The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-09-06
CUMMINS OUT AGAINST TAFT
row 4 SENATOR FILES 4 BILL
or PARTICtL LARS.
Declares His Opposition to the Renomina.
iion OF the President Is Based solely
on Ills Attitude Toward Public slucs.
tiOns- The Tarin Most 1mpOrta

'tV"~ 's""' s"pV' s~''''
DEs MONIES. la. Sept. 5.-Senator A..
r. Cummins to-day fled bill OF par
tic,ilars" as to why President Taft should
not be renominated as the candidate OF
the Republican party at the forthcoming
| national convention. The statement Of
the Iowa Senator follows repeated edi-
torial requests by leading newspapers Of
the country to he specific in his reasons
for withdrawing his support from the Ad-
ministration. The answer is prefaced
with this statement;
1T il TO be understood that my opposi-
ton TO the denomination OF Taft is based
solely upon his attitude toward public
questions and my conviction that the
convention ought to nominate u candi-
date for President who will be strongest
in the election. have no other than the
most friendly feeling for the President
Continuing. the Iowa Senator says; 1T
will be conceded. suppose. that President
Taft's alignment must be defined chiefly:
y Il. BY his position upon the Payne
Aldrich tariff law.
-. By his position upon the bill for the
further regulation Of interstate common
carriers brought forward about the first
of the year 1910.
IS. BY his position upon the change
made in the postal savings law just as it
was being passed in the Senate.
u. BY his position upon the proposed
income tax law which was sought to be
Incorporated into the Payne Aldrich tarii
act.
IS. BY his attitude toward the control
and disposition OF our public domains.
q. BY his position on the Canadian
tariff bill passed at the extra session just
closed.
-. By his work for the peace treaties.
"s. BY his vet oes Of the woollen schedule.
the free list and the resolution admitting
New Mexico and Arizona as States: :.
Mr.. Taft's associates in the making OF
the tariff law which he declared to be the
hest ever passed upon the subject were
Mr.. Aldrich and his followers in the Senate,
and Mr.. Payne. Mr.. Dalzell. Mr.. Cannon
and their followers in the House. 1t seems
TO me am justified in the conclusion that
he did not take the progressive view
with respect TO this measure.
-One OF the notable laws passed during
the present Admnistra tion is the act
amending and enlarging what Is com
monly known as the interstate commerce
law. II this bill had passed as insisted
upon by the President the work OF nearly
a quarter Of a century would have been
swept away and We would have taken
long step backward in the regulation OF
cur railways.
The committee bill was reconstructed
upon the floor OF the Senate by the pro
gressives against the violent opposition
Of the reactionaries who were acting for
the President. ! believe that people gen.
orally will agree with me that with respect
to this measure Mr.. Taft did not take
the progressive view Of the subject,
Before the present Administration came
in postal savings bill had been prac-
tically agreed upon in the Senate. Again
the President was found in the company
of the reactionaries. and not with the
progressives.
The progressives were exceedingly
anxio,,' to attach an income tax law to
the Payne Aldrich tariff act. We had
GOOD reason to believe that the President
was with us ip this effort; but at the mo,
ment when il seemed likely to succeed
the President. under the leadership Of
Mr.. Aldrich and his close associates
brought forward the so-oa.led corpora
ton tax law and defeated the proposal
to levy a tax upon the great incomes OF
the country.
He did this through the instrument
tally Of the most pronounced reaction
aries Of Congress. l think it must be
conceded that whatever else may be said
OF his action he did not take the progress
siva view
.On conservation OF our natural re-
sources all that | care to saw is that he
seems to be out of harmony with those
who were recognized before his advent
into Office as the best exponents Of the
conservation policv and SO far as know
his appointment OF Mr. Fisher az Secre-
tavy of the Interior was about the first
act ~ his Administration which com
manded the approval Of the progress YES
throu ghout the country.
with respect to the Canadian tarih
bill there is of course the widest difference
of opinion. Reciprocity is a progressive
term; but think it is true THAT most Of
tho progressives have heen unable to
find in the Canadian bill the essential
elements of reciprocity.
Il do not desire TO repeat the argu-
ments I have already made in another
place against this measure. N Is false
rretence from beginning to end. II gives
free pulp and FREQ paper to publishers
using print paper and it gives free farm
products but il will not reduce the cost
of living and il will not. in my Judgment.
widen or enlarge our markets for manu-
features in Canada"