The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1911-09-22
CRITICS ARE SCORED
BY PRESIDENT TAFT
Makes important Utterances
in Michigan Towns.
Nations Chief Opens State Fair In
Detroit and Talks to Board of
Commensurate Speaks at
Saginaw and Bay City.

At Detroit, Mich, Monday for the
first time on his trip President Taft
struck out into political issues, and
his listeners applauded mis- defiance
He twice challenged his critics to
prove the soundress and sincerity Of
their attacks upon him and the poll
cies of his administration.
in the first important political
speech Of tho trip Jrade before t.o
Detroit board of commerce he defed
William Jennings Bryan an to
critics of the recent antitrust fc
cisiors of the supreme court to ''nr
forth a case Of trade restraint which
should be suppressed which could me-
be proven a violation of the law IN
der those decisions. The chal'eD /!
was three times reTc~-e ed and eaGh
time cheered by the 1900 business
men to whom he spoke.
Later, in an address before q cor
vention Of internal revenue CeiCe~c,
he challenged the men WHO h d
charged him with misuse Of patronage
to meet him in his proposal to Flare
every local feGeral officer under sivil
service and SO wire out patronage and
it's evils from the government service.
In his trust speech, he invited his
critics to go to the limits Of their
legal imagination to formulate case
of harmful trade restraint which was
SnIn 0FE h. IC,.
interpreted by the supreme court in
the Standard OH and tobacco trust
cases
They cheeIed him again and again
when he said if any one advocated
amendment of the law he must come
out with a concrete case and give
facts that could be weighed and con
siGered, and not content himself with
mere rhetoric and defamation.
That the business of the country has
not yet reached the era of regulated
monopoly and government control Of
prices" that it is still an age of free
competition" and that the power of
the government can and will maintain
this freedom under the final interpre-
tation of the Sherman act, was the
stand taken by President Taft in re-
markable address on the trusts
I'VE cid get along with competition;
We can get along with it," said the
president eve did get along without
monopoly; we can get along without
it; and the business men of this coun-
try must square themselves to that
necessity. Either that or we must pro-
coed to state socialism and vest the
government with power to run every
business"
In effect the speech was the admin
istration's Interpretation of the Stan
dard Oil and Tobacco decisions and
the announcement of its line of action
under them.
This policy is to be "let well enough
alone" as evidenced by the following
statement of the president:
Il am entirely opposed to an amend
ment of the antitrust law. 1t is now
a valuable government asset and in
strument. Tested and brought into
beneficial use by twenty years of liti-
CATION and construction by the highest
court, why should we imperil its use
fulness by experiment."
In all Mr.. Taft was in the city for
ten hours. 1t was raining hard when
his train pulled in, but by the time
that the breakfast rendered him at
the Detroit club was over, the sun had
come out brightly and Taft weather"
was on for all Gay. First they took
him over to Pontiac, some thirty miles
out IF Detroit. That was Congressman
Sammy Smiths share of the day and
it made MIN perspire equal quantities
of worry, Importance and happiness
The presidents first speech was at
the state fair grounds. The address
officially opened the fair They
staged a pretty picture for his recep-
ton About 100 school girls, running
down to tots who had to squat on the
ground e rest their little legs while
Mr. Taft was talking, began a sons
about Our Dear President" as Mr.
Taft appeared.
President Taft also delivered &C
dresses at Saginaw and Bay City dur
ing his trip through Michigan.