The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1912-09-26
Theodore Roosevelts Estimate Of
William Howard Taft, and Strong
Enforcement of His Candidacy

Sarety, cuOIu MAKE Hill SWCINC d heAii I"
breadth from the course which he re-
cards as right In the interest 81 the
Whsle people.
have naturally peculiar interest In
The success Of Mr.. Taft and in seeing
him backed by a majority OF both
houses Of congress which would heart
ily support his policies. For the last
| 10 years, while have been governor OF
New York and president, have been
thrown into the closest intimacy with
| him, and he and have on every essen
| tial point stood in hearty agreement,
shoulder to shoulder. We have the
same views as to what Is demanded by
the national interest and honor. both
within our own borders and as regards
the relations Of this Nation with other
nations. There Is no fight for decency
and fair dealing which have waged In
| which I have not had his heartiest and
most effective sympathy and support,
md the policies for which l stand are
| his policies as much as mine.
It is not possible in the space OF this
etuter to discuss all the many and
infinitely varied questions Of moment
With which Mr. Taft as president would
have to deal; let him be judged by
what he has himself done and by what
| he administration, in which he has
played so conspicuous a part, has done.
| aut to illustrate just what his attitude
| s. let me touch on two matters now
| prominent in the public mind:
Mr.. Taft can be trusted to exact JUS
| ice from the railroads for the very
| .eason that he can be trusted to do
| Justice to the railroads. The railroads
| ire the chief instruments Of interstate
! commerce in the country, and they can
| neither be held to a proper account
| utility on the one hand nor given prop
n protection on the other save by the
affirmative action of the Federal Gov
,rnment. The law as laid down by the
federal courts clearly shows that the
] States have not and can not devise
laws adequate to meet the problems
Caused by the great growth Of the rail-
! roads doing an Interstate commerce
business, for more than four-fifths OF
the business of the railroads is inter
state, and under the Constitution OF
the United States only the Fedora
| Government can exercise control there
over. 1t Is absolutely necessary thai
this control should be affirmative ant
Ithoroughgoing All interstate business
carried on by the great corporations
should, in the interest of the whole
people, be far more closely supervised
than at present by the National Gov
lernment; but this is especially true OF
the railroads, which can not exist at ali
save by the exercise of powers granted
them on behalf Of the people, and
which, therefore, should be held to a
peculiar accountability to the people
1t is in the interest of the people that
Ithey should not be permitted to do in
Justice; and it is no less to the interest
of the people that they should not suf'
fer injustice. Their prime purpose Is
to carry the commodities of the farm
ers and business men; they could not
be built save for the money contribut-
led to them by their shareholders; they
[could not be run at all save for the
money paid out in wages to the rail.
Iroad employees; and finally, they coulC
not be run judiciously, or profitably to
Ianyone, were 1t not for the employ
ment by them of masterful guiding
intelligence, whether of one man or OF
a group of men. There are therefore
several sets of interests to be consid-
cred. Each must receive proper con-
sideration, and when any one Of then
selfishly demands exclusive considera
ton the demand must be refused
Along certain lines all of these groups
have the same interest.
|
What is here said as to his attitude
on the railway question applies to the
whole question of the trusts. He viii
promise nothing on this subject unless
he firmly believes he can make his
promise good. He will go into no chi
merical movement to destroy all great
business combinations; for this can
only be done by destroying all modern
business; but he will in practical fash
ion do everything possible to secure
such efficient control, on behalf of the
people as whole, over these great
combinations as will deprive them OF
the power to work evil. Mr.. Taft's de-
cision in the Addystone Pipe Line case
while on the bench is proof, by deeds
not by words, Of the far-sighted wis
dow with which he serves the interests
of the whole people even when those OF
the most powerful corporations are
hostile thereto
If there is one body Of men more
than another whose support ! feel
have right to challenge on beholf OF
Secretary Taft, it Is the body of wage
workers Of the country. A stancheI
friend, fairer and truer representa-.
tive, they can not find within the bord-
ers Of the United States. He will dc
everything in his power for them ex-
cept to do that which is wrong; he will
do wrong for no man, and therefore car
be trusted by all men. During the 10
years Of my intimate acquaintance
with him, since I have myself as gov
ernor and president, been obliged to
deal practically with labor problems
he has been one Of the men upon whose
! Judgment and aid I could alWaX rely