The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-09-24
TAFT'S "INSURGENT"
SPEECH ATTACKED
La Toilette, in Editorial, Con
tends President Cannot
Read Men From Party.

MADISON, Wis, Sept. 24-United
States Senator La Toilette does not
propose to be read out Of the Republ-
car party by President Taft or any
other man.
This is his reply to the Presidents
Winona speech on the tariff in which
Taft scored the Republican insurgents
for their action on the Payne-Aldrich
bill The reply is contained in the lead
ing editorial in this weeks issue Of Il
Follettes Weekly Magazine, and Is
summed up in the following words
The statement Of the President -
featured in the press Of the country a.
an attempt to read out OF the party
those Republican Senators and Repre-
sentatives who voted against the tariff
bill. That cannot be done. No individ
ual has the power 10 read a representa-
tive out Of his party. That power rests
solely with the voters who selected him
as their party representative. Nor can
even the President OF the United States
decide for the American people whethc-
or not the tariff law is genuine or coun-
terfeit- He cannot decide that even 70.
the Republican party The people have
the divine right Of deciding that ques-
ton for themselves. They will do so in
their own way. At their own time AM
upon the facts"
More Than an Effort.
The editorial re fers to President Taft-s
statement when ne signed the tariff
bill that it wal 2 sincere effort TO
make a downward evision and 10 com
ply with the Promises OF the platform
The editorai-cltAs- The President
second declaration was made in his
speech at Winona. Ii is stronger than
his first He declares the law is more
than an effort" il is a fuIhlIment of
the promises Of downward revision
The President comes with this dec
laration TO the support of Congressman
Tawney-WhO has been VIGOROUSLY op-
posed to downward revision-TaWney
who stood pat He comes TO the sup
port of Tawney and those like him VINO
made downward revision in accordance
with the promises of the Republican
party impossib e.
The editorial then refers TO the anaIy-
sis OF the tariff charges and adds
This analysis purpOrts to measure
the Importance Of tariff changes o.
the consumption value Of the conf
modities affected. This was done TO
make answer 10 the compilations OF the
Bureau of Statistics OF the Department
Of Commerce and Labor showing the
tariff increase NobOdy-t6en or since
has come forward IL claim credit fer
this analysis which Mr. Payne causGd
TO be printed in the Record
Data Not Disclosed.
The data on which it was based has
never been disclosed. The President is
reported TO have said: In matters Of
this kind in a question With the party
representative whether he shall help
maintain the party solidarity for &c
complshing its chief purpose OF whether
the departure from principle in the bill,
as he regards il, is so extreme that he
must IN conscience abandon the party.
There can be nc chief purpose Of a
political party higher than the purpose
of redeeming its promise 20 the people.
a representative is in no wise compelled
10 accept the alternative Of abandoning
pr nciple or abandoning his party. En-
phaticslly not when the principle is one
that has been accepted by the party as
the basis Of its appeal for votes. That
appeal when accomplished by the voters
in good faith becomes binding upon the
party representa- tive-an obligation high
or than the mere demands Of party
solidarity under a misrepresentation
leadership in Congress"