Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1909-12-29
WHY THEY CRITICISE.

timely study of the effort which is
being made in certain quarters to dis
credit President Taft, and seeks to
find some just and specific ground for
the insinuations of the critics that
the president has gons over to the
enemy, has been captured by Infamous
Wall street and the equally infamous
big business interests.
In it's search for enlightenment the
Globe has found a paucity of direct
specification. The critics are found
to be cautiously using general phrases.
But tenting the matter to the quick
sit appeared that the ground work of
the dissatisfaction is the presidents
failure to shrek aud roar. Says the
Globe:
His language Is not rabid enough
to please those who want strong stuff.
He is guilty of the offense of assum-
ing that man may be reasonable and
progressive at the same time. He
has fired no thirteenth projectiles
at Aldrich, and has been guilty of
colloguing in friendly way with
Cannon. He has refused to tin-can
Ballinger in the absence of proof of
misdeed. He has signed the tariff
law and has postponed recommended
tion concerning what further should
be done toward rounding up the rail
ways. 1t is true that he keeps Pin
chot, sans peur, sans reproche, as we'll
as Ballinger in the public service;
that he permits Secretary MacVeagh
to make red-hot tariff revision
speeches, and that he has had Attorney
General Wickersham outline pro-
gramme of railway legislation that
goes hundred miles where Roosevelt's
programme went only ten.
'But-here's the rub-when Presi-
dent Taft proceeds against the sugar
trust, furthers conservation and shows
the ways for the effectire regulation
of trusts and railroads, he does so In
a non excited and non exciting way
and his, as the Globe find. is a
grave affront to the lovers of hysteria.
''They demand not the pragmatic
pursuit of the public's interest, but
political meIodrama They want the
spectacle of valiant hero overcoming
villains They are grieved when no
miracle working excalibur is brand
ished.'
The important question which our
contemporary sees is this attitude of
a part of the public and the press is
this: Which is to be the
ruling force in this country, emotion
or reason And it believes, that it is
no longer so much a matter of whether
or not we are to have reform, pro-
gressiveness, social Improvement and
the like, but whether feather heads
or sober heads are to capture public
opinion. 1t asks:
Is it to be considered just ground
of quarrel with President Taft that
he couples with his desire to 60 ahead
determination to be cautious? 1t is
unforgivable that he sometimes &C.
cepts a half loaf when he can't get
whole one Have sobriety and
temperance become qualities for
which the American people have
little regard p
The Globe believes that it is the
duty of the hour to instruct those who
stigmatize sanity and adulate hysteria
in public Office. and we wish it JOY
in its mission. There are too many
publications and politicians who
flourish on the creation of unrest to
make such work thankful or easy just
at present.
For us, we have too much abiding
faith in the ability and high purpose
of Mr.. Taft and in the good sense and
far play of the American people to
doubt that the president will wholly
make good in the end.
We have of late become a melo
dramatic people, but we are nonethe-
less practical people for that We
love excitement, but we are not there
fore dulled to the value of results.
We know that results count. This
journal feels that President Taft is in
the business to get results and it be-
lieves he is going to get them.
As his administration progresses
there will be less and less of this I'M
founded dissatisfaction and three
years from now we expect to see
public Judgment affirm that President
Taft has worthily indicated the faith
of his great predecessor. milwaukee
Free Press.