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PRESIDENT TAFT S DEFENSE. WKKIKSMWI sl'KAKS IN HF HAI.F OF \DMIMMH ATION. The* Defensive < ampalun <)|hmumI h, \ttorne\ (.nimil at Hamilton Club Celebration In Chicago. I?rosi rtent's Detractors, Including Insur? gent Kepublh hih, hitc llltterlv IV nouneed and Iiis P?lich*?* l phchl. Cnlsajo III.. April 9.?In the most aggressiv^ defen.se that has yet been uttered for the pollelea and Adminis? tration of William H. Taft. Attorney General George W. Wk-kersham. at the Appomattox celebration of the Hamilton Club tonight. flayed the President's detractors; smote the Republican Insurgents hip and thigh, reviewed the acts of the first year of the Administration and. declaring that every pledge made In the Repub? lican platform of 1908 had been ful? filled to the extent of the possible limits of executive action.challenged In ringing tones. "What other admin? istration can point to the accomplish? ment of so much in so short a time?" It as the general feeling that the Attorney General was speaking for his chief as he recalled the campaign pledges one by one and pointed to the Executive's action upon them after taking office. The Administration's determination t* enforce the Sherman law against trusts and monopolies, he relverated; the tariff, he defended and c eclared that aa a revenue producer it had no equal, while Its maximum and mini? mum provisions provided a powerful weapon for the protection of Ameri? can commerce. Pointing to the treas? ury's statement on an estimated sur? plus of more than $35.000,000 for the fiscal year ondlng on June 30, 1911, the Attorney General said it reflects economies which would reduce the annual expenses'of Government forty two million dollars and turn an esti? mated annual deficit of a hundred millions Into a surplus of thirty-five millions, while after dinner orators were eloquently discoursing on the subject. Every Republican must choose, the Attorney General declared, whether or not he was with the Republican party and the President. "He that hath no stomach for the flgM let him dopart." quoted Mr. Wickereham. In a shout which em? phasised the sentiment. "The time of running with the hares and the hounds la over. Treason has ever eonelsted In giving aid and com? fort to the enemy. If anyone wlahes to join the Democratic party, let him do so; but let him not claim to be a Republican and work In and out of season to defeat Republican measures and to subvert the Influences of the Republican President." Arranging his argument to follow the sequence of events. Mr. Wlcker sham began by saying that the pre? vious ai. nlnlstratlon had been charac ter!sed by a determined and coura? geous attack on abuses of privilege %nd dow?t, upon which had been roared aggregations of eapital whose existence and unshackled growth threatened the stability of free Institutions " "A higher standard of business morality and obedience to law he 1 been set." declared the Attorney Gen? eral, "but In the attainment of these ends the country hod been shaken to Its foundations and the work of per? fecting the machinery by which those standards might be maintained, by which, to use the language of Presi? dent Taft the law breakers might be promptlv restrained and punished,' bot whlrh should op. rate with suffi? cient accuracy and dispatch to Inter? fere with legitimate hulness as little ae possible.' was. as the President pointed out In hla apeech of accept an*?e. to the chief function of his Ad? ministration It would be a strained analogy, the Attornev general thought. to liken too closely the task confronting the Administration of T'n-Ident Taft with the work of reconstruction following the civil war. "The terms which Gen. Grant had advised <;? n Lee would bo acceptable,' he said, however, "were as simple and conclusive as those which nearly a half century later President Taft offered to the m.magern of great trusts and monopolies. "On this anniversary of the peace of Appomattox the mind naturally turns to many points of similarity in the conditions prevailing In tin se two different epo< hs. The dan.ror from armed re<lstan< e to eonstltuted authorltv is open and manifest, and Is met l>y simple. ohviotM methoin. The dangers t?? free Institutions, aris? ing from the com et ration of vast wealth and great power In few hands. Is far more Insidious than that aris? ing from open revolt against govern? ment, and the methods hy which these dangers mas he met and avert? ed are b-ss ohvhms and more sub? ject t?? misunderstanding than the work of resisting force by force. The dally work of endeavoring to carry on the gi at Increasing complex business of government without per? petual turmoil and commotion, but none the less efficiently and adequate? ly. Is far less attractive to spectacular *-?????. Imagination and can only be done !