but in, addition
to the serious speeches of distinguish
ed men, the society members were en-.
tertained by George H. O'Connor a
Washington attorney who sang popu-
lar "coon songs
The first toast was to President VIII
son, and then came ito the ladies"
who were seated In the balconies.
Among the speakers were ]. Adam
Bede, former congressman from Min.
nesota and John Barrett, director
general Of the Pan-American union
who spoke on "Onr Sister American
Republics and the Panama Canal
At the table of President William ii.
Trusdale in addition to Taft, Bede and
Barrett, were: Jacob M. Dickinson.
former secretary of war. H. p. David.
son, of J. p. Morgan & Co.; General
I, Nelson A. Miles, General Henry L.
Burnett; Major General Thos. Barry.
, Captain Albert Greaves, Dudley Field
Malone, collector of the port of New
York; VIM. A. Prendegast; congress-
man Calder. Brooklyn: E. H. Blake,
vice president OF the Panama railway.
and Bishop VIM. A. Leonard of Ohio.
In speaking OF the fortitcatlon of
the canal Taft declared he was heart
lily in favor of fortifying the canal.
He said: The canal was built for
the purpose OF improving navigation
and affording our navy better facili-
ties to patrol our coasts. am not In
favor Of neutralizing the canal zone
and / believe that when we use the
Panama canal, no one else should use
1t without our sanction. | am man
of peace and / belong to many peace
! societies. But we should do every
thing in our power to protect our.
i selves and we cannot refuse ourselves
an advantage which we have purposcl,
developed. / am not opposed to the
I free use Of the canal but it cannot be
used when we are engaged in defend
Ing ourselves. believe and hope thai
the fertilization question has beer
settled.
Right here might say that worl
OF army and navy surgeons were re
sponsible in great measure for The
success Of the work Their knowl
edge Of the causes which are RESPONSE
BILE for tropical disease has made pos
sible the accomplishment Of the worl
which the French canal builders cou1t
not see through. j believe that tn,
Spanish-American war has develope,
; this knowledge to remarkable es
!, tent and our army and navy surgeon
have learned more about fighting tropl
cal diseases in the last fifteen year
than have the European countries ii
the past hundred years.
: Regarding the toll question Tai
said he did not wish to go into grea
!, detail but he declared that this cour
try should have the right to favo
American ships in the matter of tolls
In this respect he said he DISAGREE
with Senator Root and Joseph H
Choat
Taft paid tribute 10 Colonel Goethal
and mentioned the work of Nelso
; Cromwell in the negotiations wit
Colombia, He said that three me
were primarily responsible for the su,
cessful contamination Of the work, til
late Senator Marcus A. Hanna, form
. er Senator Spooner OF Wisconsin an
= Theodore Roosevelt. The latter's nam
!, was greeted with cheers.