The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-04-14

defense OF the Iaft ADMINISTRATOR
that deserves the careful. attention
of the people of the United States.
That a very substantial record of
achievement should be placed to the
redit of the President was shown
conclusively by the law officer of his
Cabinet.
Naturally and properly attention
was called to the economies inaug' 4.
rated which vii reduce the annual qN;-
penses of the Government $4,000
COO and it now seems PROBABLE that
by the end Of the fiscal year June 80,
1911, an annual deficit OF $500 000,-
900 vii have been tafned into an an
nual surplus of $35,OOO,OOO.
Trusts and monopolies never have
been prosecuted with greater zeal,
while there have been no sensations
legitimate business. The tariff board
which will secure a comparison of
prices and wages at home and abroad
is marked step in advance and
opens the way for tariff law franz
cd on the merits of the real situa-
| ton. The President has been a firIn
friend of civil service reform and the
merit system. His appointments have
been made with care and discretion
and his administration of the CEN
sus law has been the best, probably,
of any in the history of the country.
1t now seems probable that the
\ relations between Canada and the
United States will be placed upon a
better basis than has been known
for many years, although no refer
ence was made to this feature in Mr..
Wickersham's speech. He did allude
to changes recommended in the in
terstate commerce law, to the postal
savings bank bill, to bills providing
for safety appliances on trains, to
proposed changes in the employers
liability act, making ii more easy to
enforce, and to intelligent conser IA
ton laws, all of which the President
hopes may be enacted into law.
The record of President Tafts first
year in office decidedly is one Of
progress. Theodore Roosevelt began
his administration pledged to carry
out the Mckinley policies, and yet it
was decidedly a Roosevelt and not a
Mckinley administration that fol-
lowed, and the work of tariff reform
to which Mckinley was pledged by
his last speech waited long before an
attempt was made to redeem it. This
was not due to any deliberate aband-
oning of promises made, but was
que to the simple fact that every
strong man must be himself and can
not be another. Taft is pledged to
carry out the Roosevelt policies. but
it must be in his own wav with mon
OF his own choosing No man worthy
OF holding the office of President cap
be the shadow or the echo of another
and prosecuted because he is not an
exact copy of his predecessor, or are
we going to permit him to see with
MS own eyes and speak with his own
voice? Let us be fair. Let us look at
results accomplished rather than ot
the method of accomplishment AL
ways provided, of course. that that
method is honorable. 1t is about
time that Republicans stopped
apologizing and took up the cudee IS
aggressively for the administration
we may disagree with a few of Taft's
Judgments. but when was every act
OF a President endorsed with enthnsi-
assn by all his party? On the main
principles and policies we can stand
Independence in politics is a
good thing, but it is possible to over.
do independence. What we need inst
now is revival of Republican low
atty.
Is William II. Taft to be badgered
oy him and fight with him.