Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-27
FORAKER EXPLAINS
Talks of Cordially and conven-
ton Endorsements.
WILL ATTEND CONVENTION
And the Senator is Wearing His Scrap
ping Clothes.
VIEWS ON THE r. B. RATE BILL
Proposition to Buy Panama Canal
Supplies Abroad Was Not
at All Popular.
WILL ATTEND CONVENTION
VIEWS ON THE R. r. RATE BILL

1T is true 1 opposed the Presidents DOL
icy as embodied In the Hepburn bill, but
not, as it is commonly stated in the news
papers, because 1 was opposed to gov
ornamental regulation and supervision of
railroads, for the record will show that
have done as much in that behalf as any
other Ohio man in Congress. but because
thought the Hepburn bill unwise, unjust
and unconstitutional.
MY contention was that under existing
law (Which helped enact, having been
member of the subcommittee that framed
iD, especially If amended as 1t should be.
every serious wrong of every kind practiced
by the railroads can be remedied and that
all evil practices can be broken up as nearly
any law will enable us to break them up.
Il pointed out that the remedy l pro-
posed was ample, expeditions, economical,
without any expense whatever to the ship
per, and efficient in Its results, and that 1t
involved no constitutional or legal diff
culties nor any departure OF an expert
mental character from established pro-
cedures, with which We are all familiar, and
that nothing more was required to bring
about the desired results than the enforce
ment of the law by the officials already ap-
pointed for that purpose
Everything l said in that respect has
been already fully justified and vindicated.
Has No Complaint.
Il shall not make any request of the con-
vention nor any complaint as to its action,
whatever that may be; but cannot forbear
suggesting in this connection that if the
convention should try to conform to the
rule prescribed by Representative Burton,
of indorsing less cordially than the Presi-
dent those who may have differed from
the President as to some matter-no mat
ter how honesty-it would have some hard
problems to solve.
And how about Mr. Burton himself?
Would he not be hoist by his own petard
Does he not now and then kick over the
traces and differ from the President and
from his party? Is he to be Endorsed less
cordially than the President because he
has opposed the Presidents policy of in
creaSing the navy? Is not the navy, SO
to speak, the apple of the Presidents eye
the biggest of his big sticks-and are not
the people with the President as to his
naval policy by an overwhelming majority?
Take another case. The President and
Secretary Taft made known to Congress
at the last session that unless we restricted
them to America, they would go abroad
to purchase supplies and materials to be
used in the construction of the Panama
canal when they could buy them cheaper
abroad, thus saving money on the purchase,
and as they were to be used in Panama
and not brought into the United States,
saving the tariff duty besides.
Proposition Not Popular.
II think 1 may safely say that with
great majority of the American people this
proposition was not popular. Certainly to
republicans generally it seemed inconsistent
with all We have been contending for with
respect to a protective tariff. The idea of
constructing the most majestic work in
progress in all the world, the greatest ever
undertaken by any nation, purely Ameri-
can enterprise, to be built by Americans
and paid for by American money, and go
ing abroad to buy materials and supplies,
thus giving patronage to foreign manufac-
turers and giving employment to foreign
labor instead of buying in America from
Americans and giving all these advantages
to our own people, seemed unpatriotic
and, under the circumstances, SO indefen-
sible, that Congress adopted a resolution
prohibiting 1t except in cases, If there
should be any such, where the President
might deem 1t necessary to do SO to escape
extortiOn.
In the Senate this resolution received
the support of every republican. In the
House it was supported by the vote Of
every Ohio republican except the vote of
Mr.. Burton. He voted no. l do not men
ton this to criticise him, for he not only
had perfect right, but 1t was his duty so
to vote if that was his judgment. No self
respecting man would consent to hold
seat in Congress If he could not SO vote. /
mention it to show that If we indorse the
party and what Congress has done-as we
must do-and then his rule. he will have
party"