The Sentinel=record., 1913-01-19
DECLARES THAT BILL BEFORE CONGRESS TO CRAFT INDIE
 PENDENcE IS A MISTAKE.
PRESIDENT IS GIVEN OVATION
Says the Philippines Are Self-Sup- porting and That This Govern ment Has Not Given One Cent
 to Support That Government.

New York, Jan IS. President Taft tonieht paid one of his frequent Sat urday night visits to Sew York, fill ing dinner engagements chiefly among which was that with the Ohio Society at it's annual banquet. Earlier in the evening he attended a private dinner given in honor of Andrew D. White, former president of Cornell University and had a tentative en- gagement to drop in later at the ban quet of the Duchess county (N YD Society.
 Tomorrow the president, who will spend the night at the home of his .rother, Henry ". Taft, will address the annual convention of the order of B'Nai BlRith in this city, and after another night at his brothers resi- dence, will go to New Haven, Conn.,, where he expects to make his home after retiring from the presidency, for a brief visit.
 He plans to return here Monday evening, attending the theater and board a midnight train for Washing ton.
 Mrs. Taft accompanied him on his trip here.
 When President Taft entered the banquet hail, where the dinner to for mer President Andrew White of Cor nell. was to be held. the first person he saw was Henry Phipps. the Pitts burg steel man. The president stretched his hand out and smiling ly said:
 ''Iow do you do, Mir Phipps?"
 Mr Phipps looked blankly at the president a moment.
 Pardon me, l don't seem to recall your face," he said.
 A wave of laughter from the din- ners brought smile to the presi- dents face, which had clouded for a second.
 MT Phipps." he said, q think if you take good look at me, you will recall"
 Before the president could complete his sentence MT. Phipps, who had continued gazing intently at him, broke in with
 "Why, President Taft, I beg your pardon. really did not recognize you"
 The president laughed as he warm ly shook Mir. Phipps by the hand and waiKed to the place reserved for him. Mir, Phipps took the matter good naturedly, and laughed with the rest of the diners.
 President Taft, in his speech at the 1bfn dinner caYpp nTt plV against the bill before congress pro viding for independence for the Philip pines in eight years.
 If l were a partisan l shouldn't ask anything better than that the Democratic party should pass this bill and go out of the Philippines in eight years" he said "rhe passage of this bill would mean a mess and a muss that would return to plague the men responsible for it for 25 years.
 "Is it possible" the president ask ed that little as this Democratic administration knows about the Philippines they are going to let them go and defeat our etiorts to raise and educate the Philippine people? is it possible that it is going to do that W1tn no fOuHudtlOu WHdtSDefef duu without the approval of somebody who knows the islands? l hope not.
 Possibly I am interested in the case, but l am interested chiefly in the Philippine people"
 With the exception of $S,000,000 that has been appropriated to relieve famine. said the president, not a cent had been given by the United States for the civil government of the Philip pines in the whole period of American administration. In two or three gen. erations the islands would be in such shape they could be given independ- ence, but why do it now, he asked.
 President Taft, who entered at late hour was escorted into the ban out room by committee of members of the Ohio Society, and the fife and drum corps of the Seventh Regiment, National Guard, New York. He was given an ovation, the cheering last ing several minutes.