Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-10-02
PRESIDENT TAFT'S CLAIM OF CREDIT.

! PRESIDENT TAFT'S CLAIM OF CREDIT.
If one man Of the opposition to tbs
Wickersham bill is entitled to peculiar
credit for having ahorted that attemp,
| to repeal at one stroke all the salutary
; legislation looking TO corporation con
| troll Senator Cummins would appear
to be the man. It's defeat was the
: work OF the progressives working un-
; der the frown OF the Administered tor
] and Cummins led that particular wing
of the defense. While he led it and
; while progressives stood firmly agains,
It because it was a step completely re-
dictionary they felt the lash of admins
tration displeasure even to the petit
ness of withheld patronage. The bride
of patronage and the presidential
frown failed TO bring the Wickershan
bill thru. The progressives stood stead
fast and amended it until its purpose
failed Of accomplishment. When Presi-
! dent Taft comes into Iowa claiming
credit for the erlasculation of that bad
! bill and that without mention Of the
Iowa senator and his colleagues to
/ y HON the credit entirely belongs he
flys in the face Of the record
/ Al Waterloo. Iowa President Taft
/ took unto himself the credit for the
railroad legislation which was passed
by that session of congress. He said:
| In respect TO the regulation of rail-
roads and the prompt remedying Of
unreasonable and unduly discriminate
CRY rates we have progressed far to-
! ward satisfactory solution"
TIT President then described the
! railroad legislation as it was enacted
j into law, and said:
! Many rates are still unreasonable
or discriminating: bat the point I am
making is that we now have effective
and imperial machinery in the pres
( ent organization and power of the
commission for effecting those reforms
without additional restrictive legisla-
ton"
Now the facts are that the Wciker-
sham bill was practically dictated by
/ railroad presidents. II was drawn by
Wickershanl after conferences between
himself and these officials held at the
! presidential mansion, conferences OF
which the president himself was a
T member and sent 10 congress with the
presidential O. X upon it. Il was an
administrator bill as il came 10 con-
gress. orders were that il was not to
De changed. When its vicious provis-
ions had been pointed out and the
bill held up its supporters felt obliged
TO offer q substitute and this s;lbsti-
tute was made over in the senate BY
the opposition of Cunr.:as and his col,
Leagues So far we progressed toward
a satisfactory solution" thru a deter
mined opposition TO an administrator
bill which il was freely asserted not
only repealed regulatory laws against
railroads but practically repealed the
Sherman antitrust law. When it was
blocked the legislation which cost Dol
liver his life had been saved, but the
credit for its rescue does not belong to
the administration which sent forth
the Wickersham bill with orders to
( pass it precisely as it had been writ
ten b. President Tafts attorney gen
eral.
The Washington Times, referring to
the presidents claim Of credit for rail-
read legislation passed by the last con-
gress says:
Vt the outset ne Ghe presidenD
discusses his administration achieve
ments in railroad regulation. One ia
miliar with that record would assurne
that al least the president would de-
/ serve communication for courage in re-
ferrins 70 this subject. Everybody who
F., knows anything about the 1910 session.
which passed all the railroad legisla-
ton Of this Administered ton, knows that
it was succession Of defeats and re-
quotations Tor the president. 1t was
found within the intricate sentences Of
the administration bill was written re-
peal of about all the useful provisions
thus far enacted into interstate COM
merce law. II was found that the
wide progressive measure was, in fact
reactionary from its enacting clause to
the blank space left for the signature
i Strange that the president coming
4 into the enemeys country" should not
only stand on the "enemy's" platform
but claims as creditable to himself the
work accomplished by the enemy" and
which accomplished in defiance of
i White House instructions is RESPONSE
ble for tho claSSifica tiop IF -rooress;,,e
senators and congressman as enc
mics and Of progressive sections as
the "enemys country
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