The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-07-01
BY gibson GARDNER.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., July 1,
Returning to washington after
nearly Ave months absence I have
devoted a week to seeing what has
been done. had been writing
before I went away of the Taft
program for legislation. Coming
back, I was greeted with claims
that this program had been forced
on congress by the strength of
Taft and that loyal regular repuh-
licans had served their country
we'll. find that the ''loyal reg
ular" Is the member of congress
who has stuck to Aldrich and Can
non through thick and thin.
got out the old administration
bills as introduced and compared
them with the printed copies of
bills MS passed. I am amazed.
The record of the administration
when thus view is rather short.
The record is rather different
from the program? Some good
legislation has been placed ON the
books. But examination shows ft
vas placed there by the combined
forts of the republican insur-
cents and the more decent demo-
rats.
Some bad legislation proposed
md pushed by Taft has been kept
III the books-also by the insur-
gents and the progressive demo-
Gratis. Some questionable legisla-
ion has been put upon the book
oy the united forces of Taft, Can
non, Aldrich and the administra-
tion democrats.
The thing that strikes me
hardest is the absolute wip-
ing out of party lines. There
have been new lines drawn.
There are two new parties
stand-pat and progressive
and there are republicans
and democrats in each. Read
ing the rOllcalls 1 can see the
Aldrich democrats and the
Cannon democrats as plain as
/ day. 1t Is the line that sep
arates the common interests
of the country from the spc-
cial interests of the few.
That line has grown since I
went away. 1t is getting
wider and bIacker every day.
Here's another curious thing:
1t is that the Taft program mas
been revised from week to week
and any piece of legislation tnaa
was sure of passage has been Ia.
bled as an item in the Taft pro.
gram. Those doomed for derea
have been quietly dropped out Of
sight which paved the wayAfor tn,
political game which is to claim
tall credit for accomplishment ant
to go before the country as tn,
greatest geter that ever got. Th,
big thing, the item about whfcf
the administration clique is pre-
pairing to make the most noise. I,
the railroad bill.
l was in Washington when AT
torney General Wickershaw sen.
the railroad bill to congress. Nov
after five months absence nay,
a chance to compare that bill will
the new law. The law toda,
resembles the Wiclxersham-Taf
bill only in the enacting clause
The insurgents have rewritten the
law. They have struck out Wick
ersham's repeal of the anti-trus,
law, his 1egalized railway merger
his plan to get the attorney gen.
eral to overrule and veto the In.
terstate commerce commission. his
permission to water stock and val.
idate previous water and half a
dozen similar jokers. They have
cut out the Wickersham jokers in
the paragraphs creating the com.
merce court; have rewritten the
long and short haul clause and
have almost succeeded In giving
authority to the commission &C
regulate rates.
But it is almost" after pro-
posed increases in rates have
been checked for a couple OF
months 1t is doubtful IL the COM
Imission has authority to prevent
the increases desired by the rail.
roads. The new law has no val
uation feature. It creates an ex-
pensive and rather useless court
and its principal merits consists
| in ifs failura N do xrhot fha Ffso 81