New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-03-19
TAFT ASKS AID


as well go 0ut of the governing business
for we win never get ahead without par
Ties. How are yOu gOing 90 give expires
sion 20 the varying views % ninety mill
IONS az people and put them into the
form OF legislation. 90 be agreed upon
by a majority % your Representatives
ana your Senators. unless you organize
parties 20 select those Representatives
and senators and agree within the party
20 subordinate your less material predt-
lections and opinions On favor OF certain
fundamental principles ~ Improvement
IN order 90 advance which you are VIII
.hs tO sacrifice all less important mat
tiers
Therefore, you have to have what is
Known on the football field as team
work And The party has % get to-
sether-the extremes on one side and
the extremes ON the OtheT-and both
must sacrifice something of their indt-
Vidual views and get the thing through.
and that Is what ] am hopeful our Con-
sress will do.
That they may differ in respect 20 the
Details of the various bills II 10 be en-
pected- But " they are really In favor
All of them-Of cnacting useful legisia- I
ton, then they must be willing 20 saCTf- I
ice some Of their views in order that
there shall be q compromise measure %
rear Improvement and real step for
ward in order 20 show 20 the people that I
tie party which has assumed RESPONSE /
9ility has the sense and the discipline 20
meet il by subOTdinatiOn of smaller views Z
To the great question OF human progress. J
Pleasure 20 Praise Perkins.
President Taft began his speech with .
a tribute 90 the late Representative
James Breck Perkins. who lived in THIS /
city. He was a man." the President I
declared. whom il is a pleasure 90 .
he
Launching into the subject of legisla- I
tiOn Mr.. Taft said;
II is now something more than q year I
ago that the present administration be-
gan. We had promised TO revise the /
tariff. and we did so. The operation OF 4
that law during the seven months il has .
been in existence is indicating the .
pledge we made for IT, A comparison /
with the preceding law shows the new \
law 90 be a good revenue producer. 4
shows a reduced percentage i'm rates Of 4
duty and an increased percentage Of ar .
ticles on the free list
Business has increased and prosperity .
IS here. Conditions are all that could be /
hoped for, according TO the measure OF /
the business men How long this cOndi- 4
ton will last, how much IL will be af- i
tected by the construction 10 be put upon .
the antitrust law, will not be known .
until we have the decision and learn .
\ hat real effect the decision will have.
We have been trying to cut down sx-
penses at Washington. The estimates .
for the next fiscal year are S4S.entsn .
less than the appropriations for the cur
tent year In the navy we cut down /
S1OWOOO. but saved enough TO con-
tinue the policy Of two battleships a 4
year until the completion Of the Panama .
Canal. That was one Of the dearest pol .
icies Of my pTelecessOT-the one he .
thought perhaps the most Of-and I .
would have felt the keenest regret 90 i
nave departed from il in the first year Of
NV administration.
I would like now 90 direct your atten-
ton t0 the legislation which l hope 20 .
get at this session Of Congress. First
and most important are the amendments .
to the interstate commerce act.
Detailed Explanation Of Bill.
The President then went into a de-
tailed explanation of the bill. which he .
said he felt was not generally under 1
stood. He explained the necessity Of .
commerce court 20 hear appeals from .
the Interstate Commerce Commission. !
First of all. il would expedite matters. /
he asserted, and added:
The one thing which disgraces our civ I
ilizatiOn to-day are the delays of civil I
and criminal Justices And these delays 1
always work in favor of the man with I
the longest purse. Hence they work In 4
favor of the railroads rather than the 4
shipper. The commerce court. by avoid /
ing the convenient delays of the past. /
will be long step toward that feguIa- /
tiOn of the railroads which We have been /
looking for
A second provision OF the bill allows /.
carriers To make traffic agreements /
among themselves subject to the APP
prevail Of the Interstate Commerce Com
mission. My predecessor in his every
message to Congress recommended this.
The provision does not permit pooling.
III allows that which the railroads have
To do any way. whether the law fOrbids
il or not I am in favor of allowing the
railroads. IL run rightly and justly. -
run within the law. /
other provisions Of the pending bill
were taken up one by one. The Presi-
dent explained the necessity Of giving
the commission power Co Peadjust
classification of freights, 90 suspend in
creased rates until time is allowed for
a proper investigation as To their JUS
tice. 20 supervise the issue of stocks
and bonds and TO prevent watering. 10
fix through routes and 90 give shippers
a choice Of routes. Lastly he came 10
that provision Of the law which has been
the subject of recent attack in the
House of Representatives - 10 permit
railroads already owning 30 per cent Of
the stock in another road To purchase
the remaining shares. The President
continued:
Some gentlemen seem To think that
this gives the railroads too much leeway.
AS a matter Of fact 10 was inserted To
give the minority stockholders market.
If "a railroad company owns 10 per cent
of the stock II is i'm control The House
committee has stricken out this pFOvis-
ion. but my impression is that after full
consideration il win be found advisable
o. give this opportunity 90 the minority
stakeholder 20 market his holdings. and
that the people least interested in the
prOvisiOnsare the railroad companies.
From the railroad bill the President
PASSED to the postal savings bank meas
UTe. which already has passed the Sen
ate. He said ne hoped il would pass the
House and he felt the enactment Of the
Iill would prove the worth of the in
stitutions In the end he predicted that
instead Of hurting the banking business
il would improve a. Next the President
discussed the so-caIled anti-iEjunctiOn
bin. He said;
That, too presents some aspects that
would be- discOuragins Co person less
optimistic than 4 am. Our friend Com