The Colorado statesman., 1908-09-19

Fitted to Carry On the Policies
Inausurated by the Present Ad-
ministration.
Mr.. Conrad Kohrs. of Helena. Mon
tana. is an old time Montana cattle man
and one of the most prominent citizens
of Montana. He and the president came
into close relationship more than 20 years
ago when they were both members of the
Montana Stock Growers association. the
president being at that time the repre-
sentative of the Little Missouri Stock
Growers in the association. The inti-
macy has been kept up ever since Mr.
Kohrs is one of the pioneer citizens
of the northern Rocky mountain region
and one of the men who has taken a
leading part in its great development
Sycamore Hill.
Oyster Bay. n. Y. Sept 8, 1908
My Dear Mr. -Eohrs:.
have received your letter about the
candidacy of Mr.. Taft the man who 1
feel Is in an especial sense the repre-
sentative of all that in which I most
believe in political life.
Every good citizen should desire to see
both prosperity and justice. prosperity
and fair and righteous dealing as be-
tween man and man. obtain permanently
In this great republic. AS a people we
are justly proud of our business indus
try. of our energy and intelligence in our
work; and it is entirely right that we
should ask ourselves as to any given
course of conduct: "Will it be profitable?"
But II is also no less emphatically true
that the bulk of our people. the plain peo-
pie who found in Abraham Lincoln their
especial champion and spokesman. re-
gard the question: rs this morally
right" as even more important than the
question: rs this profltable?" when ap-
piled to any given course of con-
in tIna
people sure to find that in
all dealings, alike in the business
and the political world, what is really
profitable is that which is morally right.
The last few years have seen a great
awakening of the public conscience and
the growth of a stern determination to do
away with corruption and unfair deal
Ing, political. economic. social 1t Is
gently necessary that this great reform
movement should go on. But no reform
movement is healthy if it goes on by
spasms; II it is marked by periods Of
frenzied advance. followed as such peri
DDS of frenZied advance must always be
followed, by equally violent periods of
reaction To permit the direction of
public affairs to fall alternately into the
hands of the revolutionaries. and reac
tionaries. of the extreme radicals of un-
rest and of the bigoted conservatives who
recognize no wrongs to remedy. would
| merely mean that the nation had en-
| parked on n. 1eNerlSn course OF violent
| oscillation which would be fraught With
| great temporary trouble. and would pro-
| duce no adequate good in the end. The
| true friend of reform. the true foe of
| abuses is the man who steadily perse-
vers in righting wrongs. in warning
| against abuses, but whose character and
training are such that he never promises
what he cannot perform. that he always
| a little more than makes good what he
does promise. and that. while steadily
| advancing, he never permits himself to
| be led into foolish, excesses which would
damage the very cause he champions.
In Mr.. Taft we have a man who COM
| bi-.es all of these qualities to degree
| which no other man in our public life
since the civil war has surpassed The
| honest man of means the honest and
law abiding business man, can feel safe
| in his hands because of the very fact
| that the dishonest man of great wealth.
the man who swindles robs his fell
| lows, would not so much as dare to de-
| fend his evil-doing in Mr.. Taft's presence.
| The honest wage-worker. the honest Ia
boring man, the honest farmer, the hon.
| est mechanic or small trader, man of
small means. can feel that in a peculiar
sense Mr.. Taft will be his representative
because of the very fact that he has the
same scorn for the demagog that he has
for the corruptionist. and that he would
| front threats of personal violence from
mob with the uneuualng and lofty in
difference with which he would front the
| bitter anger of the wealthiest and most
powerful corporations.
| l have naturally a peculiar interest in
the success of Mr.. Taft and in seeing
| him backed by majority in both houses
| of congress which will heartily support
his policies. For the last ten years. while
! have been governor of New York and
| president, ] have been thrown into the
| closest intimacy with him, and he and
have every essential point stood
| In heartest agreement shoulder to shoul-
der. We have the same views as to what
| is demanded by the national interest
and honor. both within our own borders,
| and as regards the relations of this ma
| ton with other nations. There is no fight
| for decency and fair dealing which
have waged in which have not had his
| heartiest and most effective sympathy
and support and the policies for which
I stand are his policies much as mine.
Mr. Taft can be trusted to exact justice
| from the railroads for the very reason
| that he can be trusted to do justice to
the railroads. The railroads are the chief
| Instruments of interstate commerce In
| the country and they can neither be
| held to a proper accountability on the
one hand nor given proper protection on
the other. save by the affirmative action
| o: the federal government The law as
laid down by the federal courts clearly
shows that the states have not and can
not devise laws adequate to meet the
problems caused by the great growth of
the railroads doing an interstate COM
a.ssce business. for more than four-fifths
of the business of the railroads is inter
state, and under the constitution of the
United States only the. federal govern
ment cftn exercise>fcontrel 'thereover 1T
is absolutely necessary that this control
should be affirmative and thoroughgoing.
All interstate business carried on by the
great corporations should. in the interest
| of the whole people, be far more closely
supervised than at present by the ma
tional government; but this is especially
true of the railroads. which cannot ex-
list at all save by the exercise of powers
granted them on behalf of the people. and
which, therefore. should be held 10 a pc
culInr Account hllItY TO the nennle 1t is