The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-03-08
It Is Expected That Taft Will
Hit It off Better With Con-
gress Than Did His lively
Predecessor.
PRESIDENT LEARNED
TO LEAD, NOT DRIVE
Gained This knowledge While
Serving as Cabinet Officer
Under Both Mckinley and
Roosevelt.
BY Sheldon S. Cline.

Washington, March Sits early yet.
of course, to indulge in predictions.
but there is every indication that Pres
ident Taft and congress are going to
get along with great deal less fric-
ton than marked the intercourse of his
predecessor with the legislative
branch. Congress is mighty anxious
to be on good terms with the executive
and Mr.. Taft is displaying almost
equal anxiety to keep the national leg.
islature in good humor.
Since Inauguration there has been
a continuous stream of congressional
callers at the White House, and de
parting, they all appeared perfectly
delighted with the reception which
had been accorded them. Undoubted-
ly Mr.. Taft has a better acquaintance
with congress. its moods and meth
DDS, than any other president who had
not served In one or the other houses
of that body.
Taft Made Discovery.
His long service in Washington as a
member of the Cabinet, calling for fire.
quent appearances before congression-
al committees, had given him wide
acquaintance with Senators and Rep
resentatives, and having held import
ant office under both the Mckinley and
Roosevelt administrations he had OPP
portunity to. discover that 1t was cas-
Ter to lead than to drive the law-mak-
ing body
Moreover, Mr.. Taft being stickler
for the constitution, there isn't likely
to be much heard during the next four
years Of executive encroachment on
legislative functions. Those who
have Mr.. Taft's confidence predict that
he viii make no. effort to drive Con-
gress, but that when Congress fails to
do the things he thinks 1t ought to do,
the president will make the issue
clear and easy to understand, and then
leave it to the country to do any driv-
ing which may be needed. There Is
one thing the new president is resolv-
ed upon. He will not play politics with
congress nor use patronage for the
purpose OF purchasing l0SlSldt1Ou.
He Used Kid Gloves.
Even in urging early passage of the
proposed tariff revision bill Mr. Taft
has used kid gloves in touching up
congress. He has given it as his
opinion that no business other than
tariff legislation should be undertaken
at the extra session which he has call
ed to convene March Is. but has quail
flied this advice with the observation
that, of course, congress will do as it
pleases.
When he sends his tariff message to
congress at the beginning of the spe-
cial session, 1t is understood he will
make no specific recommendations as
to rates or schedules again leaving
the decision to congress. He may rec
ommend a graduated inheritance tax. II
such be deemed necessary to make up
the deficit in revenues, but the rec
concentration will only be general
one.
But II congress doesn't pass the kind
of a tariff bill William Howard Taft
thinks 1t ought to pass he will veto the
measure with his characteristic unfail-
ing good humor and leave it to the
country to decide whether the congress
or the president was right.