Evening star., 1909-05-17
Taft and the Tariff.
aw weeks ago The Star said:

N
President Taft is in favor of the Payne
bill. He approves of the Senate commit
tees amendments to the Payne bill. He
is thoroughly dissatisfied with everything
his party in Congress has done up 10
date. He will sign the bill his party
sends to him. If any such bill as is now
indicated reaches him he will veto 1T. He
favors an income tax. He doubts the ad-
visibility of an income tax at this time.
His party in Congress thoroughly undef-
stands his wishes. He has refraned
from going into particulars when visited
by those who are putting the tariff bill
into shape And so il goes. Reports as
TO the Presidents position are thick as
leaves. The public has but 10 make us
choice.
Reproduced in a number of quarters, the
paragraph Jared very well until it reached
the Chicago Evening Post. whose COM
ment is as follows:
This sarcastic summary of the tariff
situation at the White House made by
The Washington Star is reflex of edl-
1orial comment which has lately become
quite common in the east. A paper like
the Springfield Republican even goes 50
far as to say that between the lines of
the speeches of the western revisionists 1t
can almost detect the breathing of a
sigh for just one or two more days Of
Roosevelt.
As is plain enough. the summary was
not ''of the tariff situation at the White
House." but of the Kaleidoscope tariff
gossip of this town. You can hear any
thing you please. not only about the
Presidents attitude, but everybody else's-
Talk is abundant, and, as usual, cheap.
A good deal of it is not worth the breath
il consumes.
Although the President is made to fig
ure in so much of this chatter. the most
reliable information is that he has not
committed himself beyond his campaign
expressions of last year and his message
To Congress. There have been many visits
to the White House both by standpat-
lers and revisionists since March 10. and
undoubtedly the President has heard at
length from both sides. In all proba bill
fly, too, efforts have been made to draw
him out as TO the details of a bill. A
nod or two would have sufficed in answer
to this appeal and that, but solicitors
have not received even nod. The Presi-
dent has not only kept his head on his
shoulders. but has kept it still.
On the general proposition of revision
upward or downward the Presidents 8
message leaves nothing to be desired. He
is Enthusiastically for the latter. He has
no bill, and 1t is not necessary that he
SIiOulu nave one. But common knowledge
of the man warrants the assumption that
he will understand the bill that Congress
sends to him, and will deal with 1t ac-
cordins to his conceptions Of duty.
The idea that anybody in this town in
terested in the tariff question is signing
for just one or two more days of Roose-
velt'' is droll. There "ain't no sich a
person 1t Is far easier to believe that
even Mr.. Roosevelt's best friends under
stand that he would not shine in the
present controversy. He himself realized
his limitations to the tariff, and said
that the subject was not for him. If
now on deck. however, nothing is likelier
than that he would be in the thick of the
turmoil, with bill and a will of his own,
pulling and hauling for his way, and
making as much of a mess of things as
MIR. Cleveland. with equal ignorance as
to tariff matters and aggressiveness as to
all matters, made of the tariff contest of
fifteen years ago.