The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-08-20
WHERE SECRETARY
WILLIAM TAFT
STANDS
Gives His Views on National
Issues
MAKES SPEECH AT COLUMBUS
He Denounoes Railroad Abuses ane
Wicked Trusts Praises President
Roosevelt and Tariff Revision.

COLUMBUS. o.. Aug 20 Secretary
OF War william III. Taft, speaking be-
fore the Buckeye Republican club,
made the long awaited announcement
Of his views Oh the political issues now
confronting the nation. This speech IL
regarded ne the opening gun Of Mr..
Tafts campaign for the presidential
nomination.
sscretary Taft said in part:
The present IL a period Of the great.
est prosperity. general comfort and
even luxury. Throughout this country
the demand for labor has increased
wages 10 higher point than ever
knowa before. rhe compensation ~
skilled labor now frequently exceeds
that Of certain professions. like teach.
ing and the ministry Wealth has &C.
cumulated enormously IN the hands OF
individuals. aud never before have Flch
men given ~ freely VI their fortunes
to educational aud charitable objects
Such conditions are apt 70 dim and
dull the eye and ear " the people a.
abuses and dishonesty In the body
polite and social II was such periods
In the history OF ancient republics
when their foundations we're Slapped
aud their fall ultimately brought
about Prophets 81 evil have fOrctold
the sans fate for this republic. They
have been r,futed In spite Of the gen
sral comfort. there have been made
manifest BY signs not 10 he nisundsr.
stood a quicEsning 81 the public con.
seisUce and a demand for the remedy
Sf abuses the OutHrowth ~ thi. pros
ptrity and for a higher standard OF
business integrity. Every lover 81 Bis
country should have a feeling Of pride
and sIaltatlon IN this evidence that
our soclep u still sound AZ the core
Il have been Invited by your body
10 d0cuss the national Issues Some
Of these involve the abuses over which
the public conscience has been aroused
and the proper remedies for their ~
mOval The fret and possibly the great.
est abuse has been In the management
Of the arterial system Of the country
which the interstate railroads form.
Any unjust discrimination IN the
terms upon which transportation Of
freight or passengers ls afforded an IN.
dlvidusl or locality parAlyEss aud
withers the business Of the Individual
or the locality exactly as the binding
Of the arteries and veins leading % a
member Of the human body destroys
It's life.
The result of twenty years opera
tisn under the interstate commsrcr
act Of 1857, passed 90 restrain abuses
Of unjust discrimination aud uurcason-
ableness Of rates, was that the rail.
roads came 10 regard the action ~ the
commission Il created a. Of no impor
lance Made aware of The moribund
condition Of railway regulation under
the old law and ~ the widespread
abuses which prevailed In railway
management President Roosevelt IN
his message Of 1914 recommended that
the powers OF the commission be large.
~ INCREASED. first. by enabling the
eem ai,slen 10 IN rates aud. second
By making lts order effective against
the saUieu without resort 10 courts
10 compel performance. lie asked
that Il be- made an administrative tri
bunal with real power. This was done
by the passage OF tho rate hill IN June
1908.
Tho rate law has not been In opera
ton n year. and the beneficial results
from his operations. though clear. are
not ready 10 be presented In statistical
array. The immediate effect Of the act
has certainly been 60 compel railroads
10 regard the commission now ne the
Important tribunal whose views they
must fellow. They are manifesting
every outward disposition strictly 20
comply with the law and 10 avoid
prosecution or complaint The time
has gene by In which the action OF
the commission can be ignored Or
laughed at With the large powers
for correcting evils which the com
mission new has. we may reasonably
expect a marked improvement In the
conduct Of the railways OF the coun
try.
The rate law. however. does not 20
far enough. The practice under II has
already disclosed the necessity for new
amendments and will doubtless sug
gest moro. Such il the true method
the empirical and tentative method
OF securing proper remedies for a new
evil. The classification Of merchandise
for transportation IN a NEST important
matter In rate fixing. for by a transfer
from one class 10 another the rate II
changed and may work Injustice. With
the power Of rate fixing. II would seem.
should 70 the power In the commission
10 classify aud 60 prescribe rules for
uniform classification by all railroads.
Recent revelations have emphasized
the pernlclsus effect Of the 10 called
ovsrcapitallEatlon Of railroads which
aids INSCRIPTIONS stock manipulatOrs
In disposihG " railway securities At
unrsasonably high prices 10 innocent
Buyers. This evil would not q itself
Justify federal restraint or control bo-
sau1s such st0ck aud bonds are usual.