The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1910-02-18
STATUTES WILL
Be CARRIED OUT
Taft Declares That Business
Must Conform to Law
ANSWER To CRY OF "PANIC"

If Enforcement Conflicts With Present
Methods the Latter Must Be
hanged-RepubIican Party Made
No Promise to Amend Anti-Tru
Law Except to Strengthen lt-Finds
Democratic Party DemoraIized
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 we'll 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 its cry of panic.
1t was made to a cheering audience
of hundreds of prominent Republic
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 it's 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 "foolishly run
amuck in business and destroy values
and confidence just for the pleasure
of doing SO. e
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 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.
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 OF
values and possibly in some cases to
combinations in restraint OF trade.
President Taft did not hesitate to
deal with the attacks which have been
made upon the administration and the
party, or the danger to future sue
cesses In the insurgent movement and
other dissensions. But. Republicans
who feared defeat at the polls in No
vember, he declared, should take
courage from the demoralized condi-
ton of their opponents, the Demo-
Gratis.
Mr.. Taft again came to the defense
of the Payne-Aldrich tariff bill. He
did not hesitate, he said, to repeat
that 1t substantially complied with
the party pledge for tariff revision,
and that, through this bill, the party
had set itself strongly in the right
direction toward lower tariffs"
The president brought statistics
into his argument to demonstrate
that, during the first six months OF
the new tariff law, there has been
IL percent reduction in the percent
age ad valorem duties have paid on
imports and a ~ percent increase in
the percentage of imports admitted
free. Time and a wider knowledge,
he thought, would serve to justify the
bill.
Reviewing the party platform, the
president dwelt upon postal savings
banks, amendments to the interstate ,
commerce law, the anti-iniunction
plank, statehood for Arizona and
New Mexico, and the conservation OF
natural resources, bills to carry all of
which promises into effect were pend
ng in congress, and he believed
would be passed.