>y men who are content to endure misrepresentation and misinterpreta? tion of their acts, and to look to the future, rather than to the present, for a vindication of their motives and a Justiflaction of their deeds. "The Administration of President Taft has been in office a little more than a year. That it has accomplish? ed much in that time is abundantly attested by the volume of criticism and by the increasing vehemance of sttacks upon it." Mr. Wickersham then went on to re? view the President s acts, his recom? mendations to Congress and his efforts to secure legislation promised in the Republican platform. The corpor? ation tax, he said, was a practical application of the provisions of the party pledge, which declared for strengthening the law against trusts that Its real objects might be better attained. It was a perfectly legiti? mate and effective system of taxation, he said, by which Federal supervision over business of corporations could be established &nd the knowledge ob? tained would be a long step toward that supervisory control of corpor? ations which might prevent further abuses of power. "People who had for years been clamoring for greater publicity in the affairs of corporations and Govern? ment supervision became highly in? dignant, when they found that their own particular corporations were re? quired to make returns as well as their neighbors. What they wanted was publicity for others!?and not for themselves," he exclaimed. "The Attorney General declared that the work of the tariff commission is meeting the appreciation it deserv? es, and said it provided the best and most careful investigation of facts for future revision of the tariff. He read a resolution endorsing the com? mission recently passed by the board of directors of the National Tariff Commission Association." The correction Is subject to the same provision of release as the matter which it affects. The President's special messages. Mr. Wickersham added, had recom? mended amendments to the Inter? state commerce law, Federal incor? poration, postal savings banks, uni? form safety appliances on railroad trains, changes to make the em? ployers' liability Act more easy to enforce, intelligent conservation laws, readjustment of mail rates and re? vision of the customs law. The Presi? dent had placed before Congress for enactment into law, he declared, all those measures which the Republican party had pledged Itself to adopt, and If Congress should adjourn with? out enacting them, then upon Con? gress and not the President, rested the responsibility for the breach of faith.. But Mr. Wickersham expressed the conviction that the President's pro? gramme would go through. "I am firmly persuaded that these measures will not fail," he said, "and that despite the efforts of In? dividuals to magnify their own par? ticular importance at the expense of party loyalty and party honor, the Republican majority In Congress will make good the party pledges and give to the country the benefit of that legislation the party has promised and which the President has so clear? ly and so forcefully outlined." BoOBOtnleS Of the expense of con? ducting the Government, the speaker ttiSOBSSSd exe-'ustively. For the first time in t'ie history of the country, he Id, a comprehensive budget had baas prepared dealing with estimated expenditures and the means of rais? ing money to defray them. The fiscal fear ending In June, 1011, would see i saving of more than $94,000,000 over 1910 and $55,000,000 less than the appropriations for the latter year. "There has never been such a rc dUCtloB In the history of the Govern? ment." he said, "nor is there any rec? ord of any effort by any other admin i-'tration to reduce estimates similar to that made by department heads this year." The work of the department he re? viewed, saying the na\y had suffered from frequent change of secretaries; proposed chances in legislation for the department of the interior he en? dorsed; the census work in the de? partment ?'l* commerce and labor he sketched briefly, and then touched on the s ork of the department of Justice. Mr. Wi< seraham referred to the prose< Utlon <>f sugar frauds in Now York, pointing to 41 convictions ami only one acquittal by a jury, as well .?is the collection of more than thrt e snd I half millions In back duties by the Government. The Standard <>U and Tobacco CUM In the Supreme Court of the United v t.it. s. he referred to particularly, however, and declared they consti? tuted the most comprehensive attempt ever made by the Government to deal with the question of monopoly. ' in effect*" declared the Attorney Oeneral With great emphasis on the word "offset," "they Involve the ques? tion whether or not the entire In dustrles Of this country may be legally controlled by one group of men. "It Is not to be Inferred that It I* the Intention Of the Republican party to put any check upon the natural and legitimate development of busi? ness enterprise either through Indi? vidual or corporate organizations." "But It certainly has been a fixed purpose since the enactment of the Sherman law in 18 90 to prevent the perversion of laws of coporate or? ganization through lnter-corporate stockholdings to the accomplishment of schemes of monopoly. "It is not essential to American progress or American prosperity that (me group of men shall control the entire business of the United States In oil, in sugar or iron or any other commodity and no sound principle of economic law is offered by striking down all such artificial combinations." "These organizations present the most obnoxious form when they con? trol subjects of such vital importance to the entire community as the pro? duction and marketing of coal; and the department of justice has recently argued and submitted to the Circuit Court of the United States in Phil? adelphia; a proceeding brought to break up a combbinatlon under which the great anthartic coal production of Pennsylvania is controlled by an in? ter corporate organization of railroad and coal mining companies and the department has now under prepara? tion a proceeding against a similar combination affecting bituminous coal, believed to be equally reprehen? sible In its character and obnoxious In its effects. When he had finished reciting the Administration's campaign against corruption the Attorney General said: "All these represent the determin? ed policy of the Government to at? tack all special privileges and undue preferences, whether obtained by Illegal combinations, by bribing pub? lic officials, by rebates or special ad? vantages in transportation or by any other method. "Is it not true that all those who call themselves Republicans should stop coquetting with the Democratic party; should sink their Individual preferences about the details of legis? lation and join with Republican work? ers in carrying to fruition under our grt>at, patient, candid, wise Republi? can President the work of clinching the reforms of the last eight years on the lines so carefully and so wisely laid down in the platform of 1908. "Wise legislation, embodying no sudden impulse, but matured views expressed In party council, is press? ed for enactment. When the account is cast and the people weigh them in the balance at the last election, who will find most favor? They who stood shoulder to shoulder with the President in carrying out the party pledges, or those who true to no party principle hovered like the bat in the fable, sometimes with one sometimes, with the other, and in the end was cast out and scorned by both. "So gentlemen, in responding to your toast, "The Administration," I have endeavored briefly to indicate the principles upon which the Presi? dent and his advisors have been work? ing and some of the results they have accomplished. I can say heirtily for all my colleagues that they are a body of very loyal, very sincere gen? tlemen, who are striving to serve the people with a single minded devotion, true to Republican principles and loyal to the President, whom one and all of them enthusiastically love and admire." KIDNAPPING AT MAYESVUJiE. Israel Benjamin Takes Child from Divorced Wife. Ifayesvllle, April 12.?All other means having failed, Israel Benja? min of New York, in his efforts to get possession of his small daughter from his former wife, who is married again und living here, the man kidnapped the child and got away with it. He left persumably for New York and through telegrams were sent in every direction in an attempt to apprehend him. they have so far been without avail. Benjamin's wife after securing a divorce from him, married Joseph Denmark, who was a business man in this town. Benjamin having failed to get possession of the child through the courts, came here some time ago and has been keeping close watch on the Denmark home. Yesterday, du? ring the absence of Denmark in Sum tor, Benjamin, having hired a bug pry, watched for an opportunity, seiz? ed the child from its nurse and loft. It was learned today that ho drove to Blahopvllle and from there wont In an automobile to Bethuno. where he hoarded a Seaboard Air Dine train, presumably for his home In Now York. Ren jam In is said to have once held a position of some sort with the Now York city government. Who weeps with you when you are sad. and laughs when you are glad, and smiles with you when you are mad the editor, Who has to be both kind and wise and never (hardly