Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-09-09

IL was RECONSTRUCTED UPON lAc Alooi
Of the senate by the progressives
against the violent opposition OF the
reactionaries who were acting for the
president. believe that people gen
orally will agree with me that with re-
spect to this measure Mr.. Taft did not
take 1.-THE progressive view" of the sub
ject.
Postal Savings Bill.
8. Before the present administra
ton came In a postal savings bill had
been practically agreed upon In the
senate, and the fight which the pro
gressives had made was to insure the
deposits of the money put into the
postoffices in the banks of the local
communities.
We had won out, but just as We
were on the point Of passing the bill
President Taft had sufficient influence
to rewrite that part Of the bill, and
everybody recognizes that the law as
it was finally adopted, In that respect
was q victory for the great city banks
and defeat for the small country
banks Again the president was found
in the company Of the reactionaries
and not with the progressives.
Income Tax Failure.
4. The progressives were exceed
ingly anxious to attach an income tax
law to the Payne-Aldrich tariff act
We had good reason to believe that
the president was with us In this eff
fort, but at the moment when it seem
ed likely to succeed the president, un
der the leadership Of Mr.. Aldrich and
his close associates brought forward
tha cocolya1 oornCro tfop TOW low and
defeated the proposal to levy tax
upon the great incomes Of the country
He did this through the instrument
tally OF the most pronounced reaction
aries of congress. think 1t must be
conceded that whatever else may be
said Of this action, he did not take 'th9
progressive view"
We were encouraged by the sugges.
ton that we would be able to obtain
an amendment to the constitution and
we could then have an income tax law
of unquestioned validity, but the con.
stitution has not yet been amended to
remove the doubt, and 1t Is exceeding
ly doubtful whether 1t ever will be.
Question Of Conservation.
5. The attitude of the president to.
ward our public domain, or, rs stated
in more common phrase, toward the
conservation of our natural resources
can only be understood after com.
plete review of all that has been done
and this is not the time to undertake
it.
All that care to say Is that he
conservation policy, and SO far as
know his appointment OF Mr.. Fisher as
secretary of the interior was about the
first act of his administration which
commanded the approval of the pro
gressives throughout the country.
Attack on Reciprocity.
6. With respect to the Canadian
tariff bill, there is, OF course, the wild
est difference of opinion. Reciprocity
Is progressive term, but think 1t IL
true that most of the progressives
have been unable to find in the Can
adian bill the essential elements o.
reciprocity.
l do not desire to repeat the argu
ments have already made in another
place against this measure 1t Is false
pretense from beginning to end. II
gives free pulp and free paper to pub
fishers using print paper and it gives
free farm products, but 1t will not re
duce the cost of living, and it will not
in my Judgment. widen or enlarge oul
markets for manufactures In Canada
seems to be out of harmony with those
who were recognized before his advent
into office as the best opponents of the
Its evil effects have been greatly ex-
aggerated, and Its beneficial effects
are almost wholly imaginary.
The newspapers have their free pulp
and free paper and / can easily un-
derstand why the measure appears t
them as progressive legislation, bu
to those Of us who have been laboring
for q systematic and comprehensive
reduction Of duties, 50 that they will
in all the schedules, represent the diff
ference between the cost Of production
at home and abroad, the Canadian bill
is the most unfortunate act of legisla-
ton passed. within the period of the
present administration, for 1t has de-
stroyed the chance of fair revision cl
the tariff along republican lines fol
years to come.
It is perfectly apparent that we must
now either suffer the injustice Of the
Payne Aldrich tariff law indefinitely ~
the perils Of democratic bill for reve
nue. only.
It's hard for me to think Of the Can
adian bill as progressive, believing rs
l do that it's passage was the result 81
an understanding between the presi-
dent and those eminent reactiOnaries
Penrose OF Pennsylvania and Lodge Of
Maine. that they would see 1t through
the senate If all other tariff bills re-
ducing duties should be vetoed.
About Peace Treaties.
7. With regard to peace treaties,
am in hearty sympathy with the presi-
dent in the endeavor to broaden the
field Of arbitration, cut they can hard
Fly be instanced as great advance In
the move for peace when they are
construed as the president himself
construes them in his public speeches
and as they must necessarily be con
strued II the senate amends them as
is proposed. for they are practically
the same as the peace treaty we al
ready have with Great Britain.
do not desire, however, to detract
In the least degree from the credit
which ought to be given the president
for his work in this respect. 1t must
be remembered. however. that the line
which divides the progressives from
the reactionaries does not touch the
subject embraced in these treaties any
more than 1t does (. thousand other
moral precepts acknowledged AND
revered by every civilized human be-
ing.
- IA