The Washington times., 1910-02-28
TAFT'S FIRST YEAR
IS STRENUOUS ONE
One-Fourth of Term of Of
fee About to
Close.
MUCH LEGISL LATION
OF REAL IMPORTANCE
Revision of Tariff and Corporation
Tax Among Greatest Achieve
mentS Thus Far.
By JOHN SNURF.

What has President Taft accomplished
in his first year in the White House7
This question is being widely discussed
Just now, in view Of the fact that on
Friday Of this week Mr. Taft VIII end
his first year as President.
While BIZ one year Of his four-year
term has passed for Mr.. Taft, it will
be but two years hence when the next
Presidential campaign will be at hand
On the record Of the year just past,
along with the records TO be made in
the next two years, Mr.. Taft will stand
for denomination before the people. The
record of the first year Of his admins
tration. therefore, has an importance
additional 10 the direct one Of what
has been done in an administrative and
a legislative way.
The President in his first year has not
escaped without much criticism. He has
been attacked in many quarters FOR
not adhering TO the Roosevelt policies
That he resents these attacks was
shown by his recent speech before the
Newark I.oard of Trade. in which he
alluded TO the hypocrisy and hysteria"
Of the newspapers, and said he would
avoid them on his return to Washing
ton
Faces Important Issues.
President Taft has had an unusually
strenuous year and an unusually try
ing one. While he entered Office with
expressions Of general good will. he
had confronting him when he took the
oath on that ste my March 4. a year
ago, at least two situations that re-
quired the most careful handling and
presented the most extreme Difficult
ties. These were:
The meeting of Congress in special
session TO revise the tariff.
The war against Cannonism in the
House and in the country at large.
coupled with the Senate insurgent
movement against AldriCh.
Out OF these have grown 70 a large
extenti though not entirely, such trou-
bles as are now settled on Mr.. Taft's
shoulders.
The fact that he did not take part
In the tariff fight until the bin was
in conference. and that thus he was
unable to compel downward revision
except on a limited number Of artf-
cles, bitterly disappointed the down
ward revisiOnists, as did his utter
ances later on commencing the tariff
measure as the best one in the his
tory Of the country. And the fact
Lnat the President took a stand IN
support OF the old House rules and re-
fused to aid the movement to oust Mr..
Cannon won for him disappointment
or i'll feeling, or both, from those
forces in the Republican party which
are insurgent and progressive.
Worry Over Controversy.
Gut Of the tariff developments, the fac
tional troubles between the Republicans
in Congress and various other large
problems have come many heavy bur
dens for the President. The Pallinger-
Pinchot controversy has been 70 him a
source of much worry and perplexity.
He has conceived it to be his duty to
act as the leader Of his party and In
view of the disturbed situation Of Re-
publican politics in many States, this
has added vastly to the weight of his
responsibilities. The need Of dispensing
an extraordinary amount Of Federal
patronage has been a burden. And he
was confronted from the day he enter
ed office with the stupendOus problem
OF how to go ahead and work out a
program Of constructive legislation in
pursuance Of the sO-called Roosevelt