Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-08-30
was virtually q

reafirmation Of all the important poll
cies OF President Roosevelt, and espe-
cially those dealing with the railroads,
trusts and the prosecution of the GRIM
inal rich. He said he was In favor
| of tariff revision, but not until after
the next election, and would willingly
have the national convention promise
reduction Of duties. He endeayored
to show by repeated reference to the
opinions of William ]. Bryan that the
Roosevelt administration had not
adopted in their entirety the Bryan
policies. He favored the railroad rate
law, but advocated amendments pre-
venting oyercapitalization, the purchase
OF stock of competing lines and the
election of the same directors by COM
peting roads. Government ownership
OF railroads he opposes because it
would cost $4,000, 100000 to acquire
them, because they could not be man
aged effectively or economically and
because chief executive could use'
them to control business and politics.
TO remedy existing corporate evils he
would send wealthy offenders to 1ail.
AS to the Roosevelt proposals for tho
graduated income and Inheritance
taxes, Mr.. Taft said 1t was within the
power Of the federal government to
impose them whenever public finances
require it, but that as matters now
stand he would not favor such legisla-
ton. The charge that Roosevelt's
policies are socialistic Taft character
ICES as absurd, saying that the admin
1strat1on would stop the growth OF So
cialism by demonstrating the govern
ment's ability to stamp out evils which
had caused social unrest. The speech
ended with eulogy Of the president.
President Defies PIotters.
At Provincetown, Mass, Aug. 20. In
the presence of great throng Of peo-
pie. President Roosevelt oflciated In
laying the cornerstone Of the Pilgrims
monument and took occasion to let
the country know that the recent inan-
clal furry had not caused him to aban-
don his policy toward criminal corpora
tons. Varying from the text of the
speech as previously given out to the
press, the gist of which had leaked out
in Wall street, the president babe de-
fiance to the men Of great wealth.
whom he openly charged with plotting
to depress the market In the hope OF
sdiscrediting his administration. He
said he had received countless requests.
public and private, that he should say
something to ease the situation. He
pointed out that financial disturbance
was worldwide, and he believed most
of 1T was due to matters not confined
to this country and wholly unconnected
with any government action. But"
he said, ut may well be that the de-
termination Of the government in
which, gentlemen, it will not wayer. to
punish certain malefactors of great
wealth has been responsible for some
thing OF the troubles, at least to the
extent of having caused these men to
combine bring about as much financial
stress as they possibly can In order to
discredit the policy of the government
and thereby to secure reversal of
that policy, SO that they may enjoy the
fruits Of their own evil doing. That
they have misled many good people !
into believing that there should be such
reversal Of policy is possible. II SO,
am sorry, but it will not alter my atti-
tude." He said it was idle to ask him
not to prosecute criminals, ISch or
poor, but that he wished 1t understood
that they had undertaken and would
undertake mo action of a yindictiye
type and, above all, no action which
shall infict great or unmerited suffer-
ing upon innocent stockholders or upon
the public as whole
The president went further and de-
fined aiy own personal attitude as fol-
lows: Let me say that, as far as l
am concerned and for the eighteen
months of my presidency that remain.
there will be no change In the policy
we have pursued, no LET up in the effort
to secure the honest observance of the
law, for | regard this contest as one
to determine who shall rule this free |
country, the people through their gov
ernmental agents or few ruthless |
and domineering men whose wealth |
makes them peculiarly Formidable be-
cause they hide behind the breastworks |
of corporate organization" The Dresi-
dent tried to make it nlain thnt ile was