ever) lies, and when ho does creates iurprlse ?the editor. Who owns a heart as well as a cheek, possessed of spirit proud but yet meek, and lives on forty cents a week?the edi? tor. NEW COUNCIL IN. MAYOR JENNINGS AND NEW MEMBERS TAKE OATH. Now Mayor Outlines Vigorous Policy to Enforce "Laws and to Suppress Tax * Dodging?Has C'ommltte of Real Estate Already at Work on Tax Returns?Listen for Yell from License Tax Dodgers. From The Daily Item. April 13. The old council met for the last' time last night, and the new council took up the burden of public service that it will have to carry for the next two years. The final session of the old council, with Mayor Boyle in the chair, was brief and all busi? ness was quickly disposed of?a ma? jority of the matters requiring at? tention being referred to the new council for consideration and dispo? sition. The meeting was called to order at 8 o'clock with Mayor Boyle and Alder? men Finn, Stubbs, Barnett and R. F. Haynsworth present. The meeting was opened with prayer by Clerk Hurst, ex-ofHclo City Chaplain, after which the regular order was taken up. Mr. L. I. Strauss, representing A. A. Strauss & Co., appeared and re? quested some action in reference to the repair of awning frame in front of their store on Main street, said frame having been damaged by a run? away horse. He desired to replace It as it was, but had been informed that he could not do so, as a new or? dinance forbids the erection of awn? ing frames with upright supports from the edge of the sidewalk. He asked that permission be granted for the re-erection of the awning, as It would be expensive to erect a nev frame. The matter was discussed and referr? ed to the new council for action. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. Mayor Boyle made report for the special committee appointed to confer with the county board of com? missioners in reference to the deep? ening of Turkey Creek canal. He stated that the committee had appear? ed before the commissioners and talked over the matter, that the commissioners would not agree to put the chain gang on the work, but agreed that the county would share the expense with the city and asked that the city make an estimate of the probable cost and report back at a special meeting, at which time the commissioners would decide what portion of the cost the county would pay. The city engineer had been instructed to make the estimate and the meeting with the county commissioners was to have been held on Monday, but had been unavoid? ably postponed, consequently nothing had yet been done. Chairman Barnett of the Finance committee reported that all claims had been audited, the last monthly and the yearly report of the clerk and treasurer had been examined and found correct. The annual report shows that the city has on hand $25, 900 after paying all bills now due and payable. The annual report was or? dered published. The report of the Police committee, submitted by Alderman Stubbs, show? ed the arrests made and sentence im? posed sjnee the last meeting, and the lights not burning. Mr. Finn for the Fire department committee reported excellent progress being made on the erection of the new fire department building, and that a contract had been given for the canopy and rod for this build in t. '""he request of the Postal Tele? graph Company for a reduction in the license tax presented at the last meeting, was refused, a motion being adopted that the tax remain at $75 per annum. A claim was presented bv Geo. F. Eperson for a refund of the one half of the cost of puttin;: down cement sidewalk in front of his prop? erty on Main street paid by him sev? eral months ago. A like claim was presented by Boyle Live StOCK Com? pany for refund of one-half cost of sidewalk on East Liberty street Both claims were referred to the new council. All bills and claims on f.lc were referred to the new council. The returns of the managers of the municipal election held en April 12th for the purpose of electing a Mayor and eight aldermen and one commissioner of public works to serve for the ensuing two years were presented and read. The election was declared as reported by the managers, as follows: For Mayor L. i>. Jennings received 154 votes. For Aldermen .T. P. Booth, D. W. Cuttino, J. r. Glenn, J. w. McKelver, H. J, McLnurln, Jr., R. H. Rhame, R. K. Wilder and R. I,. Wright each n celved 1 54 v<des. P'or Commissioner <?t public w??rks W. It, Hums received 154 votes. All members of the new council, except R. L. Wright, being present, they were sworn In and signed the required oath of office. Before surrendering the chair Mayor Boyle extended his sincere and hearty congratulations to Mayor Jennings and assured him and the new council that they had his best wishes