Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-11-09
Mr. Taft and the Ohio Campaign.

with respect to railway rate regu-
lation-and there is no reason to
doubt his sincerity-then the presi-
dent has entered upon the most
serious contest of his administra-
ton. 1t will be no child's play
for Mr.. Roosevelt to bring about
this much needed reform; yet,
judging from some things that
have transpired in the pending
campaign in Ohio, one might i'm
agine that that which many peo-
pie believe will be one of the
greatest struggles in history be-
tween chief executive and the
representatives of special interests,
is, in truth, of no more Importance
and to be no more seriously con-
sidered than a game of golf.
Mr.. Taft, a member of the Presi-
dents Cabinet, spoke in behalf of
the Boss Cox ticket at Akron,
Ohio. Mr.. Taft devoted the larger
share of that speech to the abuse
of Democrats, employing many of
the phrases and sophistries with
which the people became quite
familiar during the Presidential
contest of 1895. 1t required great
courage on Mr.. Taft's part-to
put it mildly-to resort to such
phrases and arguments just at this
moment when the nakedness of
the defenders of national HONOR"
by whom these phrases were
coined, stands revealed to the
public gaze.
But when Mr.. Taft used these
phrases, whom did he arraign?
And when he pleaded for votes,
in whose behalf did he speak?
He arraigned those men who in
solid phalanx are lined up behind
Mr.. Roosevelt in the greatest re-
form he proposes, whereas Mr..
Roosevelt's own party is divided.
He pleaded for votes in behalf
of men, many of whom are out of
sympathy with Mr.. Roosevelt's
proposed reform, and whose
leadership is openly antagonistic
to that reform.
Mr.. Taft pleaded for votes for a
ticket nominated by convention b
that deliberately rejected Mr.
Rooseyelt's, railway rate propo.
sition;, and he asked the people Of
Ohio to vote against ticket nomi.
mated by convention which un.
equivocally endorsed the proposed
railway rate reform.
Every Democratic speaker il
Ohio has plainly endorsed Mr
Roosevelt's. railway rate plan. MI
Pattison, the Democratic nomine
for Governor, has spoken in tina
vein from every stump. Will
the Republican speakers hav
pleaded for votes in Mr.. Roose
velt's name, Senator Foraker, tn
Republican leader, has made
plain that a vote for Herrick doe
not mean an endorsement of rail
way rate regulation. In Senate
Foraker's own language at Belle
fontaine, "the proposition to Civ
the power of making rates to th
interstate commerce commissio
is a Democratic measure. 1t Is i
the Democratic platform. The Re
publicans refused to put that plan
in their platform"
Yet Mr.. Taft, q member of MI
Roosevelt's Cabinet, is on tn
stump asking the people of Obi
to give their votes to machin
whose leadership has denounce
Mr.. Roosevelt's most importar
plan as Democratic measure!
Does any intelligent Ohioan hav
any doubt as to the iterpretatio
Senator Foraker and his associ
ates would put upon the re-elec
} ton of Mr.. Herrick, so far q
national issues are concerned?
Does any one doubt that in til
light OF a Herrick victory Senate
Foraker would point with pride
the fact that the platform whic
had endorsed railway rate regula
tion had been repudiated, and tn,
the candidates who had openly &C
vocated that reform had been de
= feated?
: Does any one doubt that in IL
light Of a Herrick victory Senate
Foraker would say, as he said
I Bellefontaine: "The propositic
] to give the power Of making rat'
to- the interstate commerce con
mission is a Democratic measured
Does Secretary Taft really hol