The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-09-03

er, and the average standard of living
OF the wage earners, of the farmers
and of the business men in point of
comfort and of enjoyment of life was
advanced beyond precedent.
have no hesitation in saying that
not since the beginning of the govern
ment has any national administration
! done so much for the cause of labor by
the enactment of remedial legislation
as Theodore Roosevelt and the Repub-
hcan congresses elected and sitting
| during his tenure OF office. 1t is true
that additional legislation is needed to
perfect the machinery for enforcing
the principles laid down by Mr., Rose
welt and declared in the remedial
statutes already passed.
The Republican candidate gives some
excellent reasons why the government
should not be delivered INTO the hands
of the Democratic party in these
words: Great care will be required in
the enactment Of additional legislation,
and the fact that the Democratic party
has had but little recent experience in
the responsibilities of power and but
little training in actual legislation
makes the party and its distinguished
leader utterly oblivious of the necessity
for care and caution in the enactment
OF statutes which are to accomplish
changes in our social and business rela-
lions.
They seem to have an impression
that an evil which is very insidious.
and which is elusive in its character.
when definite legal description is to be
given of 1t and heavy penalty is to be
prescribed for it, may be safely met
by statutory denunciation hastily pre-
pared in CAV or week or a short
period. We have seen within the
short four years of the present admins
tration such measures as government
ownership of railways. election of
Federal judges and national initiative
and referendum proposed as remedies
for our existing evils and now with
draw under assurances that they will
not be again suggested.
The silly Democratic claim that the
President and the Republican party
have stolen their policies from the
Democrats Is disposed Of by MIR. Taft,
and the incapacity Of that party to
rule the country wisely, in the follow
ing:
While the resolutions of its platform
IN 1896, 1900 and 1904 denounced the
abuses OF corporate wealth they never
proposed feasible plans or made the
prominent and chief issue of any cam
paign the carrying out Of what have
now become known and properly known
as the Roosevelt policies. On the
contrary, in 1896, the party made the
chief Issue a disastrous financial eX-
pertinent, which would have retarded
the progress OF this country a quarter
of century and sulled its financial
honor.
In 1906 the party reiterated its adj
herence to this suicidal policy Of repudi-
atcn Of national and private debts and
obligations and then advanced as the
paramount issue Of the campaign not
the trusts, not corporate wealth and
| abuses, bat rather the Reputation of all
our international responsibilities grow
ing out Of the Spanish war and the de-
struction Of what they call the growing
cancer Of Imperialism in the policy of
this country. Again, in 1904, instead of
selecting The abuses and evils for which
they nov seen to make the Republican
| party responsible of the main issue of
| the campaign, the burden of their con-
tentlons was ne usurpation of the pow
ers OF the executive office by President
Roosevelt, including the settlement of
| the anthracite coal strike and the viola
ton OF the Federal constitutional limita-
tons by the Republican party, while
the extent of the trust evil was mini
mixed by the statement of the then
party candidate that the common law
furnished sufficient remedy to suppress
it, and by the general party declaration
that nothing but safe and sane policies
were adopted under the administration
which should follow its success in the
election.