Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-07
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

A LTHOUGH the average reader may require
~ some time for the proper digestion and as
similatlon of President Taft's voluminous
message to congress which is printed in todays
issue of The Herald, there are salient features in
the document that Immediately challenge atten-
ton. He urges that the tariff revision board be
made permanent and that all future revisions be
made schedule by schedule. This is encouraging,
but that the president is not ready to admit that
the last effort at revision in effect total fail
is evident. Nothing will be done in the way
of tariff revision until 1911 according to the pres
dent, and by that time congress will have assumed
new political complexion, which will doubtless
result in careful revision, schedule by schedule
and DOWNWARD. Regarding the tariff, he
says:
"The schedules of the rates of duty in the
Payne tariff act have been subject to great deal
of criticism, some of it just more of it unbound
ed, and to too much misrepresentation. In order
to avoid criticism Of this kind in the future and
for the purpose of more clearly conforming to the
party promise, congress at its last session made a
provision, at my request for the continuance of a
board for the ascertainment of the cost of produc
tion at home and abroad of the various articles
included in the schedules of the tariff"
Not to be taken entirely as a pattude a
stereotyped form, perhaps, is Mr. Taft's demand
for economy in the administration of the nations
affairs. The public has been aroused by the pork
barrel" methods in river and harbor and public
building bills, and the president is but following a
tions for these purposes should be based solely on
the report of commission of experts
Postmaster General Hitchcock's sorry sop to
the public which is demanding a parcels post as
the only relief from the greedy clutches of the
express companies, is adopted by Mr.. Taft, who
says:
with respect to the parcels post, I respect
fully recommend its adoption on all rural delivery
routes and that eleven pounds be made the limit
of delivery in such post with view to its general
extension when the income of the pOstoffce will
permit it."
This is the Hitchcocl-express trust program at
a eulp, as the only places in which the business of
the express companies does not flourish are the
rural districts.
Mr. Taft's message does not bear out the report
circulated frequently that the president has gone
over to the progressives. His message is typical
of the cautious, smiling executive, who above all
else hesitates to create sensation or disturb the
equilibrium of the business world. Note this:
81 believe it to be in the interest of all the peo-
pe of the country that for the time being the ac-
tivities of government in addition to enforcing the
existing law, be directed toward the economy of
administration and the enlargement Of opPortuni-
ties for foreign trade. the conservation and i'm
provement of our agricultural lands, the building
I'D of home industries and the STRENGTHENING Of
confidence of capital in business investments"
In brief, the presidents message is what was
expected; it will not cause surprise or occasion a
furry; it conveys an excellent mental impress
sion of the man who wrote it-a man who first
and foremost is jurist who prides himself on his
SAFE sane and conservative decisions.