Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1910-03-31
WHAT'S THE MATTER7

and the future contains little premise.
{ There are numerous leaders who "make
no bones" OF saying that things are all
askew; that the party is headed for tire
mendous defeat at the next election I'M
less some miracle intervenes; that the
next House of Representatives will surely
be Democratic, and that few OF the Taft
policies will be enacted.
What is the matter Taft went in fly
ing only eighteen months ago, with q
large party majority in both Senate and
House. The party was magnifcently en-
dorsed, as far as votes went. Has it
fallen down since, and how Hasn't
Taft made good Who is at fault Is
there no salvation
In considering the situat on, II is
necessary to begin several years back.
Following the passage of the Wilson low
tariff bill in Cleveland's second admins
tration, hard times came. These we're at
tributed to abandonment of the protective
idea, and other mistakes and shortcom-
ings of the Democrats. The country was
in political turmoil. The radical ele-
ments were no less active than the con-
servatives, and began to declaim fercely
money power. Combined with this was
the free silver idea. Clevelandism itself
the spirit OF conservative, old-line Dem
| oeracy-passed out altogether, aud has
only reappeared once since, when Alton
B. Parker was Overwhelmingly .undone.
Confronted by the promise of renewal
OF good times under safe and sane, tried
and true, Republican rule, on the one
hand, and a wild riot OF untried theories,
based on denunciation Of things that
were, on the other, the people made easy
choice-they returned the Republican
party to power. Then followed the
Dingley protective tariff. Under the sem
timent OF the hour, it was an easy thing
for special interests to get what they
wanted in those days. The public was
w MUM NbhANAh Nh bNNA IN bi1du anu
butter to watch out for abuses. But the
latter were not long in appearing, even to
Republican protectionists. William Nc
Kinley himself went on record Just before
his assassination, in favor of lower
tariff and general reciprocity. Those
were the times OF Mark Hanna, Boss
Platt, Matt Quay and others, and many
things went without question that would
not nowadays. Fat was fried freely from
the corporations and interests and used in
furt hering party success, the contributors
being repaid by legislation to their lik-
ing. But times were good, Mckinley
was popular and all went we'll.
Not long after Theodore Roosevelt sue
ceeded to the presidency there came
omsns Of change in popular feeling.
Some Of the abuses grew too patent to be
ignored and cutlery followed. Roosevelt
acted promptly. "Ihis is an honest ad-
ministration, he said. awe will strike
down wrong " hervver we find 1t, even If
close BY" And in the main he did. He
was earnest aud outspokeD for pure gov
eminent aud active in denunciation and
prosecution of evils. He got sfter some
OF the big railroads aud corporations in a
way that was quite new. II answered
the spirit Of the hour, too, which was ra-
pidly rising against predatory wealth.
Though not always accurate or consist
emit. Roosevelt was doer OF Justice and
played no high favorites. He got the
sympathy and backing OF the people be-
cause be deserved them. It was splendid
politics, too. He sensed the situation
early, The radical feeling was grow ing,
and instead OF trying to repress II, or to
hush up and cover the objects it struck
at, Roosevelt put himself in the ysn-and
his party had to follow him. with such
leader the spirit Of unrest rose rapidly,
and, IS itslways does in revolutions, it
overshot the mark sometimes. Business
suffered In consequence aud many an
honest man breathed more freely when
Roossyelt's term drew to q close.
my policies" however, were well
known, and 50 generally endorsed that no
candidate could win unless he stood
squarely upon them. Taft did, by his
voice, and as he was the protege OF his
chief, won in consequences. The country
awaited the development OF Tat ss presi-
dent with much hope-hope that be
would combine the earnestness and cor
rect judgment Of Roosevelt with more
dignifed bearing and less needless exhi-
bition Of pugnacity. From All sides came
royal Welcome for Taft. Roosevelt
sailed aaay, leaving him to go It alone
without troublesome oversight.
But somehow. 10 is hard to explain just
why, things early began 10 90 wrong.
Psndora's box Lost is lid and ali kinds Of
evils escaped. Knox, the premier, bun
gled his work With Japan aud was