New-York tribune., 1906-10-28
MR.. TAFT HITS TRUSTS.
TARIFF CHANGE NO CURE.
Secretary of Var addresses Mass
Meeting at CleUeland.

q Republican mass meeting here Tonight, ar
raigned the trusts but said that the Democratic
claim that the tariff could bo SO revised as to
destroy them was erroneous. He pointed out
that the use of wealth as capital was most i'm
portant in the development and progress of the
country: that the device OF artificial entity.
like corporation. limiting the liability OF In
vestors and offering opportunity for massing
OF the savings OF many into a fund. which could
be used to build railroads OF factories other
great enterprises so important to our pros
perity that nothing should be done to discourage
it. but that the policy Of President Roosevelt
was to restrain and prevent the abuse and mis-
corporations In the form In which this had
manifested itself In trusts and monopolies. He
described the abuses as they showed themselves.
first In industrial corporations by combinations
in restraint OF trade. and, second in tho form Of
immense corporations so large to embrace a
great part Of the whole producing capacity Of
the country in respect to the manufacture of
certain commodities
Mr. Taft next took up railroads to show that
the discrimination in favor of trusts and rebates
granted them by railway corporations was one
of the main instrumentalities by which trusts
had been sustained and independent competitors
had been driven to the wall. He then reviewed
the history Of the judicial Interpretation OF tho
TWO statutes the antitrust statute and the Inter-
state Commerce law. described the defects of
the Interstate Commerce law a. it was before
the passage of the Railroad Rate BILL showed
that the present rate law had already resulted IN
the reduction Of more rates than had taken place
before IN the twenty years of the life OF the law
and called attention to specific instances in
which the glaring Determinations of various
trusts. the Standard OIL. the Sugar Trust and
tho Tobacco Trust. had been voluntarily re-
moved through the fear that these corporation
had OK the prosecutions already begun.
He next referred to the Democratic claim that
the tariff could be revised as to destroy trusts
and explained that the tariff was such q compli-
Gated system that 1t was absolutely impossible
without destroying the whole protective system
upon which the business of the country was
founded to accomplish anything with respect to
trusts. He said that, speaking for himself alone
he thought that the period OF time which had
elapsed since the passage Of the Dingley bill had
SO changed conditions as to require q revision of
the present tariff so as to remove the inequali-
ties and excesses. and he thought he saw
capitalization OF sentiment in favor of that in
the Republican party. which sooner or later in
the near future would result in a revision on
lines of maintaining a system OF protection; that
the tariff affected many industries in all parts
Of the country, in every district. that 1t was I'M
possible to touch It without affecting legitimate
business interests in which capital had been in
vested on the faith of the maintenance of the
tariff. revision could not take place, there
fore. without affecting some Of these interests
injuriousy. This the reason why the Re-
publican party was most reluctant to take UP
the question of revision, and the reason why It
was very difficult to obtain unanimous party ac-
ton thereon; but in the Judgment of the speaker
1t was greatly better to await the probable
vision of the tariff by the Republican party on
the basis of tho system Of protection than to
vote for Democratic Congressman who were the
candidates Of a party which in its ST. Louis
platform had declared that protection was the
robbery Of the many for the benefit Of the few
The experience with the Wilson, German tariff
Mr.. Taft said, had shown what disaster could
come merely from the fear of the rude handling
OF tariff by a Democratic majority. and GER
tainly no one wished to repeat the experience
that had before and after the Wilson-Gor-
man act went into effect. He then referred to
the other great statutes which have been passed
by the Republican Congress on the recommended
ton of the President-the Meat Inspection BILL
the Pure Food bill and the Denatured Alcohol
BILL all OF which had been bitterly opposed by
most powerful special interests and yet with re-
spect to them all there not the slightest
difficulty In obtaining Republican majority in
each house in support of the Presidents view
The same thing true with respect to the
rate bill; that 1t had been announced that the
Senate would defeat the rate bill against the
will of the President. and that the Republicans
of that body were controlled by special inter-
ests and could be depended upon to prevent tho
passage OF the bill. Instead of this, the bill
passed both the House and Senate almost unani-
mously, and as 1t passed the Senate 1t was
more democratic and comprehensive measure
than it was when it passed the House.
HOUSE AND SENATE WITH PRESIDENT
Ali these things tended to show conclusively.
said Mr.. Taft that. instead of supporting the
claim of Mr.. Bryan that the House and Senate
were opposed to the Presidents policies, the
House and Senate responded to his recommended
tions previous Congress had responded to
his predecessors in respect of these great re-
forming statutes.
Mr.. Taft referred to the foreign policy of the
President the peace of Portsmouth, the peaoe
Of San Salvador and Guatemala, effected on the
deck OF an American warship; the peace In Cuba
the peace In Santo Domingo. and the trip of
Secretary Root around South America to bring
all the republics of this hemisphere in close
touch and to show that this country was not a
land grabbing country, but one anxious only TO
encourage the growth and prosperity Of its
southern neghbors.
The speaker called attention to the fact that
the old Democratic party has ceased to be: that
It was captured by Mr. Hearst In New York and
captured by Mr. Bryan in other parts OF the
country with his proposition to buy all the rail-
roads and operate them under government own
ership. The speaker deplored the fact that the
ancient Democratic party had ceased TO be. be-