Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-01-18

government would reap the benefit Of
Experience, education and general
qualifications in the departments at
all times.
President Taft asks the continuance
of his Economy and Efficiency
commission and we believe that Con
gress will gladly make provision. If
| it does not. the lawmakers will hear
from the people. The Taft idea of
practical saving of the country's re-
sources at the same time giving more
deficient service appeals to the voters
land their families. Promises of
economy are as common as falling
leaves in October, and of about as
much significance and consequence.
But with a man already in the service
of the people devoting himself to saw
ling instead of spending, to perfecting
instead of charging and confusing,
the people are ready to sit up and
take notice.
President Taft has made mistakes,
we believe, and we have had reason
to openly criticize some of his poll
cies, but we have never questioned
| the purpose, honesty or sincerity of
the man. If he has blundered he has
kept on doing things and is, on any
| plane of reasoning, inestimabily safer
| for the people than he who has done
nothing but make promises. The
| theoretical statesman is usually a
good critic and bad executive. The
country is rich in that class of presi-
Dental timber. today. Some men,
NOTABLY some editors, criticize every
thing in sight, but never show any
thing constructive or practical, how
ever simple. Such men imagine
they are progressive and promptly
label everyone, who does not snatch
at their wildcat doctrines, reaction
larry,
| President Taft is more progressive
than his critics who would make
progress by ripping out old timbers
before newer and better wood is ready
Ito replace them. These radical
lprogressives" never prepare construc-
Tive material; their strong suits are
blanket criticism and hasty judg-
ment before investigation. They do
mot wish to know, because to be fair
renders their position untenable.
| The Washington correspondent of
the Boston Transcript independently
writes to his paper:
Some of the Presidents friends
complain little about his apparent
Indifference; they all agree, however,
that at heart he is keenly interested
lin his own denomination, but, having
Inc natural taste for politics. believes
lit to be his duty simply to attend to
4 the public business and let the politi-
clans play politics. So strong, in
fact, is the Presidents conviction that
he ought not to work for himself
politically that he has not even prod
ded his cabinet to help him. These
gentlemen are as DESTROYS to see the
President renominated as he is him
, self, but apparently he has not en-
couraged them to do any political
work
We could not, of course, endorse all
the expressions of this able writer
i but we believe he expresses what
/, thousands are thinking and reasoning
in the following:
1.-The contrasct between Taft's
, political Indifference and Roosevelts
: absolute domination of every political
situation into which he entered is very
f marked. From the historical point of
e view nothing could be more admirable
! than the Presidents logged determi-
: nation to attend to the public bust
ness in the White House and let
5 politics alone, but for practical pur-
, poses the Roosevelt habit is much
more useful. Indeed, aside from the
certain selfish interests which are
back of the Roosevelt movement
nine-tenths Of Roosevelts strength
today comes from Republicans in pub
I lie Office and out of it who want him
IN the Heid because they DelieVe tha'
: through him Republican offices and
Republican prestige can be saved
The country long ago estimated
Theodore Roosevelt as its greatest
e politician, and his former enemies il
= the Republican party are now turning
. to him not because they love him
lany better than before. but because
they prefer a Republican to a Demo
2, lcratic administration, and they know
n that Roosevelt, while acting primaril.
, for himself in everything, made tn
success of the Republican party hi
u own
President Taft does not advocat
cutting off necessary appropriation
o. in order to make good showing, an