The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1910-07-14


Taft suffer no interruption at the
hands Of a hostile Democratic ma
iority.
Another matter on which the presi'
dent has spoken but little thus far
but which he will no doubt bring en-
phatically to the front in future mes
sages. will be to urge upon congress
the practice of greater economics.
The present administration has In
stituted great reforms In this direc'
tion in the treasury and navy depart
ments, and is carrying the work into
every department and bureau under
executive control. Perhaps in no
sphere of human endeavor have there
been such advances made as in the
office methods of the business world
during the past ten or fifteen years.
But the business routine of the gov
ernment has reflected few of these
changes. Obsolete procedure wastes
both time and money, and IN save
both is the aim and purpose of the
president In seeking to have reforms
effected In the treasury department
extended to every branch of the gov.
ernment service.
Congress has been cautioned to
practice moderation in making appro'
priations, and the president some
weeks ago let It be known that If the
rivers and harbors bill assumed
pork barrel" proportions 1t would
meet with his veto. This no doubt
exerted restraining influence. and
while the bill that was signed con-
tanned items which did not meet with
executive approval and which he
pointed out, 1t received the sanction
of the president because so many
more items therein were worthy of
support.
The president strengthened himself
vastly with the people by his prompt
action in the western railroads mat.
ter-an event so recent that 1t is
still fresh in the public mind. II can
not otherwise than inure to the ad.
vantage of his party in the congres.
sional campaign. But in the eager.
ness to denounce the Payne tariff
law, many have forgotten some of the
strong, salient points of that meas.
ure. For instance, the corporation
tax feature, with its attending pub.
licity clause, was a long step for
ward in the matter OF regulating cor.
porations.
And the congressional resolution,
which Is the first step towards con.
stitutional amendment which will
permit the levying of an income tax
this too seems to have been forgot.
ten by many, and particularly in
Ohio. Wore the issue was deferred
by the legislature until the next ses.
sion. Measures of this sort are not
the enactment Of an hour and in the
face of the previous action of the SUI
preme court IL were an idle play to
the galleries to attempt an income
tax measure in advance of a consti'
tutional amendment
The Taft administration has con.
tinued the trust prosecutions under
taken by the Roosevelt administra'
tion, and some new ones have been
inaugurated
However efforts along this line are
Just now temporarily halted pending
a decision In the Standard OIL and
tobacco trust cases, now pending in
the supreme court. which has wisely
required a re.hearing before full
bench. That the delay is justified,
when the cause is of such great i'm.
portance, can not be questioned.
There Is, too, to the credit Of the
Taft administration the discovsS and
the prosecution of the sugar trust
frauds, entailing the payment of two
millions Of dollars in duties ovaded
through dishonesty and underweights.
And, finally, the president threw the
weight of his influence against that
provision In the sundry civil bill
which sought to exempt labor organ.
izations from the provisions Of the
Sherman antitrust law. There is no
more effective measure on the statute
books than this same Sherman law,
under threat of which the western
railroads quickly abrogated their pro-
| posal to advance rates. A less NOR.
ally courageous executive would have
impaired the effectiveness OF this
law, rather than risked some slight
measure OF disapproval from the
leaders of organized labor,
These matters will impress them.
selves upon the minds of the voters
during the coming months and when
they are reviewed one comes to a
realization that the Democratic claim
of a congressional majority at the
fall elections has no more founda
tion upon which to rest than the sim
liar claim which has been so fire.
quently made in advance, but so sell
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