The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-12-02
rAIr NND ms QUEER NOTIONS

TAFT AND HIS QUEER NOTIONS
President Tafts interview as given
out by the Outlook will not help him
much with the country. There is one
thing which can be said for it, that
Is that IL reveals the neophyte in pol
itics It is a plain tale OF woe and
failure which he hopes will not he
criticised too harshly. The President
takes the people into his confidence
and asks for liberal discount for his
mistakes and blunders and admits that
he has been at fault in minor affairs
but he hopes the electors have not
been too seriously impatient with him.
The trouble with the President is that
he seems to want the charity OF the
people TO cover multitude of sins
Even on his own propositions he Is
derelict He says his party promised
revision of the tariff downward aud
that the Aldrlch law was a compliance
with that promise. Now there is just
one remark to make about that state
ment 1t isn't true. Woolens and cot.
tons were the great center OF attack
by the Insurgent sera;vis II their
notable onslaught on the tariffs. rhe
former schedule was left just as it
was while the cottons schedule was
raised and that was done by the most
lsneaking. disreputable, lying and trick
erv ever known in Congress. See Sen
ator Delivers speeches which eN-
posed the infamy OF Aldrich and made
1t so plain that everybody who reads
can understand. Moreover, these
schedules have been figured as to the
total average reduction taking them
al together and 1t Is only the one
half OF one per cent. which is prac-
ucally nothing at all.
Then the President lodges the La
Toilette bin by saying he was the
head Of the party and had to look
after the party Interests instead of the
peoples interests. That sounds awfnl
bad and seems TO be a poor KIND OF
Iapology for failing to do his duty He
SAYS he could not approve Of La Fol-
lotte's wooden schedule because 1t was
crude and III digested. Now, that hap
pens not to be the trpth also The La
Toilette bill was the work of experts
and the most scientific, fair, just and
righteous tarin bin offered Presi-
dent for sixty years. In fact IL was
probably the most carefully prepared
tariff bill which ever passed Congress.
II had some regard for the consumer
as well as the producer and that can.
not be said of the Aldrich law, the
Dingley law or the Mckinley law.
Moreover, the real reason the Presi-
dent did not sign the Ia Toilette bill
was because he had permitted Pen.
rose to trade him out of it for the
reciprocity act And that is another
thing that no President should do. He
violates all sound principles regulat-
ing the high office when he trades.
Then there was the Ballinger case
which left bad smell. There were
good men like Pmchot turned out ol
office and scoundrels like Bal kept In
luntl driven out by the fierce lash Of
Ipublic opinion. SO Mr.. Taft seems ia
have made a failure out OF about
Everything he has touched Arbitra-
tion and reciprocity seem to us to be
good but they have not materialized
sufficiently TO become an element OF
strength TO him. And our guess i'
that the President cannot carry very
many States on his tariff revision oi
on his trust busting or on his othei
policies. old Pennsylvania and Yer
mont might stand by him but W,
could not off-hand pick another stat,
that would do TO bet on going hi
way. Massachusetts, the very cente
and hot-bed of Republicanism an,
high tariffs, has twice repudiated tn
President, Maine is off the reservation
New Jersey has twice given a plural
ity vote for the Democrats Ohio d
almost certain to go plunging dowl
the Democratic schute, Kansas
doubtful and the whole northwest
on fire for reform and that not Of IN
taft brand The whole Pacific slop
is lnsurgent and the whole South
= Democratic. Mr.. TAFT may just a
well quit and return 10 Cincinnati an
practice law. He isn't in it a minute
! A subscriber In the west end sug
E gests that the non-whistling ordinano
= should be annuled as he attribute
] some recent wrecks to that cause. II