El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-07-03
TAFT AND ROOSEVELT, REPUBLICAN AND Independent
toward (Which which his ambition had turned
SecrefarN of War

tial campaign of 1908
During his incumbency of the cabin.
office Mr. Taft displayed to even greet
er advantage that efficiency ans To-
| he had shown in his Administered -
/ the Philippines. PERHAPS his errest es,
achleVement as secretary of war wa,
ele s,. ILdsI Jerry manner in which he
wrought order out Of chaos in the PaD,
ANA canal zone These PanamanfaDe
! despite the Hay-Varilla treaty vVerl
more or less firmly convinced that The
On4teu states mad not acquired thai
| section of the isthmus of Panama sole
| " TO build canal They were of fbe
| opinion mat there were Diplomatic rea-
sons behind the move. They Thought
mat the United States sought to strike
at the independence of tbe Central
! American republics through the esta h.
Hshment of a rival state and the grad
| ritory '0i
! Regenerates Canal Zone.
rms antagonism had to be overcome
| and Iatt Was<the man that overcame IT
! ne VISITED Panama and exercised there
| nose personal and mental powers that
.tdu won MN the confidence of the ma
| yves or the Philippines. The result
! was that army engineers. under his
! direction, were enabled to proceed with
| their work of making this pesthoIe
HaDltaDle without serious opposition
| from the natives
Another instance of his ability as an
executive and a diplomatic came with
the second instruction il Cuba He
Journeyed to that island in 1906 and
naroIy had he reached its shores when
internal affairs took a change for the
better In a comparatively short time
peace had been restored among the
warning factions. He remained as pro-
vislonal governor of Cuba throughout
the month of March and April.
In June, 1898, he was nominated for
president by the Republican national
convention at Chicago. and in the fol-
lowing November he was elected to the
presidency by cOnSidera BILE majority
Up to this time there had been moth
ing IN Mr.. Tafts career that had clio
tied anything but bOundless praise. He
mad been faithful and efficient SER
want of his country at home and
abroad. Throughout the world he had
made many friends for the United
states by his frankness and Ifberalfty
and MS country was only too willing
TO see him honOred with the highest Of
flee within its gift. It is no exaggera-
ton to say that no president ever
moved into the white house with so
nearly the universal good will of the
pOpulace as did Mr.. Taft
FaIys Heir to Roosevelt Policies.
He fell heir, however, TO a political
situation calculated, by its complex
sides and factiOnal friction, to create
party dissension and party criticism It
was understood that he was to pursue
the Roosevelt policies which, though
popular in some political quarters were
equally unpopular in others. He did !
not pursue them. He took his own in
itlatiye, abided by his own counsel, and
stood out firmly for the measures and
administrative policies that his own
judgment told him were right.
As president he not only faced the !
questions left oyer by eX-president !
Rcosevelts administration, but he en- /
parked upon a period of dissension in /
his own party. He was placed in the /
difficult position Of having to please !
hot +1ae u
ism and the Progressive branch of the 1
Republican party. If he pursued one 4
course he was bound to ALLEVIATE the /
support of one faction of the Reupbli- /
cans; If he pursued another he was in /
the same predicament. His administra-
ton, therefore, lent itself to criticism
no matter which way he turned and /
much criticism had been accorded it
1t cannot be denied, however. that |
Mr.. Taft advocated the things he
thought right and pursued his policies |
without reference to his political fu-
ture.
Mr.. Tafts. most serious party break
came with the signing Of the Payne 4
Aldrich tariff bill Through this act
he alienated the support Of such men |
as the late senator DolliTer of Iowa !
senator La Toilette, of Wisconsin, sen
ator CumminS, Of Iowa, and other |
prominent men of the progressive fac
ton of the Republican party.
These men went before the people
and claimed that Mr.. Taft had betrayed |
The trust Of his party through signing |
q measure that embodied largely the
protective tariff. Mr.. Taft stood to
MS guns and upheld his action He
claimed that revision Of the tariff
downward was not exDedieut He met ]
the attacks of the Democratic legisla-
-ure by vetOing their low tariff bills
md explained his action by stating
hat he wanted to hear the official re-
)orts OF the various boards investigat-
hac |
advocated.
His Reciprocity Campaign.
Through his reciprocity bill, provid-
ng for the free Interchange of certain |
commodities between Canada and the !
United States, he sought to alleviate | ,
he sufferings of the people.
This measure was enthusiastically /
ldTOcated by his friends and was /
passed by both houses of congress. It
net its Waterloo when the Canadian /
parliament overthrow Laurier and re-
undated the tentative agreement large
y on sentimental grounds.
In the advocacy of international |
'eace he surpassed all previous presi- ! ,
Tents. He assembled the representa-
ives Of France, Germany and England |
nd submitted to them treaty which
would practically obviate war between
he four nations party to the agree I
nent. This measure had the enthusi-
site approval of such men as Carnegie ! :
nd Rockefeller and was heralded as
f war ever taken by the head of a ,
modern government. The bills passed !
he house by a large majority, both !
democrats and Republicans joining Z
andS in singing their encOmiums and r
asSing them along to the senate , z
They were killed in the upper body :
lrgely through adverse sentiments set y
foot by those who claimed that ma !
iOnal degeneration would follow the 7
ubmission of such international dis /
utes as they provided for to a court /
f arbitration. c
The railroad rate bill, passed during [
ats administration, is regarded by | c
lany as the most effective measure 2
boxing toward the regulation of trans 4
ortation corporations ever enacted by | b
he United States. This, too, however, 0
anne in for factional criticism b
Takes Stand on Trust Question. 1
When the supreme court of the Unit / )
i States rendered the Standard Oil and I
obacco trust decisions, embOdying the | e
CELEBRATED phrase in reasonable re- | d
traint of trade" president Taft stood p
ack of that adjudication and voiced a
imself as heartily in accord with the / y
1preme court judges.
This stand put him squarely on rec I
I'd as against corporate monopolies in {
estraint of trade, and he has demon ! II
rated his intention of fighting the l.
-usts through filing suits against the =,
teel trust, the Sugar trust. the Har- !
ester trust, and number of minor q