The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-04-03
Those Who Thought He Would
Be an Easy Mark Are Now
Sitting Up and Rubbing
Their Eyes.
PRESIDENT CHECKS
SHREWO SENATE MOVE
Upper Body Wanted to Ger
Credit in the Popular Cry
For Economy, But Mr.. Taft
Got There First.
ey sheldon 3. Cline.

Washington. April 3-Theodors
Roosevelt left the White House With
the reputation OF being the greatest
master OF politics who ever occupied
that mansion. but his successor 4
showing surprising accomplishment ID
that direction. Those past masters a
the art political In the senate Who 81.
pected to find the new president "easys
have been rubbing their eyes Of late
Mr.. Taft has gathered In several tricks
which the senate already had counted
- won.
II would be unfair to say the actiea
Of the senate In creating . special com.
mittee to cut down appropriations was
nothing more than shrewd move IN
the game of politics. No doubt the
senate leaders are genuinely Impressed
with the need Of economy. but II wa
nevertheless \ shrewd political move
Wants Popularity.
The senate 10 very hungry for
share Of the popularity which haa beon
denied II In recent years. and the senr
ate leaders thought they saw . rod 70
popularity In being the watch-Aon a
the treasury. In the past the senate
has been notoriously liberal In the
matter Of Appropriations. 1t had cot.
ten to 4 point where even members a
the house. wanting appropriations that
would not bear too close scrutiny.
would wait until the appropriatioas
bills had passed the house AID reach
ed the senate. and there would have
the appropriations they wanted. tackled
on rs amendments. The chances were
about even that In the stress Of con-
ference N the session neared it, end
the appropriation which could nol
have passed the house In the first in-
stance, would be allowed to stand.
Turned the Tables.
When the senate finally awolee %
the fact that members Of the house and
officials of the departments. not to
speak Of outsiders, were hab1tually
taking advantage Of It's generosity. II
saw an opportunity Of turning the to
bles. The creation Of the 'committsa
ON expenditures" was the result.
1t readily will be seen how large .
feather 1t would have been In the sen
ate's cap to have been alone respond
BILE for saving the treasury some scores
of millions of dollars 1T each session 81
congress. The public 10 proverbiaily
of short memory. and senators cav Wis
ions of past grievances forgotten and
themselves a. popular heroes.
BY Topping huge chunks of the eoti-
mates sent in by the heads Of depart
ments and doing the same to the ap-
preparation bills sent over from the
house side of the capitol. steruly In
sisting that the governments out0o
should be kept within its income. the
opportunity would have been . SPLEEN
did one for the senate to enhance tn
popularity. And no one would have
been churlish enough to withhold
full mede Of praise.
Enter the preeident.
But here enters the president. Ard
shows himself skilled player 1t the
political game He was quick to -
that II the senate, In its new-SounA g.
gerness for economy. succeeded In psac.
ing the executive branch Of the gov-
eminent In the light Of q spen6thra0,
which had to be watched and 0l0cip-
lined by congress to keep It from bank.
rupting the treasury. his sdministFor
ton would be at = serious disaAvan-
tage. A president who hadn't the
people back Of him would stand small
chance In any conflict with congress.
and anythink which weakens the poDu-
larity of an administration wookens
its chance Of achieving thing, Mr..
Taft doesn't want . conflict With c0n-
gress. but he 10 committed to certain
policies Of legislation. and II It dovel-
opes that congress II unwilling TO en-