The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-01-30
TAFT SAYS GOODBYE.
Farewell Speeches to Ohio Society and
Yale Alumni.

Washington, Jan. 30.-President Taft
IN MS farewell speech to the Ohio So
ciety of Washington vigorously at
tackled the bill now pending in congress
proposing autonomy and independence
in eight years for the Philippines.
is 1t possible asked the president,
that the Democratic party is going to
reverse the policy that has indicated
itself by ten years experience merely
Tor the purpose of conforming to the
coowebbed planks of forgotten plat
forms? Will they not before they take
such an frretrievable step obtain re-
liable information as to the conditions
that obtain in the islands? This issue
mas been relegated to the limbo of free
silver or the narrow doctrine of states
rights. Those who continue to give out
their Iugubrations on the Philippines
care now less than those who expect
TO attend the next inaugural ball.
Speaker Clark, who followed the pres
ident, declined to debate with him the
Democratic policy of independence for
the Philippines.
Il am not going to debate the ques-
ton of Philippine independence with
President Taft" said Mr.. Clark 'T
have no inclination to make a Philip
pine speech and I'm not going to either.
L wish we were out of there in as good
shape as We were when we got in. But
according to the Democratic platform,
mitted to policy. I believe that when
a man gets office on platform he
should religious1y live up to the planks
that are in that platform"
President Taft began his address
with eulogy of President Mckinley.
From President Mckinley he returned
to the Philippines and said in part:
after three administrations and
more have passed and after two sue
cessive presidential campaigns with 81
lence on the Philippines as the issue,
the country is asked to make a change.
We are asked to meet a recrudescence
of opposition to our Philippine policy
and the threat to run back the hands
of time; to reverse the verdict of a
decade and to give up all our achieve
mentS for a new experiment which can
only result in confusion and hunilia-
ton and involves US in international
complications and bring us again with
damaged prestige to abandonment of
that policy.
Should Look Before Leaping.
Those of us who by reason of our
information and experience, believe
that reversal of that policy now will
lead to national humiliation and en-
barrassment, should not keep our
mouths closed, but we have a right TO
appeal to those who are coming into
power in the next administration-the
executive and the legislators-to inform
themselves well before they depart
from course which has been fraught
with the utmost benefit to the people
of the Philippine islands. The Philip
pine islands are not yet ready for self
government, and no influence could be
more detrimental upon their future
than the enactment of the measure
now pending in the house of repre-
sentatives providing for a change in
their government
The local Yale Alumni association at
it's annual banquet greeted and bade
farewell to President Taft. A long
cheer with Taft, Taft, Taft" at the
end welcomed the president to the
banquet hall and the strains Of 'Boola
Song and of Here's to Good Old Yale,
Drink Her Down with other college
songs rang out during the evening.
The president declared that when he
next met with the Washington Yale
alumni it would be "as a member of
the faculty come back to tell of the
needs of the university" Whether the
faculty at Yale would treat him as
freshman, he said he did not know.
He then launched into an attack on
some of the modern professors of pol
itical economy, whose heads are in
the clouds and who have lost all sense
of proportion as to what we must an
swer to. I want to help to bring the
students of one university to realize
what it means to be an American now
and what benefits this country with
its constitution gives us. think we
are enjoying many benefits without
realizing how much of self sacrifice 1t
took to bring them about"