Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-01-07
PRESIDENT TAFT
ON PARTY FUTURE
Swan Song, Shorn of Bitter
ness, Delivered at Banquet
of 1900 Leaders.

New York. Jan. Speaking be-
fore 1900 republicans OF nationwide
prominence. probably the largest as
senbiy Of the G. o. p. ever gathered
al banquet. President Taft sang the
svG- Song OF the administration and
uttered a prophesy CT the bright fu-
tJ.c which he saw in store for the re-
publican party.
II Ii not very usual" commenced
TIE resident. "for the deceased to par
.C..@-c In the wake. but I think that
q ,cS remarks about the character of
IT, deceased and the manner OF his
tang of may not be amiss'
Inc president then summed up the
E-L.CvemcI,s Of his administration,
bending his stand in the tariff legis-
il Il fight and referring TO the cor
p--z..cl tax as the best form of IN
c, Ia tax ever deviged" he cham
p.-I-G The commerce court, the postal
81 81 bank, the white slave arl,
the employers liability act, the reci-
prCCity agreement with Canada and
the arbitration treaties with England
and France. He called attention to
the fact that it was the republican
party that cut down the expenses of
the government. built the Panama can
a. AID contributed 10 the peace Of the
word Ey ending revolutions and pre-
vCl-.1S wars in South America.
1t has been charged against me.
SAD the president. that am an
O .st5C.1t and that ! have no sym
patty with me common people, and
/ have no doubt that this impression
has gone abroad and has settled deep
In the minds OF many people. Now l
dcgt think it is true. think | am
al sympathetic with the common PEG
pie. az earnestly DESTROYS OF their
happiness, as anxious to see that they
have justice accorded them and that
they enjoy all their rights under the
law and the constitution as fully and
az completely as any one. believe
most profoundly Nhat popular govern
mCnt Is The best government that We
can have and I am greatly concerned
thai e shall continue and be success
ful in giving 70 the people at large
the best measure Of individual liberty
or the one hand and the greatest prac-
teal efficacy in government on the
other.
We were beaten in the last cleo
ton. We ran third In the race. Why
is Il mat we gather here with so much
spir, and with so little OF the disap-
pCiltmCut aud humiliation supposed
20 accompany political disaster? Is
# nor thai iu spite of the defeat re-
corded az the election in November
We were SIN victorious in saving our
country from an administration whose
policy involved the sapping of the
foundations OF democratic. constiGl-
tioual, representative government.
whose appeals 10 the people were cal
culated 70 arouse class hatred that has
heretofore been the ruin OF popular
goyerument. and whose contempt for
the limitations OF constitutional law
and the guarantees OF civil liberty
promised chaos and anarchy in a coun-
try that has until this time been the
model OF individual freedom and effec-
tive popular government?
The result OF the Chicago conven-
tion was a triumph for the permanence
OF republican institutions, the import.
Rnce OF which cannot be exaggerated
and ] wish TO emphasize this in order
that IL be known that we meet in no
spirit of despair but rather TO rejoice
in a victory for law and order and the
institutions handed down to us by our
fathers II Is true that We were de.
feated at the polls by our old.time op
ponent, the democratic party It is