The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-06-02
TAFT WILL Be PLEDGED
TO ADMINISTRATION ACTS
Tariff Revision Is To Be One of the
Planks Upon Which Mr.. Taft
viii Stand Before the
People.

Washington, June 1-There will be no
lukewarm Endorsement of President
Roosevelt and his policies, in the republi-
can national platform, if the wish of Sec
retary Taft and his friends have potency
in the framing of that document. This
announcement was made today after the
first of a series of conferences to be held
with the Secretary of War on the subject
of the platform.
Should the Chicago convention adopt
this sort of platform and nominate
Secretary Taft, it is predicted in author-
tative quarters that his letter speech
of acceptance will contain a pledge TO
carry out the Roosevelt policies already
naugurated. and earnestly strive for
those not enacted, which will have ring
similar to that pronounced by President
Roosevelt on taking the oath of office
over the body of the dead Mckinley.
Wade Ellis, attorney general OF Ohio,
who has prospects of being the Ohio
members of the republican committee Of
the convention and who was largely re-
sponsble for the conceded virility of The
Ohio republican platform is here for a
thorough understanding with the Secre-
tary of War He was with Mr.. Taft at
his office for several hours today and at
the Taft residence for a long time to-
night Another conference is to be held
tomorrow. when 1t is not unlikely the
result will be brought to the attention of
President Roosevelt.
Secretary Taft has made no secret of
| his position on the tariff. He is for a
| revision at a special session of the Sixty
! first Congress- to be called Immediately
| after the Inauguration March 4, 1909. His
| ideas as to what the tariff Should b.
also are public property. The schedules
should be drawn as near as possible to
cover the differences between the lesser
cost of production of a given article in
foreign countries, and the cost to produce
that article in the United States. This
he regards as protection" in. its true
| and fair sense.
Schedules which are fixed at a rate
| higher than this difference he believes,
are not only unnecessary, as means OF
protection, but are evil because of their
! temptation to capitalists to form monop-
! olies and trusts in this country for the
! control of the market is that particular
! product From this Information, the pre-
dction Is declared to be a safe one that
| the tariff plank to be presented to the
resolutions committee by the Taft ad-
herents will follow closely the lines of
the Ohio platform, with the added speo-
fications regarding the manner of arriv-
ing at the amount of tariff which should
| be levied.
Mr.. Ellis is known to be heartily in
| favor of a plan stipulating that amend
! ments should be made to the Sherman
! antitrust laws, and Secretary Taft is
| known to be thorough believer in the
| efficacy of trust control through federal
laws The embodyment of these ideas
| into plank. which may take the form OF
| an endorsement of the Hepburn Dill,
which died a peaceful death in the House
| judiciary committee is said to be a safe
| prediction.
That the conferences will not be re-
stricted in their personnel. and 1t is be-
! lieved that before the Taft platform IS
finally perfected for submission the views
of many of the party leaders will have
| been obtained.