Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-10-06
Outside Point of VIEW.

Ostensibly, and so stated, President
Tafts object sin swinging around the
circle'-of $4,000 miles-is to get close
to the pepole. ANY man will be heard
in Washington" So far the dear people
he has met and talked with, are OF the
prominent citizen" class, and Presi-
dent Taft will have to take a day off
from eating and speaking-notice the
word drinking is omitted, for they
say" he actually turned his wine glass
down at one function-if he gets the
opinions of the masses.
1t is very evident, even now. that
President Taft has assumed the role OF
the peace maker, the great pacificator
as it We're His speeches SO far are
nearly all in this line. At Beverly be-
fore he started on his long trip in an
open letter he gave Ballinger clean
bill of health. Since then Pinchot has
had letter from Taft which also
O. ks any of his official acts and
hopes he will continue one of the pres
idential family AT Winona he told the
Minnesotians, that the insurgent dele
CATION from that state must do as
their conscience dictated. and also told
Tawney's constituents hes all right
in voting with the Aldrich- Cannon
Payne crowd.
But it remained for the great oil
pourer to establish his foundation for
the part he proposes to take, to preach
real live sermon-a good one by the
wagon the text of "A soft answer
I !, M
pute the argument and no one will
dispute that Roosevelt and Taft both
! in the Salt Lake tabernacle preached
sermons that We're of great good. both
for listeners and readers of the same
in the daily papers. Especially we'll
taken was the point in Taft's sermon
of the need Of more soft words
! in the family circle. and in the daily
intercourse between neighbor and
neighbor.
| But not go long ago, there was a
/ president preacher openly advising his
| hearers, ITO speak softly but carry z
big stick" Not so long ago we had q
president that always had peace ane
| harmony because he metophoricallJ
used the stick, and some of his sof
speaking put the average megaphons
| user to blush. To be sure Roosevelt
was a peace maker. Japan and Russia
know it to be positively so. So do thu
coal barons, and the labor unions. H:
did speak softly, but the big stick IL
both cases, at least the handle thereo
was in evidence.
And the enemies of both Roosevelt
and Taft, perhaps a better way to stat
it Is the critics of both, take will
them an entirely different attitude o
mind. Rooseyelt's detractors Away
implied respect for the man, thi
whether stated in so many words o
not. Taft Is falling down. because hi
utterances seem to lack force. Hi
laws are useless on the statute book
because the penalty clause Is left Out
Many close observers of Roosevelt
felt, especially politicians, that the re
publican party was weakened by hi
actions and utterances. But even nov
Taft is credited with "a split" in tn
party, because of his endorsement c
the tariff bill as passed by the las
congress.
To Offset this tendency Of Taft 1T
be all things to all men," is his positiv
stand in favor of postal savings banl
of an amendment to the intersta'
. commerce laws and the power of tn
commissioners and his endorsement {
: the tariff bill. But strange to relat
. the friends Of these measures have
: feeling that even in these matters h
may think best later to compromis
He has plainly said that his duty
0 that Of an executive, not law make
!. And he's right too. But when does II
duty OF the president end or begin,
!. pointing out to congress what the pee
ple demand Of their law makers ar
executive?
!. ~ -