The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-03-23
MAKES ATTACK ON
ADMINISTRATION
Congressman Palmer of Penn
sylyania Says Taft Is Rather
Plant Executive"
HOLDS UP ROOSEVELT
AS "GREATEST INSURGENT'
Pulls Tariff Record and Party
Promises On the President
of the Nation.

WASHINGTON, March 22.-Refer-
ring to President Taft as rather plant
executive and characterizing former
President Roosevelt as the "greatest
insurgent Of them all, - who taught the
insurgents how to "insurge," Repre-
sentative \. Mitchell Palmer, Democrat,
of Pennsylvania, attacked the admins
tration from the floor of the house to-
day.
Mr.. Palmer, in introducing his at
tack upon the Republican organization
and upon administration measures. said
the country could expect little real
beneht from "this show OF effort by
the president to redeem the pledges of
the Republican platform. >"
The speaker said he did not impute
to the president any lack of good faith,
but, he added, ''any student of recent
and present conditions in the Republi-
can party must realize that, however,
much the president may desire to carry
ont the promises of his party, he has
bound himself hand and foot TO au
organization in congress which has
demonstrated on innumerable occasions
it can be true to nothing except its
own false traditions. 81
Taft's Tariff Record.
The FIRST effort of the administration
flayed by Representative Palmer was
the tariff. He related how Taft had
promised voters that the pledges of the
Republican party "for tariff revision
meant tariff reduction
'The people understood them said
Mr. Palmer, "'that in presenting the
platform the Republican party gave its
promlssory note to the American peo-
pie. 1t was indorscd by William II.
Taft and accepted By the people at the
accepted without that Endorsement. for
the credit of the maker OF that obllga'
tion had been sadly impaired by the
record of years Of broken pledges,
"1f President Taft had displayed but
half the zeal In an attempt to force
congress to reduce the tariff taxation
on the necessities OF life he displayed
in securing the reductions of duties
that will result in greater profits ia
the protected manufacturers, already
enriched by operation of the tariff laws
beyond the dreams of avarice, he would
have earned the right to say, as the
iudorser of the Republican party Is
promise, ne saved its obligation from
protest
Striking Comparison.
eff he had been but half as anxious
20 save the pennies of the workneman
by giving him cheaper cotton goods as
he was TO save the dollars of the steel
trust by dumping into its mills raw ma
terials at much reduced expense, his
name would have been enshrined IN the
hearts Of the poor as his praises are now
sung in the counting houses or pro
tected wealth. -
The reduction in the tariff on lumber
was described by Mr. Palmer as pur'
chased at a price of trade war with
Canada, now all too imminent, whlch
is liable to bring into operation the
maximum rate provided IN the law and
increase the tariff on lumber products
by 100 per cent,
"To say the American people were
deceived - he proceeded, "by the
double play Of a rather plant execu-
tive and an astute leader of the RePub
icau organization during the last
inning of. the tariff game, is to impute
to the citizens of this country a. lack
of intelligence for which there is nc
warrant in their record for prompt
punishment they have meted out IN the
past 10 parties recreaut TO their trust.
The thrilling events Of the last few
days in congress, the Pinchot incident,
postal savings banks and federal
corporations. all were included in Rep
resentative Palmer IS diatribe.
Roast for Insurgents.
HNow that the insurgents have been
whipped into line, be said, ''by the
refusal Of the public and by the sue
cessful use of the most gigantic bluff
in the history of this body, and these
men of independent thought and action
have been corralled into the party
caucus and made TO promise TO be good,
what has become Of these pledges in
~ ia,E hn IA
lican legislative programme started out
bravely 10 redeem the party promises
and to carry out the policies that pre-.
vailed in the elections of 1908, but one
after another we see the items OF this
programme go down before the in.
sidious assaults OF The organization,
which now unfortunately controls the
executive. as well as the legislative
branch of the government.
''We have witnessed the spectacle of
the greatest friend conservation ever
had being hurled from out the coun-
ellis of the administration because he
was over Jealous in his support of the
cause to which he has devoted his life.
We see the postal savings bank bin
amended, with the apparent approval
of the administration, in the interest
of the great money centers of the coun-
try, so no man who depreciates the
growing strength of the money power
can give it his support We find the
Alaskan government bill derelict
upon the high seas Of legislation We
witness the passing of the federal in
corporation bill, and even statehood for
Arizona and New Mexico is commonly
reported TO he about TO walk the plank
which leads to oblivion
Upon these measures Representative
Palmer said he had no opinion to cx-
press. Some of them ne admitted were
by members of his party,
Promises Not Kept.
"The point ] desire TO emphasize" !"
he said, ''is that every one of them
was promised by the Republican plat
form of l90S-or originated with and
was supported by the greatest insur-
gent of them all, the man who taught
the insurgents how 10 'insurge;' the
man who walked of the Republican re.
serve with tho greatest disregard of
results; the man who was responsible
Confined on PAGE Two