New-York tribune., 1910-02-15

THE president IND HIS CRITICS.
President Taft-~ Lincoln Day speech
was notable for its extreme directneSs
and candor. FrankneSS i one of the
Presidents most engaging characters
Ties. lie possesses the true judicial tenn
permanent and * accustomed L" Fedcn
conclusions after carefully weighing HiI
the evidence and TO express opinions
with scrupulouS fairness and moderation.
Few presidents are able 10 discern q
flaw i'll the policies which they haze
adopted. and few have ever taken the
country 50 completely into their coli
tidence aS Mr. Taft has IN tie DIS
t.uSSion of the merits of his policies ana
the criticism justly or unjustly aimed
against them. Mr. Tafrs attitude toward
the public viii. we think. 90 far toward
aBavinc disSatisfa ction with his ad-
miniStratiou which may have arisen
through hasry or unintelIigenf judg-
ment- Hi~ public aims are lofty and
are not colored by seif-interest and his
oIrenne~s of mind and speech X bound
L. bring him into sympathetic touch
with the crear mass Of the voters, WI"
believe III him and count on him Tor
patriotic and diSinterested leadership.
r. i unfortunate that some Of the
President most active critics are not
equally appreciative Of the Importance
of candor. fairness and open dealing
Tins The New York Times. IN at
lacking Mr. Taft's judiciousiy qualified
Endorsement Of The Payne tariff law. re
fuses to see the fairness Of the PreSi-
dents summary of the main advances
toward q rational tariff system made IN
that measure and asserts that he is
merely offering feeble. fa1tering de
fence of "a dishonQrable deception
What Nr Taft said about the Payne
law can be absolutely subStantiaJed ny
the statistics which the government has
collected since the law went into oper-
alton. Yet. with a lack Of moderation
and balance painfully in contrast with
the Presidents admirable manner. our
esteemed contemporary permits itself 20
SAY.
NTr. Taft used again the trumpery fig
1lree. exposed in all their fslseness long
ago and many times, 10 show that the
nov tariff is a revision downward IN
The very audience ne addressed were
hundreds of men who have practical
knowledge of the totally misleading
character of his figures, his argument
and his conclusion. Fifteen mill
ION voters cannot be lied 20 and not find
Il out.
Il i hard lo be patient with critic
exhibiting such Captiousness and i'll
tolerance Il is especially trying TO see
sweeping ch;t-ges Of misrepresentation
brought by an authority which in pre-
vious discussions of the alleged short
cumincs and iniquities of the Payne
tariff law has shown no consistency Of
opinion and demonstrated no convincing
powers of judgment or prophecy. It
was the misfortune of our esteemed con-
Temporary last year 10 put some eI-
Jremelv confusing valuations on the
Payne law. and 10 find in il defects and
sinister intentions which have never
been realized. On March IS. when the
Payne bill was reported from the House
Ways and Means Committee THE
Times" pronounced this cordial eulogy
cn the cOmmisIee'S work
Il Is more reasonable bill than any
that mas ever originated with the party
tha Mckinley bill and the Dingley bill,
and so far as can now be judged, ii is
q much better bill than was sent 20 the
Senate in 1889 on the basis of the tariff
commissions report OF that year.
But the significant and profoundly en-
C0uragiEg tact remains that sound prin-
ciples have been, IN a practical manner
and 70 an effective degree, recognized by
q Republican committee. and will, We
hope. without impairment, be recognized
by Congress.
The Payne bill. as it came into the
House. was not greatly different from
the Payne law as enacted, vet The
Times now ignores its former apprecia-
tion OF the sound principles" of tariff
revision recognized by the trainers Of
that measure, and calls ii q 'dishOnor-
able deception and o-humped
Bactrfan camel Of tariff treachery-'
Again, when the observation-disclosures
scheme Of duties was under discussion,
The Times" could see in that useful
device for preventing determinations Oh
the part OF foreign countries against
American products only piece Of trick
cry 10 fosr the burden of the maximum
schedules permanently on the American
said on April %.
Every reduction was found 10 be liable
TO be wiped out or actually 10 be re-
placed by an advance. through the Oper-
alton OF the ingenious and Penrose
maximum and minimum rates clause"
What the committee 1.-THE Ways and
Means Committee of the Housed did
was this: il pretended to draw deed
conveying substantial relief for acknowl-
Dr. .tas. IL
indirect part of the instrument il in
serted provision meant IL nearly all
cases 10 withdraw the relief and in some
to aggTavaIe the wrong
YET under the operation Of the maxi
mum minimum provisions Of the Payne
law American commercial interests have
been materially promoted TIE coun
tries with which the great bulk of our