for a successful administrat? ion. Mayor Boyle also presented his successor with a handsome boquet of roses. Mayor Jennings thanked the re? tiring officer for his expressions of good and for the floral offering. Assuming the chair Mr. Jennings said that he realized fully that he and the members of council had taken upon themselves a responsible and ardous duty that would call for their very best efforts and all the ability and all the public spirit of which they are possessed. He entered upon the discharge of the duties imposed up? on him by the vo.es of the people of Sumter wlfh but a single idea?to do his full duty with the strictest impar? tiality, and to do this duty regard? less of praise or censure. He would do his utmost while In office to pro? mote the growth and welfare of the city, to build up Industries and to induce desireable citizens to locate here and to establish new Industries. He pledged himself to the enforce? ment of all laws, especially the law against the illicit sale of liquor, which is admittedly one of the most diffi? cult of all laws to enforce. He was not a prohibitionist and had not voted for prohibition for the reason that he had not believed it possible to effectively enforce the law, yet he would use all the power of his office and all the machinery of the law to put a stop to the sale of liquor in Sumter, in so far it is possible to bring this about. In this connection he emphasized the fact that the en? tire police would be made to under? stand from the first that the laws of the city must be enforced and en? forced to the letter. If there are laws that should not be enforced they have no place on the statute books of the city and should be repealed at the first opportunity. If there are men on the police force who do not do their duty, who do not enforce the laws as they find them?and he did not charge that there were such men on the force?they would have either to mend their ways and en? force the laws or get off the force. The police force will be required to do its full duty and this can be counted on for a certainty. As to the matter of finance he could say little without fuller infor? mation and more comprehensive and intimate knowledge of the city's re? sources, liabilities and fixed expenses. He would take pains to inform him? self at the first opportunity and would use his best judgment, always with the advice of the council, in expend? ing the money of the people for the best interests of the community as a whole?never for some special or favored person or Interest. Directly related to the matter of finance is the matter of taxation, and this brings in the question of just and equal taxation, which is now largely in the public mind. Before the pri? mary he had pledged himself to make an honest and determined effort, without fear or favor, to bring about the equilization of taxation in this city. He was pledged to stop if pos? sible the practice of tax dodging, and in order that he might do something toward redeeming this pledge he had anticipated his formal induction in? to office by calling together the coun? cil elect and appointing a committee to co-operate with the township board of equilization in the re-assess? ment and equilization of real estate values. It was necessary that this action be taken before the new council took office as the township board was already at work on the re? turns and the report had to be made to the county auditor at an early date? if the appointment of the committee had been delayed until the new coun? cil was sworn in it would have been too late for the committee to accom? plish the desired result. He desired the appointment of the committee confirmed by council. The committee appointed was R. B. Belser, D. R. McCallum, Jr., and D. D. Molse, and the compensation is $5 a day each for the actual time engaged in the work. The committee has been en? gaged In going over the returns for the past ten days or two weeks, it is already apparent that the results will be valuable. Some property owners have made returns higher than they should, others have made fair returns, but a great many have their property returned at less than ten per cent, of Its actual market value. All this will be equalised, it is hoped, and each and every property owner will be put on an equal footing and will be required to pay no more and no less than a just share of taxes. The license tax is another place that calls for attention, it is a known fact that many business houses are not complying with the law in mak? ing their returns on business done. The tax is tixeil at fifty cents per thou? sand on business done and it is the duty of the council to find out if this is a right, fair and just charge. If it is not it should he changed at once