The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1908-09-18
REMARKABLE TRIBUTE PAID TO
THE NOMINEE OF THE RE-
PUBLICAN PARTY.
HELD UP AS MODEL
CITIZEN OF NATION.
In a Letter to His OlS Friend, Mr..
Conrad kohrs of H;Hena, Montana,
the Chief Executive Appeals to the
Party to Support the Man Best
Fitted to Carry On the Policies
lnaugurated by the Present Ad-
ministration.

l
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 init
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. Kohrs:
l have received your letter about the
candidacy of Mr.. Taft, the man who I
| 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-
i tween man and man. obtain permanently
| In this great republic. AS people we
are justly proud of our business indus
| try, of our energy and intelligence in our
| work; and 1t is entirely right that we
| should ask ourselves as to any given
course of conduct: "Will it be profitable?"
| But 1t 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: us this profltable?" when APP
piled to any given course of con-
duct Indeed. in the long run our
people are sure to find that in
| ell 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 ur
| gently necessary that this great reform
| movement should go on. But no reform
| movement is healthy If 1t goes on by
| spasms If 1t is marked by periods of
| frenzied advance, followed. as such perl
| DDS of frenZied advance must always be
followed, by equally violent periods of
| reaction. To permit the direction of our
| public affairs to fall alternately into the
| hands of the revolutionaries and reac-
| tionaries, of the extreme radicals of I'M
| rest and of the bigoted conservatives who
| recognize no wrongs to remedy, would
| merely mean that the nation had EN-
| barked on feverish course of violent
oscillation which would be fraught with
| great temporary trouble, and would pro-
|
| 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
little more than makes good what he
| does promise, and that, while steadily
| advancing he never permits himself to
! be led into foolish excuses which would
damage the very cause he champions.
| In Mr.. Taft we have man who COM
| bines 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 or robs his fel-
| lows. would not so much as dare to de-
| fend his evi-doing in Mr.. Taft's presence.
| The honest wage-worker, the honest Ia
| boring man. the honest farmer, the non
| est mechanic or small trader, or 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 d
mob with the unequaling and lofty in
| difference with which he would front the
bitter anger OF tnS WehlllleSt anu 'i'''
powerful corporations
l have naturally peculiar interest In
the success of Mr. Taft and in seeing
him backed by a majority in both houses
of congress which will heartily support
| his policies. For the last ten years, while
I have been governor of New YORK ana
president | have been thrown into the
| closest intimacy with him, and he ana
have on every essential point stood
| in heartiest agreement, shoulder 10 shoui-
| 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
tion with other nations. There is no fight
| for decency and fair dealing which ]
| have waged in which / have not had ms
| heartiest and most effective sympathy
and support, and the policies for which
| 1 stand are his policies as much as mine
Mr. Taft can he 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 De
| held to n proper accountability on the
one hand nor given proper protection on
| the other. save by the affirmative action
| of the federal government. Inc law hS
laid down by the federal courts clearly
| shows that the states have not and can
4
| not devise laws adequate TO meet the
problems caused by the great growth OF
| The railroads doing an interstate COM
merce business, for more than four-hfths
| OF the business OF the railroads is inter
state. and under the constitution OF the
limited States only tho federal govern
| ment can exercise control thereover. IL
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: hut this Is especially
true OF the railroads. which cannot eN-
ist AT all save BY the exercise OF powers
granted them on behalf Of the people. and
which. Therefore. should be held 10 pc
culIar accountability to the people IL IS
in the interest OF the people that they
should not be permitted 10 do injustice
and IL Is no less to the interest OF the
people that they should not suffer injus-
lice. II Is to the interest OF shipper
farmer. wage worker. business man. hon
est shareholder. and honest manager
alike that there should be economy hon
esty. Intelligence and fair treatment OF
] ali. The stockholders must receive an
ample return on their investments or the