The Paducah evening sun., 1910-01-10

must ! first understand President
Taft's position. and we can best get
at this by finding his point of view.
lie was nominated by the Roosevelt
element of the Republican party.
supported by the Insurgents" and
opposed by the interests represented
by Aldrich and Cannon. Mr.. Taft
pledged himself to the Roosevelt
policies. Now, let us assume that
Mr.. Taft entered the Office with one
end in view: TO carry out the admin
istrative program mapped out by
himself and promised in the Repub-
lican national platform. This pro-
gram required legislative action;
congress only could pass laws; and
the president could hope for support
only from his own party in con-
gress. That includes the Aldrich-
Cannon clique as well as the insur-
gents. We may also assume, from
our knowledge of the presidents
temperament, that he doesn't care a
snap of his finger whether Cannon
or Murdock wins in their personal
affair, just so he secures the support
of both to his program. Conse-
quently, we find the president declin-
ing to throw the weight of execu-
tive patronage on the side of the in
surgent movement; especially since
he believes further tariff revision
should be deferred until the COM
mission, which he appointed, is ready
10 AWt ffG a n
the insurgents started into tear the
tariff to pieces again without any in
telligent knowledge of the subject.
In good time the insurgents will
come over to President Taft; but
President Taft will never go over to
the insurgents. He is just a little
too big to be the leader of faction
in his party, and not bit too small
to be leader of the whole party. In
the meantime, If all the Roosevelt
policies. as supported by President
Taft, are given legislative sanction,
what does 1t matter to us whether
that sanction is given with the votes
of Joe Cannon and Nelson Aldrich, !
or without them? i
Tafts message on the railroads
and the interstate commerce COM
mission goes further than any rec
ommendation President Roosevelt
ever made, and goes as far as Sen
ator LaFollette has gone-and We
all know LaFollette keeps within
sight of the limit. He proposes to
give the commission power, not only
to revise rates, but to initiate them,
and to suspend new rates for sixty
days, pending investigation. Ample
authority to find out the reasonable
ness of rates, and a special court of
review to consider appeals from the
commission are suggested by the
president, who also desires the fed |
eral Incorporation of all concerns
doing an interstate commerce busl-
ness, and the Issuance of stock under |
federal supervision; so that stock |
and bonds may not be issued. in ex-
cess of the value of the equipment. |
The president would prevent rail- |
roads from acquiring stock in com
peting lines, but would permit them |
to enter into rate pooling agree
ments under supervision of the in
terstate commerce commission. Some !
Of those proposals were too radical |
for Mr.. Roosevelt. Yet, the presi-
dent has succeeded In convincing |
even railroad men that he is right, |
and that right is best for the rail-
roads as well as the public.
The Pinchot-Ballinger controversy
is related to the message in so far
cy and the good faith of the presi-
dent. James A. Garfield as secre-
tary of the interior, held back from
public entry several millions of acres
of land, containing water power
sites. These sites had not been ac-
curately located; so the entire tracts
were withheld. pending the location
of the sites and their separation
from the body of the land. Mr.. Gar
field said congress should enact an
law for such actions, which
he admitted were unauthorized at
SAO NAAAiNf bul lOA lLt BuUliI 6OOu
When Mr.. Ballinger succeeded him,
so much of the land as did not con-
tain these power sites was reopened
to settlement. 1t was then that
charges were made against him, and
the fact was brought to light that as
attorney for western interests he had
the Gugenheim claims be-
lore the interior department There
we're no facts to show that Mr.. Bal
inger had done anything amiss, or
lad violated the good faith of the
in the conservation
policy. His recommendation To con-
yress were approved by Pinchot. He
.ould not with good grace resign un-
Ter fire, and the president could not
De expected. TO abandon his own
,hoice for the cabinet at the first
sign of captious dlsapproval. The
charges were investigated, and
CLAWS. the subordinate in the for {
estry department, who preferred
hem, was discharged. /
Mr.. Ballinger asked for con-