The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-10-04

tutiOUs ne DUH aHU ptuekST VI
& political enemies have not made
\ him finch an lota. from his de-
& termination to do that which :
he believed to be for the gen.
8 eraI welfare Of all classes Of
i people In this republic."-Rep-
: resentative Kahn Of California,
I In an address reviewing. :Presi- Z
I dent Taft's Administration. K
Tine record OF President i arts ad-
ministration is one OF splendid achieve
ment ~;
His administration has broken all
records for prosecutions brought and
won under the Sherman antitrust law.
Without fear or ia 1oi. 1t has brought
to the bar of Justice corporations and
persons engaging In Illegal eombinA.
tons in restraint of trade, the ulti-
mate purpose of each combination be.
ing to create a monopoly and to raise
the prices on it's products. In two
years and eleven months of his ad.
ministration President Taft caused :. ,
be instituted twenty-five civil suits
and forty criminal suits, against iii
legal trusts Roosevelt, In the seven
and half years of his presidency,
only instituted forty four suits against
illegal combinations !. "a.
Under President Tatt's administra-
ton the great Sugar trust frauds were
unearthed resulting il, the forced res
titution of millions Of dciars into the
national treasury These / frauds,
which were based upon the bribery Of
customs officials to dishonesty value
imports of sugar were in progress
during the last administration, but
were not. detected un,il Taft became
president. e.t s.Es
Corporation Tax.
President Taft suggested and Sc
cured the, enactment Of law impos-
ing a tax upon corporations which
| adds $4,000, 900 annually to the reve
nues of the government. ="
He advocated and approved the law
establishing postal saving banks.
These banks are now the repositories
of many millions of dollars and afford
to people of small means In remote To-
calities an easy and safe method of
accommodating money.
. Under his direction there has been
an investigationto fs the excessive and
unfair charges OF the express com
panies and "a complete Encouragement
Of rates ordered. ~ ~ ~, ri
Railroads have been prevented from
putting rate increases into effect with
out the approval of the Interstate com.
merce commission: While this legis-
lation was pending an effort was made
by certain trunk lines ito increase
rates. A temporary Injunction was
/ Immediately obtained by the attorney
general, and by agreement with the
railroad presidents they did not put
the increases INTO effect but waited
for the enactment of the law They
then applied to the Interstate com
merce commission for permission, un.
/ der the newelaw,1 to make the increase,
but their applications was denied by
the commission The erailroads de-
nounced the president and his attor-
ney general for the stand they took in
protecting the rights of the shippers.
Other Reforms Accomplished.
The white slave trafic has been
vigorously and effectively attacked.
and severe punishment has been
melted out to those engaged in the
nefarious business. >, =.
"A bureau Of mines has been estab-
lished, SO as to safeguard the lives Of
miners. President Taft personally at
tended a demonstration of the meth.
DDS employed to rescue miners and
has done everything In his power to
give efficiency to this new bureau.
Another, great social reform which
President Taft advocated and which
received his hearty approval when the
law was passed concerns the investi-
cation Of child labor conditions by the
government President Taft selected
a woman to manage the bureau which
is conducting the inquiry in order that
there might be sympathetic and
thorough administration of the law.
Under President Taft's administra-
tfon the Panama canal will be com.
pleted ahead Of time, without faint
of graft. , President Taft has made
several visits to the isthmus In order
to personally assure himself that the
work was being prosecuted honestly
and vigorously. a..>
An income tax amendment to the
federal constitution has been sub
mitted to the states and now lacks
only the Affirmative action of the
/ legislatures of three or four additional
+! states to become part of the fun
damental law of the land.
Tariff Revised Downward.
The tariff has been revised down
ward. Under the Payne tariff law, ap-
proved by President Taft, the. list of
articles admitted duty free was in
creased, while the average rates of
duty upon all dutiable articles was de-
creased. No American industry has
been crippled and not one American
workman has been thrown out of en-
ployment by reason of Its enactment.
Believing that the schedules might be
still further revised, President Taft
created the tariff board. an organiza.
ton Of experts. who dealt with the
tariff problem from q business point
Of view and who suggested further
| changes The> Democratic house Of
representatives ignored these we'll