Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-06-29

course ne was pound 10 atl@nAte the
support of one faction of the Republi-
cans; If he purued another he was In
the same predicament His admins
tration, therefore, lent itself TO criti
eism no matter which way he turned
and much criticism has been accorded
it. II cannot be denied, however. that
Mr.. Taft advocated the things he
thought were right and pursued his
policies without reference to his DO.
litical future.
Mr.. Taft's most serious party break
came with the signing OF the Payne
Aldrich tariff law. Through this ACT.
he aiienated the support Of such men
as the late Senator Doiliyer, OF Iowa.
Senator La Toilette, Of Wisconsin,
senator Cummins, OF Iowa, and othe
prominent men of the progressive fac
ton of the Republican party.
These men went before the people
and claimed that Mr. Taft had betray-
ed the trust of his party through Sign
ing a measure that embodied largely
the protective tariff. Mr., Taft stood
to his guns and upheld his action. He
claimed that revision OF the tariff
downward was not expedient. He met
the attacks of the Democratic legisla-
ture by vetoing their low tariff bills
and explained his action by stating
| that he wanted to hear the official re-
! ports OF the various boards investi-
/ eating the measures which they SO
hastily advocated.
Through his reciprocity bill, provid-
! ing for the free interchange of certain
commodities between Canada and the
/ United States, he sought TO alleviate
/ the sufferings of the people.
This measure was enthusiastically
advocated by his friends and was pass
/ ed by both houses of Congress. II
met its Waterloo when the Canadian
/ Parliament overthrow Laurier and re
pudiated the tentative agreement
/ largely on sentimental grounds.
In the advocacy of international
peace he surpassed all previous Presi-
dents. He assembled the representa-
lives of France, Germany and England
and submitted to them treaty which
would practically obyiate war between
the four nations party to the agree
ment. This measure had the enthus-
| iastic approval of such men as Car
negie and Rockefeller and was herald,
ed as the greatest step toward the del
elton of war ever taken by the head or
q modern government. The bills pass
| ed the house by a large majority both
Democrats and Republicans joining
hands in singing their enconiums and
passing them along to the Senate.
They were killed in the upper body
/ largely through adverse sentiments
set afoot by those who claimed that
national degeneration would follow
the submissal of such international
disputes as they provided for to
court of arbitration.
The Railroad Rate Bill, passing dur
4 ing Taft's administration. is regarded
4 by many as the most effective meas.
ure looking toward the regulation of
Transportation corporations ever Ell
acted by the United States. This too
however, came in for factional criti-
cism.
When the Supreme Court of the
United States rendered the Standard
Oil and Tobacco Trust decisions, emit
hodying the celebrated phrase In "rea-
sonable restraint of trade" President
Taft stood back of that adjudication
and voiced himself as heartily in ac-
cord with the Supreme Court Judges.
This stand put him squarely on rec
ord as against corporate monopolies
In restraint of trade, and he has dem
I onstrated his intention of fighting the
trusts through filing suits against the
Steel Trust, the Sugar Trust, the Har-
vester Trust, and number of minor
monopolies.
Another law that had his approval
and that looked toward the better
ment of conditions in the United
States was the Corporation Tax Bill
which in large measure eliminates
the possibility of corporate secrecy
through providing for certain
amount of government supervision. Be
side this the Corporation Tax Bill will
add to the revenue of the United
States through its tax upon monopoly,
President Taft also established the
United States Commerce Court, and
strongly advocated the policy of dol
lar diplomacy that has done so much
to rejuvenate finances of the small
republics in South and Central Ameri.
ca.
Throughout Mr.. Tafts administra-
ton his policy has been one of safe
and sane progression with neither the
famboyant aggressiveness that mark
ed the actions OF some of his predeces-
sors, nor the extreme conservative
ness that graced the terms of others
He has advocated that no further cor
poration laws be eneacted until the
present ones are tested. that the revis
ion of the tariff await the report Of his
tariff commission; that the army and