Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-02-16
Will
Be CARRIED OUT
Taft Declares That Business
Must Conform to Law
ANSWER TO CRY OF "PANIC"

ANSWER TO CRY OF "PANIC"
II Enforcement Conflicts With Present
Methods the Latter Must Be
changed-RepubIican Party Made
No Promise to Amend Anti Trust
Law Except to Strengthen It-Finds
Democratic Party Demoralized
New York, Feb. 14-'If the en-
forcement of the law is not consist
ent with the present method of car
rying on business, then it does not
speak well for the present methods
OF conducting business, and they
must be changed to conform to the
law"
This was President Taft's answer
to Wall street and it's cry of panic.
1t was made to cheering audience
of hundreds of prominent Republi-
cans gathered at the annual Lincoln
day dinner of the Republican club of
this city. Governor Hughes shared
the honors of the evening with the
president.
Mr.. Taft adhered to his purpose of
discussing platform pledges and how
they should be kept. 1t was at the
conclusion of a detailed argument as
to how the Republican party is re-
deeming its pledges that he came to
the antitrust law and Wall street,
on which his utterances had been
awaited with the greatest interest.
The president declared that the ad-
ministration would not 'tfoolishly run
amuck in business and destroy values
and confidence just for the pleasure
| of doing so.
mo one" he continued, has a
motive as strong as the administration
in power to cultivate and strengthen
business confidence and prosperity.
But there was no promise on the
( part of the Republican party to change
the antitrust law except to strengthen
it. Of course the government at
Washington can be counted on to en-
force the law in the way best calculat-
| ed to prevent a destruction of public
confidence in business, but that it
must enforce the law goes without
saying.
The president said the Republican
party has made no promise to soften
application of the antitrust law and
that hysteria and hypocrisy were
shown in blind denunciation Of motives
of men Of the highest character.
Leaders of the Republican party
he said, are subjected to question
ing of their motives without adequate
evidence to justify it.
Mr.. Taft declared that the true
reason for high prices is increase O.
values and possibly in some cases tt
combinations in restraint of trade.
| President Taft did not hesitate tt
deal with the attacks which have beer
made upon the administration and tn,
party, or the danger to future sue
cesses in the insurgent movement AM
other dissensions. But Republican
who feared defeat at the polls in No
vember, he declared, should TAX
courage from the demoralized condi
ton of their opponents, the Demo
Gratis.
Mr.. Taft again came to the defens
of the Payne-Aldrich tariff bill. H
did not hesitate, he said, to repea
that it substantially complied wit
the party pledge for tariff revision
and that, through this bill, the part
had ''set itself strongly in the RICH
direction toward lower tariffs"
The president brought statistic
into his argument to demonstrat
that, during the first six months Q
the new tariff law, there has been
II percent reduction in the percent
age ad valorem duties have paid O.
imports and II percent increase
the percentage of imports admitto
free. Time and a wider knowledge
he thought, would serve to justify tn
BILL
Reviewing the party platform, tn
president dwelt upon postal saving
banks, amendments to the interstat
commerce law, the anti-injunctio,
plank, statehood for Arizona an
New Mexico, and the conservation O
natural resources, bills to carry all O
which promises into effect were pend
ing in congress, and he believes
would be passed.