and the license tax fixed at a proper rate. If it Is a just charge it should be collected from every person or firm liable, and it is my intention to /olleet this tax and stop this form of tax dodging. To this end I have de cided to appoint a regular committee to have special charge of the license tax. and the specific duty of this committee will be to see that the license tax rate is fairly graduated? and to see that license tax dodging" ' is stopped. This thing of a firm doing a hundred thousand dollar buisness and paying license tax on only twenty-five, or doing a four hundred thousand dollar business and paying on only a hundred thousand dollars is so common that it has been regarded as a matter of course. But It is time it ended and I expect to spare no effort to ac? complish this much twoard equiliz ing the burden of taxation. He said that he ragards the ap? pointment of a city engineer as one of the wisest acts of the outgoing council. In line with this would recom? mend that a regular city attorney be engaged at an annual retainer, not to exceed $150. per annum, to give the city council legal advice when, needed. j Before announcing the committee appointments he stated that he had decided after careful consideration to limit the standing committees to three as he did not believe it desirable for a committee to contain a majority of council, for by the enforcement of the unit rule a majority of a com? mittee, although a minority of coun? cil, could control the action of the council. He would not be a member of these committees, but would re? serve the right to meet and sit witb> any and all of them if it seemed de? sirable at any time. He wished to be I put on record, also, that these com? mittee appointments were made at I the pleasure of the chair and that it I must be distinctly understood that the j chatr reserved the right to change I committee assignments at any time I that, in the opinion of the chair, I it seemed desirable. The reservation for the reason that I the chair may find from experience a mistake was made in some of the I committee assignments and better re I suits can be obtained by changing the I personnel of one or more of the com I mittees. I The following standing committees I were announced: Public Works: J. P. Booth, chair I man, H. J. McLaurin, Jr., E. H. I Rhame. Police: R. L. Wright, chairman,. J. F. Glenn, J. P. Booth, j Finance: H. J. McLaurin. Jr., chairman, J. P. Booth, R. L. Wright. J Fire Department: J. F. Glenn,. chairman, R. K. Wilder, D. W. Cutti no. I Opera House: J. W. McKeiver, chairman, R. K. Wilder, D. W. Cutti I no.. i License Tax: E. H. Rhame, chair? man, J. W. McKeiver, R. K. Wilder. The regular order of business was I then taken up. The application of I a carnival show for a reduction in I license tax was promptly rejected by j a unanimous vote. While the matter of electing a city I physician was being considered, Al? derman R. L. Wright came and took the oath of office. I Applications and bids were received j from the following candidates for City Physician: Dr. W. E. Mills, Dr. Archie China, Dr. C. J. Lemmon and I Dr. E. F. Green. There was a lengthy I deabte as to the exact meaning of the letter of the Board of Health in which the duties of the City Physician %re outlined. It was finally decided that the bid of Dr. Lemmon did not com? ply with the specifications and that his bid would not be considered. A ballot was then held on the three re? maining candidates. On the second ballot Dr. Mills was elected. His bid was for $25 per month. Dr. Green's* bid was the same and Dr. China's bid was $30 per month. Alderman R. L. Wright was nomi? nated and unanimously elected Mayor Pro tern. A motion was made and adopted confirming the apopintment of R. B. Belser, D. R. McCallum. Jr., and D. D. Moise as a committee on rear estate valuation and equalization at a per diem of $5 for the time actually employed. The matter of suspending or amend ' ing the new awning ordinance, was j debated with much earnestness and at length. It was finally decided to let things remain in statu quo. A motion was adopted that a city attorney be employed at a salary not to exceed $150. per annum. A motion was adopted that all city officers be elected at the next regular meeting. Council then adjourned. The House yesterday voted the franking privilege to Colonel Roose? velt for the rest of his natural life. Pranks to the frank.?New York Eve? ning Sun. It begins to look as if this were also one of those springs that ought to be fitted up with a shock absorber. ?St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Nothing is stronger than aversion. Wycherly. Children are earthly Idols that hold us from the stars.?Douglas Jerrold. Friends are ourselves.?John Donne.