Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1909-09-23


most important utterance he has
made since his occupancy of the
White House, President Taft here
tonight, in the state that was the
hot bed of the "insurgent" movement
within the republican party, defend
ed the Payne tariff bill as the best
tariff measure ever passed by re-
publican congress and hence the
best tariff bill the people have ever
had.
| The president boldly asserted that
| the insurgents who voted against
the bill had abandoned the Repub-
lican party.
Was it the duty of republican
member Of congress who believed
that bill did not accomplish every;
thing that 1t ought to accomplish,
to vote against it, asked the presi-
dent.
II am here to justify those who
answer this question in the negative.
am not here to defend those who
voted for the Payne bill, but to sup.
port them
To this statement the crowd in
the Winona opera house responded
with cheers which could be heard
down the street.
To make party government eff
fective." said the president tonight,
members of that party should sur.
render their personal predictions
of comparatively less Importance. /
ann not here to criticise those con-
gressmen who felt SO strongly and
believed SO intensely that it was
their duty to vote against thu tariff
bill because it did not contain all
they thought it should.
1T was question for each man
TO settle for himself. In matters
of this kind, it is a question. with
party representative as to whether
he shall help to maintain party solid
arity for accomplishing its chief
purpose, or whether the departure
from principle in the bill, as he re-
CARDS it, is SO extreme that he must
in conscience abandon the party.
Further along the president gave
the final word to the Insurgents.
II 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 stili
lower tariff rates within the party.
That is their right, and in their
view OF things. it is their duty. All
have to say in respect to Mr..
Tawney's action in voting for the bill
and my action In signing 1t, is that
believe that the interests Of the
country and the interests of the
party required me to sacrifice the
accomplishment of certain things in
the revision of the tariff which I
had hoped for in order to obtain
party solidarity. which believed
more important than the reduction
of rates in one or two schedules of
the tariff"
President Taft's speech was re.
markedly plain spoken defense of
the Payne bill. He has been met
with many queries since the Begin
ming of his trip as to when he in
tended taking up the subject Of the
tariff, and there was marked dis.
appointment in Chicago yesterday
among those who had the reception
OF the president in charge, that he
did not elect to speak there on the
most important subject.
MIR Taft waited until this after.
noon, when with mass Of facts
and figures before him, with the
new statement just prepared by
chairman Payne. of the house com.
mittee on ways and means, aud with
ms own personal knowledge Of all
the intimate little details Of the tariff
| night in Washington still fresh in his
mind, he sat down in the state-room
OF MS private car. the Mayflower, and
dictated 20 two stenographers the
speech he delivered tonight which
gives a statement of the accomplish.
ments and dement's of the Payne
Dill from an administration point ~
view more thorough in it's simple
appeal for understanding by the peo-
pie than any document which has
heretofore been issued from any
| source.
The statement contained only
enough figures to make the point
which the president has dwelt unon
Tor some time.
As to the wooden schedule. Taft
declared. without hesitation or eoui.
vocation, that the rates Of the Payne