Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-04-07

Gratis than from the republicans.
But railroad regulation is not yet |
effective. We must know how much |
the railroads are worth and must pre- |
vent the future issue Of watered |
stock. But since the states began to |
legisIate on this subject of railroad |
regulation, the railroad managers be-
gan to demand the surrender by the |
states of power to legislate in regard |
to railroads and insist that congress
shall exercise exclusive control.
THE president has yielded to this
demand and recommended the ma
tional incorporation of railroads. and |
as Secretary Taft is indorsing the
presidents policies, he is supposed to
favor this.
But the national incorporation of
railroads is step backward rather
than forward, and it must be resisted |
by the democrats, and it will be re-
sisted by a large element of the re-
publican party, for those who have
had taste of regulation will not be
willing to surrender the power that
the state now has. National rene |
dies ought to be added to state rene
dies, not substituted for them. Con-
gress has ample power to regulate
interstate commerce without interfer-
ing with the right of the states to
regulate commerce. Secretary Taft |
seems to be regarded as the repre-
sentative of the reform element, and
yet he has so little of the reform
spirit and his record is so barren of
any work in behalf of reform that he
will hardly satisfy the expectations
raised among republicans by some OF
the presidents regulations. His ad-
vocacy of perpetual franchises in the
Philippine islands. coupled with a
perpetual guarantee of income, shows
that he looks at the corporation ques-
ton from the standpoint of the cor
poration rather than from the stand
point of the public.
Attacks Colonial Policy.
ION the subject of Imperialism, the
last nine years have shown the folly
of a colonial policy. We are paying
at least 500, 100000 a year for the
privilege of following the tail end of
the European procession, for our
army and navy alone cost more than
$100, 100000 a year in excess of
their cost 10 years ago. Secretary
Taft testified before congress that we
never could hope to have more than
2O, 900 or 10000 Americans in the
Philippines. We have not anything
like that number there, but even If
we had, it would cost us more than
$4,000 a year for each one of the
10 900 to make up the 500. 200. 600
year additional expenses. We could
better afford to pick out the 10000
who want to go to the Philippines
and support them at good hotels, do
ing nothing, than to maintain an inn
perialistic policy for the purpose of
giving them a chance to live in the
orient.
Can Not Expect Reform.
81 have mentioned several OF the
questions upon which events have
demonstrated the correctness of the
democratic position. No real reform
can be expected from the republicans.
because they are too deeply indebted
to the predatory interests for their
support, and IL Secretary Taft, who is
considered the reform candidate, is
antagonistic to labor. weak on the
trust question and lacking in posi-
tiveness on the tariff question, how
can we hope for anything better from
other republican aspirants?
The democratic party will enter
the campaign with confidence. It's
platform and policies are strong. its
forces are united. while the republi-
cans are divided and its appeal to
justice will find a quicker response
than heretofore. because public con-
science is being awakened by the in
vestigations that have shown eorrup-
ton in politics and greed in the favor
seeking corporations that have DOM
mated the government"
Previous to sitting down to the
banquet a reception was held for half
an hour, during which those who
held tiekets to the spread were given
the opportunity to shake hands with
Mr.. Bryan.