Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-09
PRESIDENT TAFT AS A
PARTY WRECKER


Instructive, fact that under the
- president who, as the head of the
party eleeting him, has had more to
say about his obligations to his party,
and, as the head of the country over
which he was chosen to preside. has
had less to say about his duty to his
country than any other president, the
Rel ublican party has become more
torn with internecine strife, and more
weakened before the voters of the
country than it has under any other
president that this party has chosen
in a generation. That such Is the case
with President Taft does not admit
of a moments doubt. In the first
place, the country has never had a
president who after he assumed the
duties of his office as the head of the
nation, has had so much to say In his
public speeches about the party that
elected him, and his duty to it, and
so little to say about his position as
head of the nation and his duty to it,
as has President Taft.
Compare for a moment the public
addresses with which ne has favored
his countrymen during the little more
than a year that he has held office
with the public addresses Of Mr.. Roose-
welt while he was president Of the
United States. Never once did the
latter forget that in speaking to his
fellow citizens he was speaking as the
head of the nation, and when he spoke
of his duty it was of his duty to the
nation. In his public addresses Mr..
Roosevelt had nothing to say about
his party When he assumed the Of
flee Of president he appeared to forget
that he had ever been a member of
any political party and to only re-
member that he was the chief of
great nation--the president Of all its
people.
With Mr. Taft exactly the opposite
has been true, In all his public ad-
dresses he has devoted nearly every
thing that he has had to say to de-
Tending and discussing the party that
elected him. its policies. principles and
acts, and its future plans and pros
poets. He seems to have been unable
to remember that he was first of all
the president of the United states. and
that in speaking to his fellow citizens
he should speak as the president of the
United States, and not as the head of
a party. The result of all this solicit
tude for his party's welfare seems
to have been pitiable indeed. Never
within the memory of the present gen
Grafton has the Republican party or
ganization occupied so low a position
in the confidence of the public as it
does today. This is indicated by every
election that has been held within
the last twelve months
The election in the Fourteenth con
gressionaI district Of Massachusetts, of
the Democratic candidate by a ma
jority of 5640, where two years ago
the Republican candidate was elected
by majority of 1880 is only one of
many evidences of the dissatisfaction
of the people with Mr.. Tafts party.
The election, for the first time in
history, Of a Democratic state senator
in the Springfield district of Massachu-
setts is another evidence of the low
estimation in which the Republican
party is held today by the voters of
the country.
The Wall Street Journal a nom
partisan financial organ, but one de-
voted, of course to the financial in
terests that It serves, says: when the
Republican party last year kept its
tariff promises to the ear only, achiev-
ing a result which the benehciaries
fondly hoped might stand for another
ten years, almost every reputable news
paper in the United states pointed
out that it was taking dangerous
chances. Such criticism was unavail-
ing. The interests Of the Rhode
Island woolen manufacturers weighed
more than all the people of the United
States. The tariff passed into law,
and with a faulty which would be
ridiculous il It We're not so exasper-
ating, we We're defiantly asked what we
were going to do about it. That ques-
ton Is being answered as it always
has been answered sooner or later in
this country. The time comes when
the American people take a day off to
squelch their Cannons and Aldriches
and they usually make a thorough
job of It. The first muttering OF the
coming storm is audible. The result
of the congressional election in the
Fourteenth district of Massachusetts is
the most deliberate and explicit COM
ment upon the Payne-Aldrich tariff
that has yet been heard"
After taking its now famous poll
among the editors OF the middle west,
the Chicago Tribune recently turned
its attention to collecting the senti-
ments Of the Independent and Repub-
liean editors Of the east. The Trib-
une's question, "Do you indorse the Al
drich tariff law?" elected only 1877 af-
frmative answers to 789 negatives. OF
these 7S9 papers declaring themselves
unable to approve the new tariff $50
are Republican organs.
To the question, rs Cannon your
choice for speaker" S79 independent
and Republican editors answered no,
while 1855 editors declared themselves
in favor of Uncle Joe. In the state
Of Vermont only one editor placed
himself on record as favoring the
tariff law. In every
other state save Rhode Island, the Re
editors wore overwhelmingly
against the law and in Rhode Island.