The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-12-18
me NATIONS CAPITAL
The Break Between Stand
patters and Insurgents.
Figure. Showing : the Increase
iii Cost Of Living.

Especial to the Irish standard)
washington, Dec. 15.-Although
President Taft's message has now beer
thoroughly read, digested and almost
forgotten the country has little moro
n idea Of what the presidents policies
are than it possessed before the mes
sage became public. This fact is fully
j realized and is being much discussed
4 in many quarters in Washington.
From the broad standpoint of what
the general constructive policy-legis.
Nlative policy-of the present admins
tration is to be, the message failed
utterly to clarity the atmosphere.
That President Taft did not state
what His policy would be is evidenced
by the fact that the Washington cor
respondents are still sending out dis
patches prognosticating the attitude
the president will probably take on
this or that legislation. One cores
pondent writes: "Mr. Taft will put the
Roosevelt policies ron the statute
4 books" Another: at is almost GER
tain the Taft policy will be to forget
all about the Roosevelt policies" Had
the president stated definitely what
his policy was to be, no room would
have been left for the uncertainty re-
garding his intentions that now exists.
~ There are, however, two important
after effects of the message noticeable.
They are:
4 j. The break between insurgents
and stand -patters has become more
strained than ever The failure of the
president to recommend progressive
legislation has apparently convinced
the insurgents that the president is 50
completely In harmony with the ideas
Of Aldrich and Cannon that it is use
less to waste further time endeavor-
4 ing to enlist his sympathy to their
cause.
2. Friends of Roosevelt, stung Ivy
Taft's failure to incorporate the real
Roosevelt policies in his message, hav.
=
taken up with new energy and deter
mination the movement to secure the
1912 presidential nomination for T. II.
The Roosevelt and Taft messages
have been compared paragraph for
paragraph. with the result that the
Rooseveltians are declaring with great
positiveness that Tafts message coE-
victs him of unfaithfulness to the man
who made him president.
It Is pointed out that the Taft mes
sage absolutely ignores such subjects
as woman and child labor, employers
liability, safety appliance acts. govern
ment supervision Of telegraph and
telephone companies. undesirability OF
tariff on wood pulp, better country
roads, children's bureau, and the estab-
a lishment Of an eight-hour law in the
District of Columbia, as an example
for other employers.
i, Many other my policies" were ig-
hored in the Taft message, but are not
mentioned by the Rooseveltians now
bscause OF the opportunity the presi-
L dent will have of discussing them in
the messages that are still to conc
Under this head come such subjects
On a better antitrust law, effective
I railway rate law and particularly lin
Z stations on the grant of monopolies to
4 power. companies using public streams
and forests. ;a
4 In his recent message President Taft
( said nothing Of the employers liabil-
Sity. of which Roosevelt wrote:
The loss of life and limb from rail-
& road accidents in this country has be
come appalling 1t is subject Ct
witch the national government should
i take supervision. The law should be
& made such that the payment, for acct
q dents by, the employer would be auto
matte. The practice Of putting the
entire burden of loss to life or limt
y upon the victim or the victims family
Il is h form. of social injustice in which
B the United States stands in unenviabls
sSpronainence.'
telegraph and telephone companies
engaged in interstate business mes.
gsaged Roosevelt, Should be put under
THE jurisdiction of the interstate com.
inerce commission"
II to forest products. Roosevelt de
scll.ared there should be no tariff Or
forest product grown in this coun.
Il and. I'm especial, there should BE-
y IA tariff on wood pulp"
Il The most suggestive ,thing abou,
IS enator Aldrich's spectacular swing
round the circle is that twas IN
eknosFl edsment, unspoken, 1t is true
Ssput 90 acknowledgment nevertheless
the Great states iof the Centrnl
~.