Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-13
QUESTIONS ANSWERED

w Eo 1lONO ANO w GNGO
MORNING newspaper, anxious to
a discredit in the eyes of President
A Taft the elean-cut Lincoln Roose-
welt league. says one OF two citizens
who presumed to address questions to
the chief executive of the nation at
Bakersfield. was attached to the now
dofunct Rooster crowd"
He asked. "What about the Roose-
Welt policies?" "The president" says
the Republican paper, which mangles
and guys the name of President Abra-
ham Lincoln. and glories in its shame
less vandalism, properly ignored the
inquiry, paying not the slightest at
tention to it." IF President Taft really
had ignored such a pertinent and time
ly inquiry, the very inquiry which an
overwhelming majority of the citizens
Of the United States would put to him
if they had opportunity, one might
have been led to think the presidents
Americanism was no greater than
that of the peevish paper which, in
its editorial columns, attempted to
bring the president Of the United
States down to its own level But
President Taft DID REPLY TO THE
INQUIRY. OF course he "bided his
time" and chose an opportunity when
he was certain he would be reported
accurately and fully But what had
he in mind save the inquiry, What
Oh To1-orrn1F {ofo
he said, later on:
"Allusion has been made to the pol
icies Of my predecessor. I yield to no
one in my admiration for that great
man and the map he laid out for
those who were to follow him. Some
times 1t seems as If 1t were pretty
burdensome for those who do follow
them in order to keep up with the pro-
cession, but 1t Is a great aid to have
his example before me, to have the
test Of the judgment of the American
people, which he was able to make,
and to know that IN following along
the general lines that he laid down
the administration which follows him
is following the will of the people,"
Could words be more explicit?
Why does our Republican contem-
porary wish to convey the impression
President Taft ignored the subject Of
the Roosevelt policies?
Then an American citizen. who by
kindly and American spirited (?)
Republican neighbor, is called a "low-
brow" dared to ask his president,
What about the Japs?" According to
our contemporary, President Taft did
not answer the question, but asked
another:
Are the Japs troubling you?"
Later, however the president took
up the subject. Why should he dodge
any question addressed to him in pub
lie on a matter of public Importance?
MOI no! President Taft is not as
small" politically and controversial
ly as our Republican friend would have
US believe.
In reply to the question, ''What about
the Japs?" he made a we'll considered
statement. apparently after having
reached the conclusion the Oriental
matters expressly included in the
question, ARE troubling many citizens
of. the west coast country, and espe-
cially wage earners.
The president said: you are on the
| Pacific. You are on that great ocean
surrounded by the ORIENT on the
one side, by the west coast Of South
America and by the west coast of
North America on the other in which
the great commercial progress of the
world is to be manifested for the next
hundred years. And WHAT THAT
TRADE SHALL BE is GOING TO
BE LARGELY INFLUENCED BY
THE QUESTION OF WHO CON-
Trolls THE MERCHANT MARINE
THAT CROSSES ITS WATERS"
In other words, the predominant
power in the Pacific either will build
and run MARUS" or STEAMSHIP
LINES, and in a very few years we
may begin to find out whether the Pa
| cific is to be MARU'D or MARINED.
I Beyond any reasonable doubt this
was at least one aspect of what was
in the mind of the honest American
citizen who asked the president "How
about the Japs?" and we are glad
to know the president of the United
States, being an American gentleman,
answered the question to the complete
satisfaction Of everyone but our pre-
posterous Republican morning con-
| temporary.