New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-12-16
THE DAyINWA SHINGTON
rF-rom The Tribune Bureau.

From 7 he Tribune bureau
washington, December 10
TAFT TAKES LEAD-President TAFT
has taken the lead in the fight for a perma-
nent tariff commission, and Is ienoihe 'io
entire weight of his influence 10 secure
such legislation at this session OF toh-
sress. With that reticence which appears
to he an integral part of the character OF
the Chief Executive. he has almost sue
ceeded in concealing from an aoInifihs
public the fact that ne is doing all In MS
power to promote this very popular pehcy.
But as he has found it necessary to seho
for members of Congress and to urge upon
them in emphatic terms the importance VI
uassing this bill before March 4, he has
Tot quite succeeded in hiding his ehure
light under a busheI. and when the fact
becomes known it is more than propabie
that the Presidents stand VIII be greeted
with hearty commentator, and possibly
with applss Sc Those who are close to the
President main that he is bashful about
blowing n: own horn and to that is due
the methods which have led TO the charac-
terizstion O. mis- administration as gov
eminent Inv steath." Sad as the fact may
he however = now seems certain that MI
Taft will not bA able to achieve this highly
iuportanf end-and In view of the hos
filitv OF p majority of Congress its achieve
ment viii be due almost entirely to the
Presidents efforts-without gaining some
degree of credit from the voters of the
country The Presidents course Is the oc-
casion of the utmost satisfaction 10 ali
reasonable insurgents who feel that Nr
Taft-s stand for this progressive policy al
fords them the very opportunity they nave
been looking for to align themselves
with the administration Had not Mr.. TAFT
so successfully concealed his progressive
stand the attitude of some of those regu-
lars who have always been regarded as
..stsnd-ratters" would have been more
ca si1y understood, hut even now the PFesi-
dent, in the charity of his heart. SAYS,
why LET them get the credit Of being
progressive 7 have no desire for the credit
so long as I achieve the legislation am
after
INSURGENTS EAGER.-The Progress
ives arc now eager to have the President
take a stand for the Cummns amendment
or some modification thereof, which will
make possible revision of the tariff schedule
BY schedule As d matter of fact. the
President has already lent the weight of
his influnece TO the promotion of this erd.
having practically recommended it in his
message and having since urged it, but in
a modified degree. He is Of the opinion
that it is best to concentrate his efforts
first on securing the creation OF a perma-
nent Tariff Commission. and, that done, 20
turn to such modification of the Senate
rules as would constitute the next logical
step. The purely political argument that
it would prove highly beneficial 20 the Re-
publican party TO lire up soiidly for the
Cunln1ins amendment, and, Il 1t is TO oe
defeated, make .iIe Democl ats, who are
opposed to it 20 "A man, take the oUiden or
, talking II TO death, does not strongly ap-
peal to the President. Probably it strikes
him as hardly frank, and canIor is one of
+ his striking characteristics Nevertheless,
the benefits to be derived from such d
course may appeal sufficiently to some of
the Republican leaders to induce. them 70
ADOPT il especially as The President never
fails to say a good word for such modih-
cation of the ru.es whenever the subject
is brought up.
TRUSTS AND PATENTS.-One OF the
most difficult problems which the Depart
ment of Justice has been called upon to
settle is the question of how far those VINO
own or control a patent may undertake to
regulate its sale without coming within the
pale of the antitrust law That IS Dues
ton which has perplexed more than one
administration, having been considered Sc
riousiy by former Attorneys General, who,
however, failed to reach any satisfactory
conclusion. 1t is this question which IS M
volved in a special degree in the control or
the electrical business of the country,
which is being probed by the Attorney Cen
eraI Mr.. Understands Investigation nave
VIC n
prosecutions under the antitrust law, some