New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-23
THE DAyINWASHINGTON

asserted itself. and abandoning prlhcipl'S
which they must at heart espouse ana
adopting a course they have most Loudly
condemned In the past, they sought TO
curry favor with the farmers by passing
farmers free list" piece of class leg
| islation of a type which none had censured
so severely as they. And when they acan-
doncd their principles and sought to play
politics they lost the good sense ana 1udS-
ment which had earlier guided them ana
they produced a measure which so OBJ
vously meri.ed a Presidential veto that
even the most timorous Republicans APP
preciated that II presented TO embarrass-
ment TO the President.
! FROM BAD TO WORSE.-When Con-
gress met. Mr.. Underwood. as Democratic
leader, said that no unusual effort wouid
/ he made to induce the Senate to pass the
| tariff bills. The House, of which the DEM
ocrats had a majority, would do its duty
/ and II it's plans were blocked by a Repub-
lcan Senate. surely the Democracy could
not be held responsible" 1t was a safe
plan, even a wise one Defeat of the tariff
bills by the less popular Senate would
have incurred the condemnation OF mRy
I
measures from that searching analysis
which would he their inevitable fate II
they reached the White House. And what
was quite as important, there would be
10 necessity of departing from the Demo
cratic ideal Of tariff for revenue only By
series of compromises which would make
the bills as unsatisfactory TO those OF that
economic school as TO those who are con-
WINGED that protection to American indus
| tries is essential to the national prosperity.
| But that weakness, that overweening de-
sire for popularity which had caused the
Democracy TO espouse the free silver pol
! icy when It oyerestmated the strength OF
the Populist vote, proved again the un-
doing of Democratic craftsmanship. The
| House leaders listened TO the seductive
| arguments OF the Senate insurgents who,
inspired by determination to injure
| President Taft at any cost, offered their
loyalty TO the Republican party on the
altar of Democratic vanity. The Demo
cratic leaders listened to the voice OF
temptation, and the results were those
natural children of the 'unholy alliance.
the last of which President Taft vetoed
/ to-day in a message which shows IT to he
the most i'll devised and badly drawn piece
of legislation presented for the Executive
veto; a measure which If approved would
have undermined the internal revenues OF
! the country, which increased duties where
II sought to lower them. which even I'M
posed different rates of duty on the same
commodity and at the same time.
THE RESULTS volume might be
written on this single session. for it has been
| pregnant with results. The tariff Jegisla-
ton fathered by the Democratic House Will
| forever constitute a monument to Demo-
cratic incapacity insincerity ord lack Of
| constructive craftsmanship. The record or
the session has written In indelibe figures
the word "Demagogues" across the records
Of the insurgent Senators. The events or
the last five months have served to reveal
TO the American people the sterling charac-
ter, the manlness and imperturbable sin
cerity of their President, who, with abso-
lutte singleness of purpose, has sought only
TO do his duty trusting implicitly TO the
intelligence of the American people TO de
termine if his work were good or i'll. And
finally the first session of the 62d Congress
has made straight the path of genuine
progressive Republicanism by destroying
those who would make progressiveness only
a means to an end-the enhancement of
their personal political ambitions. IT has
demonstrated that the most progressive Re-
publican in his party is William Howard
Taft who, strengthened by experience and
supported by that large measure of public
confidence he has deserved and won. will
carry on the work of eliminating the obso-
lete and approrriating for his party all that
is both good and new with ever increasing
ability and impetus. G.. G.. II.