The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-04-07

that tariff reform is so urgent that a
special session of congress should be
held Immediately after the fourth of
March.
But even more significant is the
surrender made by Vice President
Fairbanks. for his state convention de-
clares in favor of a special session of
congress to be called Immediately after
the election-four. months earlier than
Secretary Taft's special session. And
we have two candidates to hear from
yet. Ii remains to be seen whether
Candidate Knox and Candidate Hughes
Will attempt to make a better bid than
those already submitted by Candidates
Taft and Fairbanks. 1t is gratifying
to see Republicans vieing- with each
other in their advocacy of tariff re-
form. But the people are not likely to
entruSt the reduction of the tariff to
men who are not willing TO have tariff
reform at once, and who have not dis
cussed the tariff until the exigencies
OF the campaign made it necessary.
ION the question of railroad regula-
ton we have another Democratic vim
dicatiOn. The Democrats have been
asking for regulation for twelve years,
and when at last the president, taking
his inspiration from the Democratic
platform, asked for an enlargement of
the scope of the interstate commerce
law, he received more loyal support
from the Democrats than from the Re-
publicans
But railroad regulation is, not yet
effective. We must know how much
the railroads are worth, and we must
prevent the future issue of watered
stock. But since the states began to
legislate on the subject of railroad reg
ulation the railroad managers began to
demand the surrender by the states of
power to legislate in regard to rail-
roads, and insist that congress shall
exercise exclusive control. The presi-
dent has yielded to this demand and
recommended the national incOrpOra-
ton of railroads, and as Secretary Taft
is endorsing the presidents policies. he
is supposed to favor this. But then ma
uonal incorporation of railroads is a
step backward rather than forward
and ii must be resisted by the Demo-
Gratis, and ii win be resisted by a large
element of the Republican party, for
those who have had a taste of state
regulation will not be willing TO sur
render the power that the state now
has. National remedies ought to be
added to state remedies, not substi-
tuted for them. Congress has ample
power to regulate interstate commerce
without interfering with the right of
the states to regulate internal COM
merce.
Taft as Reformer.
Secretary Taft seems to be regarded
as the representative of the reform
element, and yet he has so little of the
reform spirit, and his record is so bar
rem of any work in behalf of reform.
that he will hardly satisfy the eXpecta-
tions raised among Republicans by
some of the presidents regulations. His
advocacy of perpetual franchises i'm the
Philippine islands, coupled with per-
petual guarantee of income, shows that
he looks at the corporation question
from the standpoint of the corporation
rather than from the standpoint of the
public.
On the subject imperialism. the
last nine years have shown the folly
of a colonial policy We are paying
at least one hundred millions a wear
for the privilege of following at the
tail end of the European procession,
for our army and navy alone cost us
more than one hundred million year
in excess of their cost ten years ago.
Secretary Taft testified before con-
gress that he never could hope to
have more than twenty or thirty thou
sand Americans in the Philippine is
lands. We haven't anything like that
number there, but even if we had it
would cost us more than $4,000 year
for each one of the thirty thousand to
make up the hundred million a year of
additional expense. We could better
afford to pick out the thirty thousand
NVhn IN 90 10 DhfIirNfr,oe nj
support them at good hotels. doing
than to maintain an imper-
ial site policy for the purpose of Civ
ing them a chance to live in the orient
War Secretary's Weakness.
Il have mentioned several of the
questions upon which events have DEM
OnstTated the correctness of the Dem
Ocratic position. No real reform can
be expected from the Republicans, be-
cause they are too deeply indebted to
the predatory interests for their sup
port, and if Secretary Taft, who is
the reform candidate. is an
tagonistic to labor. weak on the trust
question and lacking in positiveness on
the tariff question, how can we hope
for anything better from other Repub-
lican aSpirants?
The Democratic party will enter
the campaign with confidence. It's
principles and policies are strong; it's
forces are united, while the Republi-
cans are divided, and its appeal to
justice will find a quicker response
than heretofore, because public con-
science is being awakened by the in
vestigations that have shown corruption
in politics and greed in the favor
seeking corporations that have domi-
mated the government.
Previous to sitting down to the BAN
quet. a reception was held for half
hour. during whic hthose who held
tickets to the spread were given the
opportunity to shake hands with Mr..
Bryan
Visited the Auditorium.
During the day Mr.. Bryan, in charge
of a committee headed bY NJ. Shat