The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1911-09-22
COMING PRESIDENTIAL TOUR
Some Questions to Which Mr.. Taft is tx
pected to Make Plain Answers

When Mr. Taft was inaugurated, it
was with more general good will than
had marked the Inauguration of any
other president since the civil war.
That was only thirty months ago.
And two years ago this fall, when he
he made his first presidential tour, his
praise OF Aldrich and his endorsement
of the Payne-Aldrich tariff law, at Win
ona, was received with tolerant and re-
spectful silence by the people of the
west, who felt that that law was a be-
trayal of the party and that Senator
Aldrich was the principal traitor.
Two years ago the people in the
western states were not unwilling to
believe that the signing and the de-
tense OF the tariff bill were grave but
retrievable blunders OF well intention
ed, though inexperienced president.
Since then, great deal has happen
ed to change the attitude OF the people
toward the president. Now he will be
expected in the course of his two hun
dred speeches to answer half-dozen
questions clearly, specifically, un-
equivocally and without asking his
hearers to consent to further presiden-
tial procrastination.
The people will ask the president
why he considered that reduction OF
the duties on agricultural products so
urgent as to require a special session OF
congress, while he compelled the coun
try to await the revision of the much
debated, we'll studied, we'll understood
and discredited wool schedule, until
he should publish the report of his
tariff board. Whatever be the. merits
OF the reciprocity policy, the farmers OF
the West will want him to tell them
how they were benefited in the past
by protective duties on farm products
in the Dingley and Payne laws, if they
are not in need of protection under re-
ciprocity.
They are not confused about re-
ciprocitv. Il will reduce the cost of
living or it will not. If it will not, it
is a pretence; if it will, it must reduce
the cost of farm products. In this con-
nection it is significant that the Cana
dian Pacific Railway, (which. next to
the government, is the largest land
owner in Canada) has advertised that
reciprocity will increase farm land
values in the Dominion by 100 pc,
cent
The people will expect the president
to plainly state whether he is in favor
of Aldrich's central bank plan, or op-
posed to it. They want to know why
a central banking organization, under
the Aldrich plan will not be controlled
by the great moneyed interests that
center in Wall Street. The western
people are deeply and individually in
terested in the currency question, be
cause monopoly of the credit of the
country will throttle the free develop
ment of Western industries and reduce
them to a condition of industrial and
fiscal dependency such as is now some
times to be found in Pennsylvania,
New York, New Jersey and New
England.
Remembering that Richard Achilles
Ballinger was sent from this state to
the cabinet, as a representative OF the
public land states of the northwest. and
that, later, his own state by an over
whelming vote sent his critic, Poin-
dexter, to the senate, they will want to
know the presidents exact attitude on
the several conservation questions; the
public land question; the question OF
the preservation and use of the nation
al forests; the development OF the Alaska
coal fields; the construction and control
of railroads in Alaska. They will ex-
pect Mr.. Taft to be explicit-to out
line definite policy so they may know
whether his inclination is toward the
development of natural resources by
such large and enterprising syndicates
as that Of Guggenheim and Morgan, Oh
by pioneers, prospeciors and small
business men, with the protection and
assistance of the government.
And the people will be anxious to
hear the presidents policy toward the