Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-08-26
THE REPUBLICAN PROGRAMME

THE REPUBLICAN PROGRAMME.
st. Louis Globe-Democrat: New
York on August 80 will see a con-
ference of Republican leaders which
Is expected to have much influence
in outlining the business legislation
which Mr.. Taft aims to make an i'm
portant feature of the work of his
administration. Among the partici-
pants will be Attorney General Wick
ersham, Secretary of the Treasury
MacVeagh, Secretary of the Interior
Ballinger, Secretary of Commerce
and Labor Nagel, Senator Root, In
terstate Commerce Commissioner
Knapp and Solicitor Bowers of the
Department of Justice. Report has
it that Mr.. Taft himself will also be
there. That will be little over
two weeks before he starts on his
western tour. He is said to be anx-
ious to get a programme Of work
for the coming long session of con-
gress shaped before he begins his
travels, as the middle of November
will be here before he reaches
Washington again, and congress will
meet two weeks later.
Like every other president, Mr..
Taft wants to do a work which will
give his administration a distinctive
place in history. If he is able to
arrange matters as he desires, he
will make the coming session Of
Congress ais eventful' as Mr.. ,Roose-
welt made that of 1905-O6, the ses-
sion which saw the enactment of the
railway rate regulation, the pure
food, the meat inspection, the nation
al quarantine and other measures Of
large consequence. Contrary to the
popular notion of six or eight months
ago, all the big questions were not
settled by the close Of Mr.. Roose-
velt's administration. A few rather
important issues were handed over
to his successor, and one or two have
been evolved since March 4. The
present purpose is to consider all OF
these questions which touch upon
trade or general business in the
gathering on August 80. Bankers,
merchants, railway magnates and
representative men associated with
all the great Industrial, CONNER
cial, financial and transportation
activities will be asked to make sug'
gestions as to legislation in their re-
spective fields These will be taken
down by a corps of shorthand writer's
and will be published for the refer
ence and guidance of the president
and the members of his official fam
lily. Some of the ideas which are
developed at that conference are ex.
pected to find a voice in the message
which is to be sent to Congress at
the opening day on the first Monday
in December. 1t is altogether fitting
that this gathering should be held at
the country's financial capital. At
that place the conferees will have
ready access to hte men who are at
the head of the great business &C.
tivities of the nation. 1t can call in
consultation men whose names are
familiar in all the worlds trade
centers.
It is understood that one of the
purposes of the coming conference
will be to get suggestions which
will aid Taft in his formulation of
a general revision of the interstate
commerce law of 1887 and Of the
Sherman antitrust act of 1890. The
president believes that changes in
both of those statutes are urgently
needed, and it is believed that he
will make some recommendations in
that direction in his regular mes
sage at the beginning Of the session.
The country hopes that such changes
as are to be suggested will receive
careful study before they are brought
to the attention of congress. These
are very important statutes. Each
OF them has done good work for
the country. While the conditions,
in many respects, have changed since
those laws were enacted, they are
very far from having lost their use
fitness. In altering these statutes