The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-09-22
THE PRESIDENT EXPLAINS.

This is. in effect. what President Tar
said In his speech at Grand Rapids
Michigan. yesterday. II gas bold
thing for him to say, but he said it
and there will he much disappointment,
in Democratic and Insurgent circles ii
the electorate do not take him at his
word.
Mr. Taft's speech to the Michiganders
E. was wholly devoted TO an explanatio
and defence of his vetoes of the wooden.
| free list and cotton bills passed by
! the Congress at its recent session. he
could find no argument which would
! satisfy his conscience in signing the
! WOODEN bill; the free list bill was so
! loosely drawn, II was drawn on such a
/ wrong principle. and with so little
! information. and it purported to do so
many things which IL did not do that
! he felt no hesitation in vetoing II, and
the cotton bill was impossible" and,
of course. he vetoed it, He believes
/ in revision of the tariff rates. but
! he does not believe in, and will not
consent to, handling the tariff ques-
ton with blacksmiths' too.s He is
waiting for the tariff board to make
a GLOSSARY before he will consent TO
Congress legislatins upon this sub
iect He expects the GLOSSARY" to be
ready in December with adequate in
formation for his guidance. and. be-
sides. when the extra session of Con-
Sress was called for the specific pur-
poss of passing upon the reciprocity
question; and when he had mo ade-
0uate information that the bill (the
wooden bid presented to me was in
accordance with the Republican plat
form of protection upon which 1 was
elected. and to which l am in honor
bound to square my Official act and
policy and when in twenty-eight
States the Republicans had adopted
resolutions strongly advocating a
statutory Tariff Commission" and
when the Progressive as we'll as the
Regular Republicans were all commit
ted to the protective principle in tar,ft
legislative; and when the tariff bills
passed by the recent Congress were
constructed with mo public hearings
of any kind" without accurate infor
nation as to the operation and effect
or the proposed changes:" and when
IT was not asking too much to delay
the bill (the wooden blD, under tho
circumstances, for ninety days merely
TO secure accurate information, the
President submitted that there was
nothing else for him to do but TO veto
the tariff bills. II the President is not
| mistaken, 1t would seem that, in some
features at least, there was some very
amateurish work on all three of the
tariff bills passed by the recent Con-
on the subject we arc prepared to be-
lieve that Mr.. Underwood and Speaker
| Clark and their fellow workers Will
be able to defend all the laws the
President has picked in their schedules.
With the glossary" nc has supplied,
they VIII explain the points that were
not clear to him. and for which we
believe he sought no informa ton from
them. The President has stated his
reasons very plainly but they do not
| seem TO excuse his failure to aid in
Inc relief OF the people of some al
least OF the tariff burdens IRON which
! they suffer
The President is "in favor Of the re.
duction OF the tariff wherever il can
be done and still give a living meas
ure or protection TO those industries
or the country that need IL" but so
far as he can he will resist any move
ment TO secure tariff reductions that
are not in accordance with the prin
c!ples of the Republican platform. and
on information accurate and impair
ha!'" If the people do not like II.
they can help it by putting somebody
else In his place But what we want
| to know is how accurate the Presi.
/ dents information was upon which he
ooFed some holes in the tariff bills
! passed at the recent session Of Con-
/ gTess. Before arriving at his condem-
/ nation OF the work of Congress. did
! he hold any public hearings or was
/ his information obtained from the
tariff board, and if the tariff board
| was far enough along in its search for
( the glossary to advise the President
on the points covered in his- speech
/ Yesterday, would it not have been a
+ helpful thing If the tarin board had
peen directed by the President, to as.
sist the Congress in framing the re-