The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-11
TAFT MAKES A BAD PLAY.

NO Olp saying w nom DDe bO0s
would destroy they first make mad,n is
being exemplifed strenuously in the
present political situation of the Repub
lican party. 1t was not enough, it ap.
pears, to have the outbreak of in.
surgency on the tariff bill; it was not
enouoh to arouse the reasonable opposi,
lion to the corporate tion serving railroad
bill; for now President Taft sends in a
special message urging that the sugar
trust frauds be not investigated by
Congress, We cannot believe that
President Taft of his own motion would
do such wildly obnoxious thing as
this He must have been over. persuaded
by the evil genius which seems to be
in rulc IN Washington in the "stand-
pat - camp, The frauds of the sugar
trust arc open and notorious; the
uuderweIghts have been amply proved ;
they have been clearly confessed up to
a certain point, and more than So .000.-
600 paid into the United States treas.
ury on account of them 1t is not
in the least likely that the confession
and payment covered any large portion
of the actual stcalings; and yet the At
torney~Generai has stated that no
further prosecution on the criminal side
would be made, but that the civil suits
will he pushed.
1t is as to these civil suits that Presi.
dent Taft urges peril in ease of Con.
gressional investigation II is bard TO
follow him in this. A Congressional in.
vcstigation would, of course, inquire
into matters involved in the civil suits;
but it would also 90 further, and be.
hind the apparent immunity which
has been announced from the Depart
mcnt of Justice as TO further criminal
prosecutions. We should suppose that so
far from embarrassing any suit pending
in court, the Congressional investigs-
information, and would be of decided
advantage TO the Government in its
prosecution of such cases Even if it
did not, however, it is impossible to
imagine how it could interfere pre-
jndicialIy against these prosecutions.
dfI udS DcCH
badly advised, and has weakly sur
rendered to an evil influence. There is
no cvading the conclusion that malign
counsels. destructive 10 the future of
the Republican party. are in a domin
ant position in Republican ol1iciaIdom
in Washington There has been no
move made thcrefrom in the past two
years but has been ono which really
means self destruction for that party
There is no doubt. either, but the peo
pie look upon the Republican action
and position i'll the past two years
with condemnation and contempt. This
is shown in the result Of the special
Congressional elections that have been
held, and in the attitude of the In.
diana Republicans in their State con
vention, all condemnatory of the po-
sition taken by the Government in
fuence in Washington.
Politically the message of President
Taft on this subject is certain to be AS
disastrous, as the act itself was impru-
dent. How will il sound in the cam
paign next fall 10 have the opposition
charge, as they can do truthfuly. and
arc sure 10 do, that the President of
the United States. elected by the Re-
publican party, is opposed to an iuvesti-
cation into the sugar frauds, the sugar
trust being one of the most odious and
hated monopolies in the United States
scarcely inferior to the uuenvied po-
sitiou In popular disgust to that oc-
cupied by the STANDARD Oil trust? II
will be impossible to convince the pco.
pie that Congressional investigation
in the hands of the Republican party
could by any possibility be made hurt.
full TO the prosecution Of the cases
against the sugar trust that are now in
the courts. 1t will be impossible TO
convince the voters that there has been
n full accounting on the criminal side
for the sugar trust msdeeds On the
contrary, the people Will very naturally
and We consider very properly