New-York tribune., 1907-08-20
SECRETARY TAFT
STATES POLICIES.
BEGINS HIS CAMPAIGN
FOR NOMINATION..
Platform on Which He Would Ram
Put Before the Country IN
Speech at Columbus.
Try Telegram to The Tribune

persons here tonight, William Howard Taft
delivered what will be regarded his plat
form in his candidacy for President There was
in it no equivocation, lodging, no side-step-
ping but plain. straightforward expression OF
what he stands for and what he will represent
as candidate before the Republican party
and the country and as President in case of his
election.
Not once did Mr.. Taft mention the name of
Senator Foraker, but he made emphatic re-
sponse the attacks made by the latter upon
the Hepburn law. tariff revision and other sub
jects. Replying to Senator Forakers assertion
that the rate bills was failure and that the
Elkns law was all sufficient to regulate call
ways Mr.. Taft said the Hepburn law did not
go far enough and that the need of amendments
was already plain. He recommended that Tie
commission receive power to classify merchan-
disc that railroads could not change rates by
changing the classification.
He also recommended the passage Of law to
prevent overcapitazing of railroads, and urged
legislation that would prevent one cOmpany's
purchasing stock in another and prevent COM
mon directors being chosen for two more
railroads for the purpose of destroying com
petition.
The Secretary said he>was opposed to govern
ment ownership of railways. because it would
involve an expenditure of s12000.000,000 and be-
cause 1t would place in the hands of a reckless
executive undue control over business and poll
itics and expose popular institutions to danger
Taking up the evil of swollen fortunes, he
said the best remedy to be found in state
| legislation. but the federal government could
| properly lend its aid He believed that when
| the government revenues needed addition
! readjustment a federal inheritance tax would
| be useful means of raising funds. sradu
| ated income tax would also have a tendency to
| reduce the motive for the accumulation of enor-
nous wealth. he said. He did not favor federal
legislation to reduce such fortunes.
Taking up tariff revision, which Senator For
aler challenged him to defend. the War Secre-
tary displayed hesitancy in doing The
present business system of the country. he said.
| rested upon the protective tariff. and at
tempt TO change 1t TO free trade base would
certainly lead TO disaster. IL was, however, the
duty OF the Republican party to see to II that
the tariff imported articles did not exceed
| the dinerential between the cost OF production
In foreign countries and that in the United
States and. therefore. when there a large
reduction in the cost of production here sched-
| ules should be re-examined and, If excessive,
should be reduced.
| MIR. TAFT'S ADDRESS.
| The Secretary's address. in full follows:
| The present is a period of the greatest pros
perity. general comfort and even luxury
Throughout this country, the demand for labor
| has increased wages TO point hlSner IMAM ever
| known before. The compensation of skilled
! labor frequently exceeds that of certain
professions. like teaching and the ministry
| Wealth has accumulated enormously in the
| hands of individuals. and never before nave
rich meu given freely of their fortunes 10
| educational and charitable objects Such con-
| dltons are apt dim and dull the eye and the
| of the people to abuses and dishonesty III
| the body polite and social. 1t was such periods
| in the history of ancient republics when theI-
foundations were Sapped and their fan ultimate
| ly brought about Prophets of evil have fore
| told the same fate for this republic They nave
| been refuted. In spite of the general comfort.
| there have been made manifest by signs not 70
| be misunderstood a quickening OF the pubic
| conscience and demand for the remedy ga
abuses the outgrowth OF this prosperity, ana
| for a higher standard OF business INTEGRITY
| Every lover of his country should have feellng
OF pride and eXaltation in this evidence that our
society is still sound at the core.
| ABUSES IN RAILWAY DETERMINATIONS.
| l have been invited by your body to discuss
| the national issues. Some of these involve the
| abuses over which the public conscience has
| been aroused. and the proper remedies Tor ther
| removal The first. and possibly the greatest
| abuse has been in the management OF the arte-
| rial system of the country which the interstate
| railroads form ANY unjust Discrimination IN
| or passengers is afforded an individual or 10
| cality paralyzes and wthers the business or the
| individual the locality exactly as the oandlhs
| of the arteries and veins leading to member
| of the human body destroys its lfe
| FAILURE OF OLD COMMERCE LAW
| The result of twenty years operation under
| the Interstate commerce act or 1881, passed. 10
! restrain of unjust discrimination ana
| unreasonableness of rates, was that the ran
| roads came regard the action OF the coInfnis-
| sion 1t created as OF no Importance; Inc ue
| laws due to the necessity of resorting to the
| courts to try out the merits of every order OF
| the commission before 1T became efrectlVe,
| made the remedy of the complaining shipper or
| locality so slow and burdensome that In con-
| tested cases il no remedy at all The COM
| mission was not, under the old act, authorized
| to fix reasonable rates. 1t could only say tlat
| a particular rate was unreasonable and order a
1 aIrn Ire "a "a
| able The railroad might fix new rate at
| ANYTHING less than the rate declared to be un-
| reasonable and IL the reduction made was not
| sufficient a new action had to be brought TO de-
| eide that the rate was also unreasonable.
| PRESIDENTS RECOMMENDATIONS
| Made aware of the morbund condition OF
| railway regulation under the old law, ana OF
| the widespread abuses which prevailed In rail-
| way management, President Roosevelt, In MS
| message of 1904 recommended that the powers
| OF the commission be largely increased, first Dy
| enabling the commission TO fix rates and. sec
| ond by making Its order effective against the
carriers without resort to courts to compel per
| formance He asked that IL be made an ad-
| mIuistrative tribunal with real power. 5 This
was done by the passage OF the rate Dill IN June,
| 1906 The new act enables the commission TO
Nx rates and gives efficacy to all OF its orders
| by providing that they shall go into effect thirty
| days after they are made, unless suspended Dy
| an order of court. and failure to comply with
/ them is punishable by a fine of So,OO a day
| during the delinquency. Express companies,
| sleeping car companies and oil pipe line com
panies are brought under the jurisdiction or the
/ commission common carriers The act gives
| the commission power to fix the rates for the
| various incidental services performed by rali-
| ways at terminals and on the journey anu 10
| reuuire them TO be performed for every shipper
| nv Withholding such services from one ana eN-
| tending them to another and by imposing vary
/ ing charges for them companies have been able
| IN the past to make them convenient instru-
| rnent for discrimination. The new law requires
the publication of rates charged for such incl