The Washington herald., 1910-08-29
TAFT PRESENTS HIS CASE.


President Taft's letter to Chairman
Mckinley. OF the Republican Congress
sional committee. given publicity to-day.
is a model OF good form and creditable
10 the real leader Of the dominant perty.
Its perusal is particularly refreshing
after the platitudes and Nominations
with which the reading public has been
surfeited these past momentous days
It is a rational. argumentatlve appeal.
and opens the campaign sensibly and
sanely. That. with this admirable begin
ming. the campaign will be conducted
sensibly and sanely, however. is too much
70 hope. considering the internecine
strife. the mounting ambitions Of men.
the maneuvering for position. and all that
has gone before In connection with the
Republican imbroglio.
The Administrators case Is presented
strongly There have been achievements
actual ach,evements-in the direction Of
progress. Whether the country. In this
period Of unrest and fault-hndlng.
viii pause and rightly appraise these
achievements remains to be seen. Prob
ably not. But they are of record can
not be blotted out. and viii be properly
appraised by a dlspassionate people some
time. If not now.
However we may differ as to the ad-
justment OF the tariff. the best conserva-
ton policy. the solution OF transportation
problems, we must, In all fair-mindedness,
give the Taft administration credit for
accomplishing things-for making head
way along progressive lines. And It is
the more creditaoIe. IN view OF the try
Ing. troublous sltuation-an inheritance
that beset the new regime from its In
ception.
We may not feel that the tariff was
revised as It should have been. on our
own part, we believe that the revision
fell far short Of Republican promises.
and the party opposition the bill encoun-
tered was abundantly justified. But at
the same time we can not be unmindfuI
OF the fact that .his work OF revision
was quite as well done as any previous
tariff adjustment at either Republican or
Democratic hands The result, so unsat-
isfactory TO he masses. only illustrates
anew the impossibility Of equitable tariff
legislation by Congress. Whether the
commission plan OF adjustment. the cor
rection Of inequalities piecemeal by ex-
perts-the business-like plan 10 which
the President Is now committed-win ever
be worked out is problematical decidedly.
But here again is credit due for the
undertaking. II Is worth remembering,
too, that although McKinleys last pub
lie utterance counseled a new tarif sys-
tenn in keeping with the country's
SA@HSSV SoiANAeao"S anu uelldnuas the
seven years OF the reform era ensuing
produced no change at all. It was re-
served for the present administration to
take up the burden
II there is any issue in the conservation
row, other than an issue involving
methods and men. it is not discernIbIe.
Certainly this administration has sought
as persstently 10 conserve our natural
resources as did It's predecessor. even If
a noisy propaganda has not accompanied
It's work. And the same is equally true
more markedly true. In fact-of the trust
and rsilroad probl ,rrs.
Only little while ago Theodose Roose-
welt, about to go into voluntary retire
ment. was telling us that William How
ard Taft his successor. would make 8
better President than he; that he. Theo-
dOre Roosevelt. had pioneered and blazed
tho path. but Taft would build the roads
and do the constructive work. Or words
TO This effect.
But sixteen months later Theodore
Roosevelt. in a sweep through the West
is giving his trip deep and far-reachins