Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1909-03-11

President Taft, after taking the oath
of office. Immediately began the delivery
of his inaugural address. which in part is
as follows:
Any one who takes the oath I have just
taken must feel a heavy weight of respon-
sibility. If not. he has no conception of
the powers and duties of the Office upon
which he is about to enter, or he is lack
ing in a proper sense of the obligation
which the oath imposes.
The office of an inaugural address is
to give summary outline of the main
policies of the new Administered ton. so far
as they can be anticipated. | have had
the honor 10 be one of the advisers of
my distinguished predecessor. and as
such. to hold up his hands in the reforms
he has initiated. | should be untrue TO
myself. to my promises and to the dec
larationS of the party platform up
on which | was elected TO office. if | did
hot make the maintenance and enforce
ment of those reforms a most important
feature of my administration. To render
the reforms lasting. however. and to Sc
cure at the same time freedom from
alarm on the part of those pursuing prop
er and progressive business methods. fur
Their legislative and executive action are
needed. Relief of the railroads from GER
tain restrictions of the antitrust law
have been urged by my predecessor and
will be urged by me. On the other hand,
the administration is pledged TO legisla-
ton looking to a proper federal SuperviS-
ion and restriction to prevent excessive
issues of bonds and stocks by companies
owning and operating interstate COM
MERGE railroads
viii Suggest Changes.
| 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 antitrust and the interstate COM
merce law. and the changes required in
the executive departments concerned in
their enforcement.
matter of most pressing Importance
is the revision of the tariff. In accord
ance with the promises OF the platform
upon which | was elected. | shall call
Congress into extra session. to meet on
the 10Th day of March. in order that con-
sideration may be at once given to a bill
revising the Dingley act. This should
secure an adequate revenue and adjust
the duties in such manner as to afford
to labor and to all industries in this coun
try whether of the farm. mine or fac
tory, protection by tariff equal to the diff
ference between the cost of production
abroad and the cost of production here
and have a provision which shall put in
TO force. upon executive determination of
certain facts, higher or maximum tariff
against those countries whose trade pol
icy toward us equitably requires such dis
elimination.
Business Now Affected.
The proposal to revise the tariff made
in such an authoritative way as to lead
the business community to count upon it,
a of hnS |
rectly affected. and as these are most i'm
pOrtant it disturbs the whole business
of the country. 1t is imperatively nee
eSsary, therefore. that a tariff bill be
drawn in good faith in accordance with
promises made before the election by the
party in power. and as promptly passed
as due consideration will permit 1t is
not that the tariff is more important in
the long run than the perfecting of the
reforms in respect to antitrust legisla-
ton and interstate commerce regulation,
but the need for action when the revision
of the tariff has been determined upon,
is more immediate to avoid embarrass- |
ment of business.
Should Practice Economy.
The obligation on the part of those re-
sponsbe for the expenditure made to carry q
on the government, to be as economical SIS
possible and to make the burden Of taxa
| I
be affirmed in every declaration of govern l
ment policy This is especially true when
we are face to face with a heavy deficit. {
But when the desire tc win the popular
approval leads to the cutting off of eXpendi-
lures really needed to make the government | I
effective, and to enable it to accomplish its ,
proper Objects the result is as much to be ! ,
condemned the waste of government {
funds in unnecessary expenditure
In the department of agriculture. the use
of pXnpFimpQtS q |
and the spread of information derived from
them for the Improvement of general agri- I
culture. must 60 on. ,
The Importance of supervising business of | ,
great railways and industrial combinations | !
and the necessary investigation and prose- | ,
cution of unlawful business methods, are an
other necessary tax upon government which
did not exist half a century ago.
The putting into force of laws which shall
secure the conservation of our resources
so far as they may be within the iurisdic- |
tion of the Federal Government. including
the most important work of saving and re- |
storing our forests and the great improve | {
ment of waterways are all proper Govern
ment functions which must involve large
expenditure If properly performed.
The Army and Navy.
There are expenditures of government alb t
solutely necessary f country is to I
maintain its proper place among the ma
tons of the world, and is to exercise its 5
proper influence in defense of its own trade !
interests, in the maintenance of traditional
American policy against the COLOMBIA ton CT /
European monarchies in this hemisphere, |
and in the promotion of peace and interna- I
tiona morality / refer to the cost of main {
tanning a proper army. a proper navy and |
suitable Notifications upon the mainland of y
the United States and its dependencies We
should have an army so organized and so t
Offered as to be capable in time of emer- |
gency, in cooperation with the national
militia. and under the provisions of a prop /
er national volunteer law, rapidly to expand =
into force sufficient to resist all probable {
invasion from abroad and to furnish re- t
spectacle expedtionary force. if necessary a
lean policy which bears the name of Pres |
ident Monroe. What has been said of the c
army may be affirmed in even a more en- a
phatic way of the navy modern navy f
cannot be inlprovised 1t must be built and | I
in existence when the emergency arises a
which calls for its use and operation. t
Our interna tiOnal policy is always to pro- r
mote peace. We shall enter into any war i
with a full consciousness of the awful con- 7
that it always entails, whether | L
successful or not. end we. of course. shall 0
make every effort. consistent with national ! i
honor and the highest national interest to , 8
avoid resort to arms. We favor every in
strumentality. like that of The Hague Tri- I
Dunal and arbitration treaties made with | [
a view to its use in all fnternati onal con- I
troversics, in order to maintain peace and
to avoid war. But we should be blind to
existing conditions. and should allow our | O
selves to become foolish idealiSts If we | G
did not realize that with all the nations of Q
the world armed and prepared for war we | u
must be ourselves in similar condition inI +
order to prevent other nations from taking | Il
advantage of us and of our inability TO | O
defend our interests and assert our rights | O
with a strong hard. | n
Dignity Must Be Upheld. J
The policy of the United States in +he | II
Spanish war and since. has given it a posi-
ton of influence among the nations that It l.
never had before, and should be constantly h
exerted to securing 10 its bona fide citizens D
whether native naturaliZed. resDact Tor n
them as such in foreign countries we a
should make every effort to prevent humil- s
ating and degrading prohibition against any 4,
Of our citizens wishing temporarily TO So d