The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-11-03
FRIENDS OF TAFT
ARE TAKING STOCK
They Believe His Popularity
Strengthened by Western
Trip.
EFFECT OF HIS SPEECHES
He Will Concentrate Energies
on Trusts, Tariff and
Arbitration.
EFFECT OF HIS SPEECHES

Washington. November with
President Taft back on the Atlantic
| coast after 15,0O0-mile "swing
around the circle" his friends are
! naturally trying to sum up the poll
| teal benefits he derived from the
! trip.
The prevailing view is that he is
stronger with the people OF the coun-
try than he was when lie started on
his tour
His denomination was not in doubt
when this trip was planned. Ii was
undertaken with the hope and eapecta-
ton that IL might lead to his rc-elec-
tion. The President has, OF course
realized since the elections OF last
year that the drift has been away
from the Republican party. Moreover
he realized that with the party d.
vided into two factions 1t was neces-
sary for him 20 do what he could to-
| ward restoring harmony.
The Keynote OF the speech making
| OF the President on this long trip
. was that lie was not to be regarded
as standpatter or an insur,ent He
endeavorcd to convince the people
wherever he went that he is steering
a course between the conservatives
and ie Insurgents
His friends III balancing up the de-
velopments along the $4,000. mile jour
ncy say they have every reason to
believe that the country regards him
more OF party leader than ever be-
fore. The claim Is not made that the
President was enthusiastically re-
| ts-ived everywhere. IT is asserted.
however. that in every State he visit
cd the people were anxious 20 hear
m cnN
were impressed after hc had spoken.
May Press These Subjects.
Public men who have made q some
what careful study OF the speeches
made on the trip are now convinced
that Mr.. TAFT intends TO concentrate
his energies on the following subjects:
/. The enforcement OF the Sherman
antitrust law without fear or favor
2. a revision of the most obnoxious
schedules of the Aldrich- Payne tariff
law on Information gathered by the
tariff board.
,. International arbitration
The Insurgcnt Republicans who ara
out TO prevent the denomination OF
the President II possible. and tho
Democrats who are determined to de-
feat him for recollection (they admit
, he VIII be renominated) frankly say
that they arc surprised at the adop-
ton OF such vigorous program with
respect TO the trusts by the Pres
i, nj. Neither the Insurgents nor the
Democrats believed he would dare
choose the course he has chosen
hey thought IL would be the same
OF story over nga!n-the trusts would
succeed in convincing the udministra.
ZION that IL would be unwise to press
for enforcement of the sherman law
In the face of a presidential cleo
II II.
| The Presidents friends are quite
certain that his attitude on the trust
question has already strengthened him
with the people. and they believe II
VIII strengthen him stu more dur
I ing the months that are TO Intervene
before the nominating convention and
he election.
Big business Is much put out over
,he attitude OF the President 1t is
saying harsh things about him. Rut
apparently. there is nothing It can do
except talk. 1t does not want La Fol.
.ette nominated BY the Republicans
and II Is afraid to make an open move
ment in the interest of a Democratic
/ candidate. because 1t realizes that such
a movement would only add strength
to the candidacy of some radical like
Governor Wilson, OF New Jersey.
Sincerity of The President.
| ~ hen the President started on his
trip he fully realized that large num-
! bers of voters In the West did not
| lndorse his vetoes of the tariff bills
| passed at the recent special session OF
Congress-
/ Much of his speechmaking was de-
voted to an effort to justify those
vetoes. Persons who followed the de.
velopments of the tour say that, al
, though ne probably did not succeed in
convincing Republicans in the West
that he did the right thing in vetoins
/ these bills, he did convince them that
+. he is earnestly in favor of tariff re-
vision based OH Information supplied
! by his tariff BOARD.
t He has come back from his trip
pledged TO do his utmost to obtain
{ from Congress at the coming session
revision of several of the existing
| schedules. His friends say that If he
I shall succeed with this tariff venture
he Will enter the national convention
and the campaign next year a strong
, candidate.
( His demand that the Senate ratify
: the arbitration treaties between the
United states and Great Britain and
/ the United States and France was, say
! persons who made the trip with him.
! cordially supported everywhere. The
| prevailing view now is that the SEN
| ate will not dare withhold ratifca ton
, of these treaties. If the President had
not gone direct TO the people OF his
/ demand for ratification, say his
| friends. tho Senate would have reject
f, cd the treaties or would have so
| amended them as to make them prac-
| tically worthless.