The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-03-06
President Taft'S
inaugural Address.

inaugural ADDRESS.
Whatever variety of impressions
President Tafts inaugural address
may leave on the public mind, the
prevalent one will be that he gives
no room for doubt as to which of the
two great political parties he is align
ed with. The address tells of a
stauncn republicanism from beginning
to end. There can be no two opin-
ions on that score, and as the tri-
umph of HamiltOnianism was, after all,
az the bottom of his predecessors po-
iiticaI activities, Mr.. Taft. in this
broad sense, viii endeavor 10 carry
put Mr.. RooseveIt's policies"
And it is well to know just where
q man stands. To feel that II his
utterances he Says what ne means
and means what he says" It gives
his friends a stronger confidence IN
their efforts to aid him, and it puts
his antagonists on their guard-en-
Rbles them 10 make ready TO combat
the evil which they believe would re-
suit from a successful achievement Of
his purposes. So far so good, and the
fact that the inaugural policies are
stated boldly and without much unneC
essary persifage will awaken no ami
mostly. To the contrary it viii induce
commentator in every section of the
country,
In brief editorial comment it is, OF
course, impossible to attempt crit
icism of an address which covered all
the principal political questions of
instant interest to the people OF the
United States. The control Of the
trusts, revision of the tariff. monetary
reform, the race question, postal say
ings banks, tne Panama canal, the Ia
Dor problem are all matters Of emf
nent and imminent concern and the
adequate consideration of either OF
them would require much thought and
space. And these are not all of the
topics touched upon by the new exec
utive.
The subject of greatest Immediate
interest is, however, tariff revision, as
a special session of congress will be
called for March 10, to give it con-
sideration. Mr.. Taft's one expressed
desire is that the work should he
done and over vita as soon as practi-
cable in order that business excite
ment may quiet down and prosperity
have another opportunity to enter the
American arena. But he holds out
sCant hope that there Will be material
reductions in any of me schedules, |
emphasizing the fact that a $1,000 /
600 deficit in the treasury must be
met: and if not by revenue from
customs duties then BY an inheritance
tan
OF course the South halls with de-
light the announcement that negroes
Will not be appointed in This section
to public offices. Whether the pco-
Me of other sections viii be equally
delighted. however. to know that they
will be given offices somewhere else
is rather questionable, but that is OF
no especial interest 10 us. And 10
one can properly withhold from the
president an expression of earnest
pIaiSC for the honest statement Of his
belief that the passage Of the fifteenth
Amendment was a mistake. Tie utter
anCc of such an opinion in the capt.
tol at Washington hetokened a man
" Independence and sCon of crjti-
Cism which IS bound 10 evoke ECnCr-
Gus admiration from all who are not
blinded by inordiuatc prejudice. Just
What NIr. Taft meant when he dccIar-
ed, Personally [ have not the slight /
est race prejudice or feeling" We do
not know; and viii not place n con
struCtiOn on the meaning of the
words. Let them rest for what they
are worth until he may be pleased
- take the world further into his /
confidence.
OF course it was TO ne expected !
That Mr.. Taft desires 10 stretch the |
treaty making powers of the United /
States until the provisions of national |
agreements with other countries may
override the reserved rights % tie |
states. But he VIII find that an al !