Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-29
Must Be Devoted to Making Perma-
nent Progress of Last.
NsNCERITY OF THE DEMOCRATS
Denver Platform Dissected and Its
Hollowness Exposed.
LABoR's INTERESTS AND RIGHTS
UnionIsm Upheld and BuEnboO of the
Injunction ClamOr Punctured,
While Integrity of Courts
IL Maintained.

| CINCINNATI, July 2S-Judge William
Howard Taft responding to the address OF
notification from the committee named by
the Chicago convention, said;
| Senator Warner and Gentlemen OF the
| Committee.
! l am deeply sensible OF the honor which
| the republican national convention has
conferred on me in the nomination which
you formally tender. l accept IL with full
appreciation of the responsibility II inn
poses,
cause in the campaign at hand is IN the
| fact that We represent tho policies essen
tal h 10 ine reform ag 4t KnoWm ABUSES, , 10
perity, and that we are determined as
! our platform unequivocally declares, to
maintain them and carry them on. For
more than ten years this country passed
! through an epoch of material development
far beyond any that ever occurred in tine
world before. In it's course certain evils
| crept in. Some prominent and influential
members of the community, spurred by
greater wealth, became unmindful OF the
| common rules of business hone5ty and
law upon their action. This became known.
| The revelations Of the breaches Of trust.
nations by railways the accumulating evi-
| dence of the violation of the antitrust
/ law by a number OF corporations, the over
issue Of stocks and bonds on interstate
railways for the unlawful enrlchiDe OF oi-
rectors and for the purpose of concentra-
| ting control OF railways in one manage
ment, all quickened the conscience OF the
people and brought on moral awakening
among them that boded well for the future
! OF the country.
what Roosevelt Has Done.
The man who formulated the expression
| OF the popular conscience and who led the
movement for practical reform was Theo-
| dore Roosevelt. lie laid down the doctrine
that the rich violator of the law should
be as amenable TO restraint. and Pgnish.
without influence, and he proceeded by
recommending legislation and directing eX-
ecutive action to make that principle good
in actual performance. lie secured the
passage of the so-called rate bill. designed
more effectively to restrain excessive and
fix reasonable rates and to punish secret
rebates and determinations which had been
general in the practice of the railroads
and which had done much to enable unlaw-
full trusts to drive out of business their
competitors. 1t secured much closer super
vision of railway transactions and brought
| within the operation Of the same statute
express companies, sleeping compa-
nies, fast freight and refrigerator lines
terminal railroads and pipe lines. and for
bade in future the combination OF the trans
portation and shipping business under one
control in order to avoid undue discrimi-
nation.
President Roosevelt directed suits to be
brought and prosecution to be Instituted
under tho antitrust law. to enforce Its
provisions against the most powerful OF the
Industrial corporations. He pressed to pas
sage the pure food law and the meat inspec-
tion law in the interest of the health OF the
public, clean business methods and great
ultimate benefit to the trades themselves.
He recommended the passage of q law
which the republican convention has since
specifically approved restricting the fu-
ture issue Of stocks and bonds by inter
state railways to such as may be author
lied by federal authority. lie demonstrated
to the people by what he said, by what he
recommended to congress, and w what he
did the sincerity of his efforts to com
| mand respect for the law, to secure equal
ity Of all before the law, ard to save the
country from the dangers OF a plutocrauc
government, toward which we were fast
tending. In this work Mr.. Roosevelt has
had the support and sympathy OF the re-
publican party. and It's chief hope OF sue
cess in the present controversy must rest
or the confidence which the people OF the
: country have in the sincerity of the party's
declaration in its platform, that II intends
to continue his policies,
Permanently Securing Progress.
Mr.. Roosevelt has set high the standard
OF business morality and obedience TO law.
The railroad rate bill was more useful pos
{ sibly in the immediate moral effect OF its
passage than even in the legal effect OF It's
, very useful provisions. From its enactment
dates the voluntary abandonment OF the
! practice of rebates and Determinations by
the railroads and the return by their man
ayers to obedience TO law in the fixing OF
tariffs. The pure food and meat inspection
laws and the prosecutions directed by the
1 president under the antitrust law have had
similar moral effect in the general busi-
Tess community and have made II now the
common practice for the great Industrial
4 corporations to consult the law with a view
p 70 keeping within its provisions. IL has
also had the effect Of protecting and en-
, COurdglnB smaller competitive companies
so that they have been enabled 10 do
n profitable business.
/ But We should be blind to the ordinary
working OF human nature II we did not
| recognize that the moral standards set by
President Roosevelt will not continue 70 be
} observed by those whom cupidity and "A
= desire for financial power may tempt, un-
less the requisite machinery is introduced
. into the law which shall In Its practical
operation, maintain these standards and
secure the country against department
from them,
Function of Next Administration.
The chief function Of the next admins s.
70 tratOn, in my Judgment, is distinct from
d and a progressive development Of that
y which has been performed by President
, ! Roosevelt. The chief function OF the next
, | administration Is 10 complete and perfect
1 ! the machinery by which these standards
i, may be maintained, by which the law
S breakers may be promptly restrained and
d, punished but which shall operate with sur
, , fiCient accuracy and dispatch TO interfere
, with legitimate business as little as pos
c sible. Such machinery Is not now Adequate.
q Under the present rate bill, and under all
its amendments, the burden Of the Inter
/ state Commerce commission Is supervising
| and regulating the operation OF the fal-
roads Of this country has grown so heavy
- that Il Is utterly impossible for that tri-
. buual 70 hear and dispose, In any reason
! able time, Of the many complaints, queries
and issues that are brought before II for
decision. II ought to be relieved Of It's jur-
. isdiCtiOn an executive, directing body.
: and It's functions should be limited to the
n quasi judicial investigation OF complaint (
e by individuals and by a department OF the
! government charged with the executive
business Of supervising the operation OF
= railways.
r There should be a classlficatio OF that
N very small percentage of Industrial corpora
a tions having power and opportunity TO ef-