The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-03-09
TAFT'S PROGRAM
IS IN DEEP HOLE
Passage of Postal Savings Bill Is
Really First Step To Keep Promises
and Session Is Half Over
BY w. S. COUCH.

w ApIltNh lONs II. - MdIcH -
Congress took the FIRST step toward
the Taft Legislative program on March
8, when he senate passed the postal
savings bank pill And congress means
L. adjourn by June /.
There was less opposition To this
ln' assure han to any OF the others. ami
yet the insurgent Republican senators
put up fight over II that bafiied and
he@i!dered the regulars FOR days. The
bin had been rugged TO create a mar.
het for government per cent bonds
b. making the postal bank depositUrs
compulsory purchasers OF these securi-
ties. Borah. Cummins and Dollver
led the fight that upset this game. Tie
insurgents would have eliminated tue
b0nd-buying feature entirely. but the
Democratic side was suddenly seiz al
with those convenient constitutional
doubts which always seem 10 arise
when Aldrich needs Democratic votes.
On constitutional grounds then, Demo
cratic senators defeated the Cummins
amendment
Railroad e II Comes Next.
The Taft railroad bill walked into
the senate right on the heels OF the
postal savings bank bill II has
brought trouble with il from the com
mittce wnere Cummins and Clapp have
been punching ii full OF holes. Their
minority report Is a sharp challenge
for the administration and rallying
csll for all the insurgent sentiment
that exists.
The rest of the Taft legislative pro.
sram seems nopelessly begged som"-
where on the road behind the postal
savings banks and the railroad bill.
The president himself threw over
board his national incorporation meas
IRE. with its promised immunity Tor
had trusts from tie Sherman law
penalties. At the last minute the Re
publican regulars have backed away
from ship subsidy as loaded and dali
gprous 10 handle. The Republican
promises Of statehood to Arizona and
New Mexico arc 10 be broken again.
The first OF the Taft conservation bills
has been reported with the committee
comment that II Us unnecessary legs
lation. since II makes no change IN
G visiting law. This Is the much herald
cd hill giving the president power To
withdraw lands The senate public
lands committee reported that tae
PRESIDENT always has had this power
despite the doubts raised by Secretary
Ballinger. The bill supposed TO check
the abuse OF injunctions rs hidden ~
some obscure committee pigeonhole.
Taft W. Roosevelt.
President 1af, was pictured in all
the advance notices Of the big 1908
show "a man who would do
things. Roosevelt had been an agita-
tor. so they said. and had accomp-
ished very little, after all, in the way
q LEGISLATION. TAFT was 70 be more
successful president. He was 10
smooth the rufilcd temper OF congress
shat had suffered from the big stick.
His conciliatory smile was 10 be so
much more effective than clustering
e. forts TO compel the lawmakers 10
m ike laws
Since the special tariff session, with
it's revision upward. the Tart apo'o-
.dsts have been busy explaining that
their hero was caught off his guar.
GIVE him a chance. Wait until the
regular session of congress, they
begged.
The regular session of congress rs
now half over, pCrh2ps more than halr
ever It is fair now to point ont that
II was March ; before the first step
was taken along the legislative path
marked out by the president. II Ia
fan to iaKe notice that the bulk Of
the Taft legislative program is begged
down.
The regular session of this congress
and the second session of this admin
istration is simply repeating the his
tory OF the first The Taft recommen-
lations are being ignored The presi-
dent has been handed one gold brick
AFTER another i'm the form OF sleeper3
inserted i'm the measure he has rec
ommelded.
rriekery is Exposed.
The exposure OF lis inner workings
compelled the abandonment OF the