The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-05
INAUGURAL
ADDRESS OF
PRESIDENT
William H. Taft Outlines His
Plans During His Four
Years in Office.
EXPECTS TO CLlNCH THE
POLICIES OF ROOSEVELT
MANY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
MENTIONED, BUT NO BEATING
OF DRUMS OR FIREWORKS.
My Fellow Citizens:

My Fellow Citizens:
Any one who takes the oath I have
just taken must feel heavy weight of
responsibility. If not ne has no concep-
ton Of the powers and duties of the Of
flee upon which he Is about TO enter, or
he IS lacking in a proper sense OF the OBJ
legation which the oath imposes
The office of an ina lgural address Is to
give a summary outline OF the main poll
cies of the new administration, so lar as
they can be anticipated. 1 have had the
honor to be one OF the advisers OF my
distinguished predecessor, and as such,
TO hold up his hands in the reforms ne
has initiated. ] should be untrue to my
self, TO my promises and 10 the deelaTa-
lions of the party platform upon which
was elected to office, If 1 did not make
the maintenance and enforcement of those
reforms most important feature OF my
administration. They were directed to
the suppression of the lawlessness and
abuses OF power of the great combinations
of capital invested in railroads and IN
industrial enterprises carrying on inter-
state commerce. The steps which my
predecessor took and the legislation
passed on his recommendation have ac-
coBlplished much, have caused a general
halt in the vicious policies which created
popular alarm, and have brought about IN
the business affected, a much higher re-
gard for existing law.
To render the reforms lasting, however,
and to secure at the same time freedom
ing proper and progressive business meth
DDS, further legislative and executive &C
tiOn are needed. Relief Of the railroads
= from certain restrictions of the anti =
= trust law have been urged by my =
= predecessor, and will be urged by =
= me: On the other hand, the admin =
= istration is pledged to legislation =
y looking to proper federal superVi- =
= sion and restriction to prevent excess =
y sive issues of bonds and stocks by =
p companies owning and operating in =
= terstate commerce railroads. =
Reorganization Necessary.
Then, too, a reorganization of the de-
partment of justice, of the bureau of cor
poratons in the department of commerce
and labor. and of the interstate commerce
commission, looking TO effective Coop
Grafton of these agencies is needed to Sc
cure a more rapid and certain enforce
ment of the laws affecting interstate rail-
roads and industrial combinations.
I hope to be able to submit, at the first
regular session of the incoming congress,
in December next, definite suggestions in
respect to the needed amendments TO the
srti-tTust and the interstate commerce
law and the changes required in the eX-
ecutive departments concerned in their
enforcement.
II is believed that with the changes 10
be recommended. American business can
be assured Of that measure of stability
and certainty in respect to those things
that may be done and those that are pro-
Iibited, which is essential to the life and
growth of all business. Such plan must
include the right of the people to avail
themselves of those methods of combining
capital and effort deemed necessary to
reach the highest degree of economic eff
cheney. at the same time differentiating