Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-30
President Taft's Advice to Re-
publicans of Ohio.
TARIFF is CAMPAIGN ISSUE
Declares His Party Can Go Before
Country Without Fear.
MISTAKE MADE BY DEMOCRATS
Election of 1910 Not Declaration for
Free Trade-Cause Of Repub-
lican Defeat.

CLEVELAND. Ohio. January 3O.-The
big event of the first day of President
Taft's three-day visit to his own state
came last evening at the Mckinley day
banquet given by the Tippecanoe Club
at the chamber of commerce
Addressing CSC northern Ohio repub-
leans grouped about the banquet table,
the President made a stirring appeal
to the republican party to stand by its
guns and rest confident that 1t has car
ried out the pledges it made to the peo-
pie of the United States.
He declared that he faced the future
with equanimity and in the belief that
the judgment of the country would
prove him right in his opinion.
To his hearers 1t appeared that a
keynote speech on which the com.
ing campaign might be fought to a
finish, was being delivered.
Looking over the record of wha,
has been done.' said the President, lit
seems to me that we are armed with the
facts and with things accomplished
sufficiently to meet our enemy In the
open field and to overcome him. In the
judgment of an impartial umpire.
No Fear of Result.
II SeeTnS 10 me tHdt Lnere is no Occd-
sion for the republicans Of this country
to fear the issue, with their knowledge Of
the progress that has been made in the
last four years, with their adoption of
progressive principles indicated in their
platform of 1908. and in the proposals Of
the administration since that time. They
must. if they would serve the country
well, discriminate between that which is
really progressive and useful and what is
utterly at variance with sound constitu-
tional, governmental and economic policy.
"On this. the natal day of William Nc
kinley, let US take new vows in behalf of
the grand old party, standing by the Con-
sti luton standing by the rights Of liberty
and property of the individual. and will
ing to face defeat many times in behalf
of the cause Of sound constitutional gov
ernment.''
President Taft was handicapped by a
cold that made his voice husky. but gave
ments of his administration. BY the t.
tention he devoted to the tariff and the
attempts made since 1903 to revise It, he
indicated his willingness to go into the
campaign on this issue alone. The demo-
cratic party, he said had mistaken the re-
suits Of the 1910 election. and had inferred
from it's victory that the United States
must abandon the principle of protection
and set up that of tariff for revenue only.
Election Of 1910.
Our democratic friends are mistaken
said the President. The election of 1910
was not a declaration in favor of a tariff
for revenue or free trade. This is shown
by the fact that the democratic vote was
less. rather than greater. than it had
been in the presidential election.
1.-The defeat Of the republican party
came not from an increase in democratic
votes, but from detection of republican
votes. !. e., Of its own members who
stayed at home and refused to stand by
the party in what they regarded as a fall
ure to redeem its pledges"
Discussing his vetoes of the wool and
cotton revision bills passed by Congress
at the special session last summer, the
PRESIDENT admitted that the wool sched-
ule, the cotton schedule and possibly
others of the Payne-Aldrich law were too
high, but said that unscisntif1c revision
was a much greater evil than a delay in
securing real revision.
I'VE should be entirely willing" said
Mr.. Taft, upon the issue of whether
those bills ought to have passed in the
form in which they were drawn. with the
little information as to their effect, which
Congress had or was able to furnish the
executive, to go before the country ana
invite the verdict of the people. am
confident that on this issue the people
will be with US. and that our friends the
enemy are entirely mistaken in their in
depreciation OF recent popular expression.
1--WE are not welded to any particular
rates, and we are quite willing as a
party to re-examine any rates IN the
light of proper information. should the
mandate of power again be given TO
the republicans so that the party shaif
control the executive and both houses
Benefits Under Payne Law.
Aside from the benefits which the
4 kA rn,,nd in,
creation of a tariff board. there We're
many others that grew out of the Payne
law to which the republican party could
claim credit. Among these he named
the court of customs appeals, with au-
tboriza ton to construe the tariff act: the
ma imum and minimum clause of the
law which enables this country to pre-
vent discrimination against American
| trade. and the corporation tax. which
| is bringing many millions OF revenue
| each year to the government.
Leaving the tariff, the President more
briefly reviewed the other accomplish
ments of his administration. He began
with the railroads.
| The interstate commerce law. he said.
has been strengthened since he has been
| in the White House. so that ''life and
effect have been given to orders Of the
interstate commerce commission, with
| the result that railroads cannot mini
mize or ignore them.
| commerce court. he said. was Gre
ated to relieve the courts in railroad
cases II observe now" he added, that
some of the decisions of the Commerce
lCourt have been made the basis of a
demand for it's abolition. 1t seems to
me this would be the most foolish step
possible
Will Define Jurisdiction.
| The Supreme Court he pointed out. will
soon render decisions showing the exact
Jurisdiction Of the Commerce Court.
l. Without going into detail. Mr.. Taft
showed that Congress, in 101O-11. enacted
la safety appliance law: an employers
liability law that has stood the test In
the Supreme Court; authorized a work
mems compensation commission: created
the postals savings banks. and has taken
! a forward step toward conservation. The
national monetary commission has re-
ported a plan to improve the currency
system, a plan which, the President said
would keep the control of the nation
finances from the influence OF Wall street
and Washington.
| An investigation of the proposal for
parcels post has been made. and the pos
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