The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1912-02-03
. Q q
PRESIDENT TAFT ARoUssL.

Presid ent Taft put on his war poiut
when addressing his friends and
neighbcrs in his home State of Ohio
at Columbus, on Tuesday night. II
any one had the idea that President
RAFT is disposed to lie down and let
his enemies walk over him. that per
son may as well dismiss the idea at
once; for the president isn't that
kind of a man. He, in that speech, not
only pointed out the excellent record
Of his administration as a whole, but
he made aggressive war upon his de.
tractors. He was especially vehement
in denunciation of those who have at
tackled him because of ne enforce.
ment of the Sherman antitrust law,
reminding them that both party plat.
forms in 1908 called for rigid en-
forcemcnt of this law.
The President is undoubtedly very
sincere and very much in earnest in
this matter, and he justly resents De.
ing assailed on this account. The fact
is. that the people had not held hi n
responsible for the ineffective prose.
cutions that have been made under
the antitrust law, such as the Stand.
ard Oil case and the Tobacco Trust
case. The people understand that, al
though the successful prosecution in
both these cases resulted in no prac-
teal good, that President Taft is not
responsible for that failure. They un-
derstand also that the nagging prose
cutions that Attorney General Wicker
sham is beginning, and threatening
right and left, are the Attorney-Gen-
erals blunders, and not the Presi-
dents. If the people could see that
the encouragement was getting any
results worth while in the prosecu.
tons, then there would be no such
contempt for them or for him.
None of this obloquy, however, at.
taches to President Taft. The Presi-
dent very properly entrusts the man
agement of the prosecutions to the AT
torney-General; that the Attorney
General makes a failure, even when
h apparently succeeds, lis the AT.
torney-General's fault, and not the
Presidents.
There is no doubt in the world
about the absolute good faith and ear
nestness of President Taft in all of
his efforts. He has had occasion TO
chastise Acknowledgement Wicker
sham. especially in the pure food case,
and he has been unfortunate in 9th
ers of his cabinet appointments. But
that he himself is standing squarely
upon the law and fully doing his duty
as chief executive of the law, in abso-
lutte candod and good faith, there can
be no question. There Is not a. par
ticle of sense in Republicans any.
where, and especially in Republicans
of Ohio, assailing President Taft on
any point whatever.
The President is able to show, and
he does show in his speeches, fine
record for his administration. That he
will give even a better administration
in his second term is undoubtedly
true, and that his assailants are treat
ing him unfairly is certain. II is es.
pecially unfair for the Republicans of
his home State of Ohio to be back
biting him in the way that good
many OF them have done; and, in his
speech in Columbus on Tuesday even.
ing, he showed his just and proper
resentment OF that kind of treatment
President Taft has got on his fight
ing clothes at last; and the country
will be glad TO see that he is aroused
to resentment over the unfair at
tacks that have been made upon him
within his own party and within his
own State.
We believe that the country is with
President Taft, and that the Repub.
lican party will stand practically solid
at his back. Those Republicans who
are opposing him are doing so 10
their own injury and to the hurt Of
their party; while on the other hand,
there are multitudes of Democrats
who admire President Taft, and who
! believe absolutely in his ability, his