The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-12-01
TAFT ADMITS HIS
ADDRESS A MISTAKE
In Interview President Says
Winona Speech Was
Dictated in Haste.

he gave to Frances f. Leupp, and
which will appear in this weeks num-
Der OF The Outlook. has taken the pub
lie into his confidence regarding many
of his policies.
Speaking OF the tariff issue. Mr..
President, IL you could begin your Ad-
ministration again, would you repeat
your Winona speech tomorrow" the
interviewer asked.
I'm phraseology. no; in effect, yes.
Had l known as much then as ! do
now, I should have realized that there
are some things. one cannot leave to
be taken for granted. dictated that
speech to a stenographer on the cars
between two stations. and glanced
through 1t only enough to straighten
Its grammar; 1t was sent out by the
press with correspondingly little cere-
imony. so that the papers received 1t in
all sorts of shapes. II | had prepared
It two or three weeks before and re-
.vised It deliberately, as ought to have
done. should have clarified several
passages. And, particularly. should
have changed the sentence where
proclaim the Payne tariff act the best
ever passed. The comparative would
have been better description than
the superlative: for, whatever it's
shortcomings, the act still contains
less to be criticised than it's predecos-
sOrs. and 1t did. as a whole. revise the
existing schedule downward.
TAFT Finds No Fault.
~ had no fault to find with either
Democrats or Insurgents for trying to
reduce any duties they chose; what l
object to is disturbing the business of
the country today, when there is moth
1ng better than guess work to proceed
Np. and then disturbing it afresh six
months later when the best available
Information Is before us. I do not join
in the charge of Inconsistency against
La Toilette on the wool schedule in
stead Of standing by their own figures.
II they could not get all the reduction
they asked for, they were quite justi-
fed in taking what they could get. My
chief criticism on their tariff activities
last session was that they were will
ling to send to me legislation so crude
and Ill digested that they must have
known. II they had paused to think.
that could not possibly approve It,"
"Is your tariff reduction program
based on the theory that 1t will bring
about corresponding reduction in the
cost Of Mving?"
II think that that effect is greatly
overestimated. Ny chief objection to a
needlessly high tariff Is that it nourish-
es monopoly. 1t holds forth a constant
temptation to the formation Of little
trusts, which often are more directly
oppressive to the consumer than big
ones"
mr.. President, there Is your Tariff
Board. You hav. been sharply CRITICS.
ed for making 1t up of men who are
not tariff experts"
No Pretense Of Being Experts.
And that Is true; they are not. If
had been appointing a board of tariff
less than Is, in order to do justice to
all branches Of the subject. What I un.
dertook to do was to make up a board
Of trained Investigators. capable of
managing a thorough inquiry into
costs of production and of analysing
its elements. First. Mr.. MacVeagh
wrote to friends in leading universe.
ties. asking each to give me a list OF
the economists considered by them
best equipped for the task in hand
Prof. Emery's name was on all the
lists and at the top Of half of them, sc
! made him Chairman Of the board
Page comes from the University OF
Virginia, Sanders is an authority or
agriculture. Reynolds. in interpreting
and enforcing the tariff laws for foul
years. had presumably learned the I'M
and outs Of that business, and Howard
! regarded as the ablest Southern
These men made no pretense of being
tariff experts; they employ all the ex
pert help they need.
Il fully realize. and I wish our PEG
pie would. that the present prosperity
Of the Treasury is due in no small
measure to the existing tariff, which
not withdrawing all its faults, is a rev
enue producer. There Is q good dea
more that can be said for that act II
gave US a maximum and minimum tar
IN proviso which deem of the highest
importance. and which tended to in
crease our foreign trade substantially
0sspaired At Times.
1t gave free trade with the Philip
pines. which has made the island,
more prosperous than ever in their his
tory. without injury to any American
industry. 1t gave authority that uset
to create and appoint Tariff Board
which. though rot the commission
sought, Is doing a most useful work
and 1t imposed q corporation tax. OF
which had set my heart. but which a
times despaired Of getting through
Nov that you have launched you
project for a constitutional amendmen
you probably have in mind some par
ticular form Of general income tax t,
recommend to Congress when it is fire.,
to act?"
I'm way, yes. I believe. on princi
pie. in a general income tax. The onl.
good arguments against 1t are that i
In inQuisttorial. and that it offers
temptation to perjury. But would no
resort to the ordinary income tax ex
cept in an emergency like war. whe,