The Ketchikan miner., 1907-04-20
THE NATIONAL ISSUE.


 publication. The Outlook. forecasts the coming national issue as being that already joined between the friends of Secrertay Taft and those of Senator Foraker. to be fought out by the republicans of Ohio in their primary elections of this year. Senator For aker has announced himself as can didate for reelection to the |. $. Senate, and also as a candidate for the republican nomination to the presidency. This pronouncement of his has been accepted by Secretary Taft as a challenge to trial of party strength in the state, and both men are in the running for both offices. Secretary Taft having, presumably the support of the administration of which he is a member.
 The issue is very clear one be- tween two conflicting policies. Sec retary Taft is known to have been the presidents constitutional adviser during the entire period of the devel- opment of his railway policy, and to believe in the constitutionality and expediency of railway rate regulation by the general government, and to have advised that under the decisions of the supreme court congress may not only regulate the rate. but within certain definite limits, may delegate power to determine whether any given rate is according to the standard which Congress has prescribed. He is known also to be cons ervative rather than a radical advocate of that view. and to have favored providing in the bill for the possibility of re- view by the courts of the Interstate Commerce Commissions decisions. Senator Foraker, on the other hand in his speech year ago last March, took ground against the railway rate regulation bill in it's entirety. He recognized the injustice of discrimi- nations. whether between individuals or between localities, but maintained that the then existing law afforded sufficient protection against such ln- justice. And he claimed that any attempt by Congress to regulate rates charged by the railways was uncon- stitutional and would be held to be so by the United States Supreme Court. Of all the opponents of the railway policy of the President he is the most pronouonced, and is therefore the logical candidate for all those who believe in leaving the railways with out governmental supervision. Secre- tary Taft, on the other hand, is the most natural candidate of those who desire to see the Presidential policy maintained. Whichever of these candidates carries Ohio will stand very good chance of carrying the National Convention, and failing in l that will be morally sure to represent Ohi 0 in the Senate. If Senator For aker should secure the Republican nomination for the Presidency, the issue a year from now will be between l governmental regulation and perhaps tariff revision, represented by some | Democratic candidate, and a return to the old policy represented by Mr. Foraker. If Secretary Taft should be nominated, the question before the country would be, into whose hands will the country intrust tariff revision and governmental regulation of rail- ways since Mr. Taft is known to be
 ieve in both, and represents those Republicans who believe in both. It is for these reasons that the issue | joined in Ohio between Senator For aker and the friends of Secretary Taft indicates that the country will have two opportunities to pass on the ques- tion whether the Federal Government shall exercise any supervision and control over the railways or not : first, opportunity within the Republican party, and then, should railway rate regulation be defeated there, a second opportunity in the general Presi- dential election upon the issue joined between the Republican and the Dem ocratic parties.