The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-08-25
TAFT TO THE VETERANS.

veterans assembled in the G. a. Il. Con
vention at Rochester, New York, re
viewed lucidly and aptly The similarity
of conditions at the present time Il
/ those at the outbreak of the War oi
| the Rebellion. Now, as then, party
lines are largely broken down, but, nov
as not then, there is difficulty in form
ing the new alignment. At that former
time the new alignment was evident
to every one; the division simply was
on the line of union or disunion. Those
who were in favor OF the preservation
of the Union understood exactly what
they had to do; those who were in favor
OF secession or who were willing to al.
low secession to prevail wherever II
had been declared or was being de
clnrcd, knew also exactly where they
belonged. The only nondescripts al
that time were those Northerners who
were in favor of the Union but did not
want to fight for it, and who also were
in favor of letting the sccessiouists
have their own way. Those Northern
secessionlsts were commonly called
coppcrhcads. - and were the con.
temptibles of the three divisions, they
were equally detested by the unionists
and the secessionists.
II we had such clear line of cleav-
age now as existed at that time, there
would be no trouble in men aligning
themselves without regard to old party
affibation; but there is no such line.
The party name, Republican and Demo
cratic, still holds for the masses of the
parties, although the lines are at times
sadly confused and broken. 1t will
take time to form new alignment,
aud good deal of care will have to
be exercised in order that neither vio-
lence nor injustice be done.
The Presidents s forceful words will
go home TO the heart of every patriotic
citizen. The chaos in our politics Is
not so complete as it was at the out.
break of the great war, nor is the
cleavage as clearly defined. But the
breakdown will continue and will grow
moro marked as the progress of read
iustment proceeds; and the issues will
formulate themselves AS the situation
becomes more fixed At present about
all that can be said is, that the old
parties are now serving no useful pur-
pose, and the new party lines have not
yet been formed
1t is reasonably clear, however, that
the coming party divisions will be more
on the line of repression of monopolies
and greedy speculation. than upon the
old political or economic questions. The
people are revolving everywhere against
the expressions of greed and of grasp,
ing speculations. Everywhere it is
recognized that the prices of living are
high beyond all reason, made so, not
because the producer is getting such
enormous profits, but because the
spectators and middlemen have be-
come so firmly united, so expert in
handling the markets that, on the one
hand the producer is deprived of his
legitimate rewards, and the consumer is
unconscionably bled. This, in general
way, will be the new departure from
present appearances. Speculative com
bines will fight for their privileges,
while the masses of the people will
strive to break down the speculative
oppressors. and bring the producer and
the consumer nearer together, or at
least Will strive. and undoubtedly with
success. to minimize the profits Of the
spectators or middlemen, and to bring
them down to what is reasonable and
fair. measured by the earning capacity
of men IN other walks of life. and in
the rewards for money when money
is used in other directions,
President Taft is evidently fully
alive to the situation, and he enforced
his views upon the veterans with con
fidence, warmth OF feeling, and a
patriotic impulse altogether admirable.
There is no doubt of the growth OF
President Taft in the peoples affec-
tions, nor of his popularity among the
people as opposed to the coldness with
which the politicians regard him, The
people are coming TO believe President
Taft 10 be greater than all the politi-
clans combined, and they will back him
accordingly.