New-York tribune., 1911-09-06
HiPD Up FOR "REiSONS.'


HARD UP FOR "REASONS.'
Senator Cummins has drawn an in
dictment against the Taft administration
ard presented a hill Of particulars assail-
ing the Presidents record. He charges
that on nine counts Mr.. Taft has been
out of line with progressive sentiment in
the Republican party. But an examina-
tion Of those counts makes one wonder
what Mr.. Cummins imagines the real
sentiment of the Republican voters and
Of the country to be.
Two of the counts may he combined
those relating % the Presidents attitude
toward the Payne tariff law and his We
toes of the wool and Farmers Free List
bills. Mr.. Cummins himself approving
the veto Of the cotton, iron and steel and
chemical revision. The President signed
the Payne law, as he publicly announced
chiefly because it opened the way.
through the creation of a Tariff Board, TO
n more rational method of tariff revision
He vetoed the tariff bills passed at the
last session Of Congress not only because
they were crudely and hastily slapped
together, but also because they were
passed for political purposes by a coali-
ton which declined TO wait for the in
formation which the Tariff Board was
collecting. Now, 1t happens that the
Iowa platform of 1910. which Mr.. Cum
Minis dictated, declared for revision only
on the basis of information to he fur
nished by n Tariff Board. and defined the
very course followed by Mr.. Taft as
sound. progressive Republicanism. The
Kansas and Wisconsin platforms did the
same thing. and for carrying out their
ideas Mr.. Taft is now condemned by the
confused Iowa Senator as a reaction
ary."
A second charge is that in vetoing the
original Arizona-New Mexico resolution
the President again sided with the re
actionaries." But If he did. Congress
and the country were Overwhelmingly
with him, for Congress cheerfully amend
ed the AJizona-New Mexico resolution to
meet his views and then passed il prac-
tically without opposition. Both parties
are almost solidly behind the President
w. his opposition TO the recall Of judges
It is further alleged that the Pres
ident's position on the interstate COM
merce and postal savings banks laws of
1910 was highly unsatisfactory. When
the former law was under consideration
Mr.. Cummins predicted that IT would
cause an "irreconcilabe conflict" within
the Republican ranks. Yet when the
House Of Representatives. on Mr.. Taft's
Urging ironed ont the Senate bill, ,he
latter body accepted it without a mur
mur and Mr. Cummns himself voted for
it. Since then nobody except the Iowa
statesman has ever complained of its
retrOgressiveness. for the added powers
which ii gave to the Interstate Commerce
Commission were soon put 10 striking use
In the sweeping railroad rate decisions
Of 1911. The postal savings banks law
has worked admirably, and Mr. Cummins
IS now the only Progressive politician
known to he disgruntled about II.
1t is further charged that Mr.. Taft
went wrong in recommending the sub
mission of an income fax amendment to
the federal Constitution. in advocating
arbitration treaties. in urging Congress
10 approve the Canadian reciprocity
agreement and in his attitude toward
the conservation of natural resources.
Thirty-one of the forty-siX states have
ratified the income tax amendment, every
state with Insurgent leanings except
Minnesota voting aye. In his attitude
toward conservation legislation Mr.. Taft
has been eminently sound and progress
Slve. It Is news that the Insurgents
have any fault to find with his policy as
outlined in messages TO Congress. Mani
festly in forwarding the cause Of inter
national arbitration and in extending
trade relations with Canada the Pres
ident has shown himself the broad
minded Progressive. On the other hand,
in opposing the arbitration treaties and
the Canadian compact Mr.. Cummins has
confessed TO being "the reactionary."
1t would be wiser and safer for the
Iowa Senator 10 say simply that he is
against the President because unfortu-
nate factiOnal associations have tied him
up with Mr.. la Follette's candidacy.
When he tries 70 give larger reasons Of a
public nature his argumeniative ma
chinery breaks down.