The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1910-06-25

the American has had occasion to
point out. the attitude of the president
has always been broadly national He
warrant the conclusion that he re-
garded the insurgents as anathema
any more than that he regarded the
standpatters as candidates for Taft
aureoles. The wisdom OF his course
is now apparent. BY his attitude to-
ward the railroads in the matter of
rate agreements he has set himself
fatty upon the side of the law, and
by SO doing he has won good opinions
among the insurgents. Thus 1t appears
that the president. simply by giving
another instance of his reverence for
law and a firm decision to have its
litical capital than any amount Of
demagoging or trucking to one or an
other side could have gained him. The
breach in the party is rapidly closing
and the president, as the healer of the
schism. is taking on a strength that
will compare to his advantage with
the popularity of his predecessors.
Simply Insists Upon Law.
The railroad presidents who sought
to shake him in his position of ad.
herence to the law, upon the ground
that he himself has not been personal
ly adverse to some measures of agree
ment between the roads. found him as
adamant. Affable, but unconvinced.
he stands by the law. The president
perceives that the country is chary of
any latitude for the railroads in the
matter Of rate agreements. He per-
ceives very clearly the insistence of
the people that the railroads shall
not be permitted to raise the rates at
their option. The mere fact that no
formal agreement is ordinarily en-
tered into does not alter the character
of the agreements, and the method by
which the agreement was reached
through the Western Traffic commit
tee to raise the rates on many lines
does not make the act less the action
of the related roads. The position of
the president is that of firm insistence
upon the law as 1t is until the law
shall be made different
Country Appreciates Fairness.
Nothing could inure more to the
benefit Of the president and his party
than the ability displayed by him to
clearly discern between the sophis-
tries Of those who regard the law as
flexible something to be stretched
and those who regard 1t as the serious
enactment Of the people to be carried
out. The Republican party as a whole
Of 1ou hos to ha
safe position amid clamor pro and con
with regard to rates. 1t has this as
its unanswerable argument in the po-
sition of administration, that the re-
quirements of the law must be car.
ried out
The professional labor agitators
who raise their voices against the use
Of the injunction in labor cases have
had convincing example of the i'm
partiality of its employment by the
action of the president in invoking
1t against the railroads. Thus Mr.
Taft has placed absolutely beyond
controversy that he is no respecter
of persons; that he is as ready to ap-
ply the law to corporations as to labor
organizations. His attitude as regards
rate-raising will have its effect in the
counsels of the conference committee
Mr.. Taft has appeared to great ad-
vantage. He has placed his party in
right light. He has done much to
heal schism. The Republican party
is in vastly better condition than two
months ago to enter congressional
contests. The good judgment and
sound policies pursued by the presi-
dent will prevail.-Baltimore Ameri-
can.