The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-09-18

winona, Mimi, Sept. 11.-In the most
important utterances he has made
since his occupancy of the White
House, President Taft here tonight, In
n state which Is the hotbed of the
republican "insurgent'' movement, de-
Tended the Payne tariff bill as the
best tariff measure ever passed by
republican congress, and hence the best
tariff bill the people ever have known.
The president boldly asserted that
the insurgents who voted against the
bill had abandoned the republican
party.
WAS II the duty of the memper Oh
congress who believed that tn- bill
did not accomplish everything that it
ought to accomplish to vote against
it?' asked the president
Il am here to justify those who an
swer this question in the negative. /
am not here to defend those who voted
for the Payne bill, but to support
them-'
To this statement the crowd re-
sponded with hearty cheer. 1t was
shouted by the adherents of Repre-
sentative James A. Tawney of this dis
trct, chairman of the house commit
tee on appropriations. who has been
on the defensive ever since the ad-
journment of congress, because he had
not voted with the other members of
the delegation from Minnesota. both In
the house and senate. against the
bill.
None to Predict.
1t had been reported that the pres
ident intended defending Mr.. Tawney
for his party regularity. but there was
none to predict that the president
would go as far as he did tonight in
eharacterizing the position taken by
the insurgent senators and representa-
tiyes. The president had met Senator
La Toilette of Wisconsin. one of the
leaders of the insurgent movement, at
Milwaukee during the forenoon and had
greeted him quite cordially.
ITO make party government effect
i've" said the president in his ad
dress. the members of that party
should surrender their personal pre-
dilections of comparative less impor-
tance. l am not here to criticise those
who felt SO strongly and believed so
intensely that it was their duty to vote
against the tariff bill because it did
not contain all they thought it should.
Question for Each.
1T was a question for each to settle
for himself. In matters of this kind
1t is a question with the party repre-
sentative whether he shall help maiti-
tain the party solidarity for accom-
plishing its chief purposes or whether
the departure from principle in the
BILL as he regards 1t. as so extreme
that he must In consequence abandon
the party. | am glad to see that
those who voted against the bill still
insist that they are republicans and
that they intend to keep up the fight
for still lower tariff rates within tne
party.
Defends Payne Bill.
President Taft's speech was a re-
markably plain spoken defense of the
Payne bill. He has met with many
queries since the beginning of his trip
as to when he intended taking up the
subject of the tariff. He waited until
today. when. with a mass of facts and
figures before him. with a new state
ment just prepared by Chairman
Payne. and with his own personal
knowledge of all the details of the
tariff fight in Washington still fresh
in his mind. he dictated to two stenog-
raphers the speech he delivered to-
night, and which represents a state
ment on the accomplishments and de-
merits of the Payne bill from an ad-
ministration standpoint. more thor
ough in its simple appeal for an un-
derstanding by the people than any
document which has heretofore been
issued from any source.
The statement contained only enough /
figures to make clear a point which |
the president has dwelt upon for some
time I'm his confidential talks, that the /
measure of the new bill should be !
taken by the amount of reductions !
made on articles of general consump- ]
tion compared to the increases on ar
tieles little used. The president by /
means of a table prepared at his re-
quest by Mr.. Payne, showed that the /
tariff had been increased on articles /
whose consumption in this eount-v
amounts yearly to s65I .o00.0 900. and
that of this amount s3Ts, ,0sO, 400 is rep
resented by such luxuries as silks, /
wines, liquors, perfumes and pomades, +
leaving balance of s2Te.o0o.o0o rep
resenting increases on articles not lux
nries. Against this the president set
forth with great emphasis the fact
that the tariff had been reduced on
articles. mostly necessities whose con- !
sumption in this country amounts an /
nually to $4,000. .o0a,Goe
Rates Too High.
As to the wooden schedule. Mr. Taft
declared without hesitation or equiyo-
IN ffan that rhss pa ..n.. rate. s,-ara Ia,