Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-11-24
A BIT OF IN.
Side HISTORY

Continued from page i y
without opposition and no effort is to-
be made to disturb the existing lead
eTship Of policies anywhere in con-
gress. We are going to be brothers
together in the enjoyment of our good
luck in retaining control Of the gov.
ornment and are going slow and soft
" with the tariff and everything else.
after the last few years Of agitation
and turmoil. 4 5
Such was the general plan which
the old time leaders had prepared and
they believed MI. Taft would assent
Ito it. Mr.. Sherman was selected as
the emissary to go to Hot Springs
and sound Mr.. Taft as to this nice lit
I tie program. Nothing would have
been easier than for Mr.. Taft to as
sent to it. Probably it tempted him.
Actually It was taking Mr.. Taft UP
to the top Of the mountain and show
| ing him all the nice things he could
have in nSthe. pleasant country round
l.about il he would only yield to the
ltempter. Mr.. Taft saw all this. He
understood. For once the smile left
his face. The expression which we
all know so we'll came upon his coun-
tenance. Men who were at Hot
/ Springs and who knew something of
the facts in regard to that now fa-
| nous interview between the man who
| is to be president and the man who
lis to4be vice president, saw the form
er use a Rooseveltian swear word
| in giving expression to his feelings
1 just what he said is not known. But
he emphatically rejected the proffer
Of peace and comfort and taking
things easy, and served notice then
and there that his administration was
to stand for progressive policies, for
carrying on the work which Mr.. Roose
veH began and did not finish, and that
as to the tariff and these other mat.
ters, il the speaker OF. the house and
the leaders of the senate did not come
into line and stand by the admins
tration there would be war from the
/ very outset.
It is also known that Mr.. Sherman
attempted to get from Mr. Taft 4
pledge that the preside nt-to-be wonlG
4 make no effort to prevent the re-elec
ton of Speaker Cannon. Mr.. TAT
distinctly refused to give such
j pledge. He did not go to the othel
extreme and say that he had any pla1
i for attempting to dictate to the Re
4 publicans of the house of representa-
4 tives how they should organize thei
4 body Mr.. Taft knows as well al
!. anyone that interference on the par
Of the executive with the organiza
ton OF The legislative branch woul,
not be tolerated. But the propose
which Mr.. Sherman brought him wa
that he interfere, but in behalf O
the present organization. It was
proposal that the great weight Q
Mr.. Taft's name and prestige b
thrown in on the side of one who il
the past has not cordially cooperate
with the administration with whic
/ M MI. Taft has been identified, an
whose policies he intends to continue
Mr.. Taft not only declined to Civ
4 his public approval of the contin
, uance of the Cannon regime, but h
wanted to know what Mr.. Cannon
4 attitude was to be toward the new aG
ministration. Was the management 9
Z the house to continue reactionary
G Was 1t intended to throw obstacles i
the path of the administra ration whe1
ever it championed reform measures
IL SO, Mr.. Taft wanted to know. i
He would like to know who iii
friends were, and who his enemie!
And IL the leadership of the hous
was to be of this sort, Mr.. Taft Nigh
Z. find 1t necessary to do somethin
about it. He intimated that he Nigh
go so far as to say something to tn
4 country about the need which exist
for making the Republican party
progressive party, not only at th
i White House and in the department!
! but on capital hill. Instead Of Nj
1 Taft giving pledges as to what b
should do in regard to Speaker CaI
7 non, the right thing al this junctur
t was some sort Of a pledge froI
$ Speaker Cannon as to what his f,
/ ture policy was going to be. With
Z tclear understanding ais to this, Nj
Taft could intelligently map out hl
own course.
Everyone In Washington familis
with the circumstances and signii
canoe of the interview between M
Taft and Mr.. Sherman regards th
: episode as Of the greatest impor
ance. It Is decisive In sgood tim
i It will become historic. Sssss
However these thing may turn on