Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-10-27
A CONVINCING SPEECH

A CONVINCING SPEECH
President Tafts success in Mime
apolis last night was a conquest, say
the Minneapolis Journal AS resu
this big city, which has been cold, il
different or suspicious of Taft, no
withstanding it was one of the frs
great communities to start him on hi
way to the nomination, returned t
its allegiance. The citizens who hear
him last night were convinced tina
they had heard a dependable unbend
able man, who is keenly alive to hi
duties, wide aSake to his opportuni
ties, and strictly just in his concep
ton of his responsibilities.
The presidents speech took hold
because it was a simple, candid, un
rhetorical recital of what he hassdont
and what he proposes TOTO. Evadint
nothing, qualifying nothing and prom
Using only what he will perform, thu
address restored the confidence Of
republicans and rallied them to the
vital principles of the party.
The divisions of the speech were
the railroads, the trusts, the tariff
and the workingmen's compensation
legislation. The tariff vetoes and his
reasons for them have been discussed
in the Journal before. They commend
themselves to the listener as we'll as
to the individual who merely reads
them. The wool bill, the farmers free
list bill and the cotton bill, were each
dissected in the veto messages. and
the president has merely to add that
he accepts the full responsibility for
vetoing them, as we'll as for his prom
Use to help congress enact tariff sched-
ules based on the tariff board report.
On the railroad question the presi-
dent dropped word of caution to
those whose ruling idea seems to be
that the way to make the country
great is to reduce transportation, bait
railroad men and legislate against rail-
road prosperity. The presl~ent is not
in this class. In agreement with 9TH
er sane Americans, he wants the rail
roads to be prosperous within the law.
qe wants them encouraged to make
= Investments for the improvement and
extension of their service. Their
rates he would have kept reasonable,
and the government now has the ma.
chnery to bring about this result.
Further than that, he would have them
keep out Of politics, and, placing their
case frankly and openly before legis-
latures, rely on the justice and self
interest of the community to give
them their due.
This is good advice to both sides.
That it should be necessary to empha-
size it at this time is due to the fact
that there are some statesmen abroad
whose stock in trade is unjust at
lacks on railroads and railroad men,
while, on the other hand, there are
some railroad men who still prefer
the dark lantern methods of twenty
years ago, when legislatures were ap-
preached with a bride and shippers
with a rebate. The president warns
the railroads that these days are
passing. But they will pass faster
If the public aligns itself with justice
AS to the trusts. the president re-
marked with his rare faculty for de-
duction, that probably We should not
have had so much trouble with them
if the first case. that against the sugar
trust twenty years ago, had been bet
ter prepared. The court was Obliged
to dismiss it for lack of jurisdiction
and then followed the orgy of combin
atoms which has just been checked
BY a new line of decisions in the sup
rene court. These, as the presiden
remarked, are experimenting. The,
compel the great combinations to sep
arate, to let loose their grip on prices
II they attempt to come together
again they are up against contempt o
the supreme court of the United State
which is serious business for, an!
man.
The spirit of the presidents speed
is thus seen to be reassuring withou
containing one element Of compromise
with wrong. Business that is at outs