The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-05-27
TAFT TALKS ON
TARIFF MATTER
UphOlds Plan Pursued in Purchase
of Canal Supplies.
ZONE is OUTSIDE THE WALL
CINCINNATI COMMERCIAL CLUB
BANQUET.
ZONE is OUTSIDE THE WALL

Cincinnati. O.. May 26.-The celebra-
ton Of the twenty-ffth anniversary Of
the Cincinnati Commercial club closed
tonight with a banquet, at which the
speakers discussed the questions Of
the day. Secretary of War Taft made
the principal speech on Policy and
Practice" saying
If the Panama canal were inside the
territory of the United States. Of
course all material used on the canal
could pay duty or be bought in the
United States, but as the construction
of the canal is a number of days jour
mel from the tariff wall of the United
States. it presents exactly the same
case as is presented in the case OF the
Philippine islands Now, II congress
wants to pay more than France MdS
willing to pay. then they are at liberty
TO do so. but in the absence of rule
we feel we must carry out the rule
that applies That law requires that
prices and quality being the same We
must buy American goods. In the an
sence of a rule We feel bound by oui
trust to build as cheaply as possible
We submitted the question TO congress
on this line. asking congress to lay
down a rule If there is no rule We
must build as "a business man would
build. Now there is no question OF
protection or free trade it IS merely
a rule our duty under the law as II
stands. If the rule or law is changed
we must change
Praised Canal Work.
He spoke Of the work of the commits
sioners on the canal and praised highly
the men who have been put at the head
Of the work. He then spoke of the re-
lation of the government to the rail-
roads
L cannot but think" he said, the
discussion which is now going on has
had a much wider scope than is neces-
sary- The question is the passage Of
certain legislation, and the discussion
Is properly narrowed by consideration
of what that legislation is"
He explained the present status on
the Interstate commerce commission.
calling attention to its reference to
'unreasona bic rates" and the position
Of the interstate commerce commission
on the matter He insisted that the
measure proposed was a very moderate
measure, and that it was unfair to
denOunce il so severely as had been
done He believed the changes pro-
posed by the Esch- Townsend bill would
result in good
Railway Rate Fixing.
President Lucius futile of the Bos-
ton & Maine railway spoke of ''The
Relation of the National Government
TO the Railways" He said in part
I have Yet to meet the well-verSed
railroad official who believes il pos
sible 70 select and five. or any twenty
men, no matter how able honest or
expert to whom could be safely in
trusted the power to supervise or pre-
scribe. either In whole or in part. the
transportation rates of this great cOun-
Try without risk of imminent and
widespread danger TO every CONNER
Cial interest.
Il believe / voice almost without dis
sent railroad opinion III saying that
it accepts the general principle that
the governments relation TO public
transportation companies should he
that Of wise supervision 10 prevent i'm
so far as practicable. every unjust
practice. either by them or against
them. I have reasonable faith that
the agencies that have been mainly in
stTumental I'm building up so success
fully and wonderfully the worlds in
terCOuTSe cannot have So suddenly gone
wrong in the performance of their
most important functions as to war
rant the hasty application Of drastic
and untrled remedies"