Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-06
PRESIDENT TAFT
FIRMLY BELIEVES
PARTY WILL WIN

Continued from First Pace
with an arch smile that at once bespoke
his sense of humOr and his serious view
of the meaning of what his former
friend. Mr.. Roosevelt is aiming at.
Napoleon resorted to a similar device
in carrying out his program of mon
archy in France" the President was re-
minded.
80 he did-so he did," Mr.. Taft as
scented.
But in this effort to Anglisize our gov
eminent the President volunteered,
lone fact of supreme Importance must
not be overlooked. Under the British
system which, of course. is wholly I'M
suited to US with our traditions our
character and our temper, tho crown
which stands for our executive authority.
has lost the power of veto throuS.
atrophy through non-use, while the
progressive party program seeks IN its
every essential detail 20 strengthen Tie
executive authority.
LIT seeks to do this by taking from
Congress the exclusive power to legislate
and from the courts the exclusive author-
ity to interpret the laws and apply the
established constitutional restrictions
and limitations. For these it would sub
stitute commissions to be. appointed Dy
the President. subject wholly to his WILL
that would set at nausht Judlclai ADJUST
ment-and legislative enactments.
This would lead to the concentration
of the power and functions or govern
ment in the executive. and maze tne
President a more absolute monarch IMAM
the Car of Russia. In the end ne alone
would he the center of authority. the
eiyer of all good gifts and the admins
traitor of rewards and punishments.
Why Taft Is Conservative.
I'm the face Of so threatening situa-
ton as this l am a conservative, and L
feel confident that in the same sense the
overwhelming majority of the American
people is conservative. In opposing
sternly the triumph of the progressive
party's program we are striving resolute-
ly to preserve our institutions from the
enchanting glamour Of dream on the
one hand and the insidiOus encroachments
of one-man power on the other.
1.-The republican party stands today Tor
the great progressive principles for which
it has been battling unafraid since It's
birth--the fullest measure of liberty I'M
der the Constitution, the greatest freedom
Of individual action consistent with
public order, the unhampered activity OF
the citizen in his business transactions
within the bounds prescribed by law. and
the rigid, impartial enforcement of every
statute that has stood the test of judicial
scrutiny.
"This is the progressivism of true re-
publicanism, and to that standard the re-
publican party is rallying, now that the
revolutionary character OF the progress
sive party's program has been made clear
by the speeches of the popular orators
Of that party. The drift that set in to-
ward the third party following it's sensa-
tional convention in Chicago has been
checked. 1t has not only been checked,
but it is rapidly receding and coming
back from where it started-the repub-
lican party.
What is true of the republicans that
few weeks ago were headed toward the
third party is also true of the democrats
who fell into the drift. Every day brings
us assurances from democrats in all parts
of the country who have been d1sillu-
sionized that they are going to cast their
lot with the republican party in this cleo
ton
Discusses Antitrust Policies.
and hat do you think of the avowed
ANTITRUST policies of both the other par
ties. Mr.. PRESIDENT
IT don't yet know just what the demo-
cratic antitrust policy is. Neither Gov.
Wilson nor any other Of the authorized
democratic campaigners thus far has
made his party program on that question
clear to me or anybody else with whom
have talked. In the vague light they
nave thrown OD IL all uIdUle W tell
what they are promising on that score.
but the progressive party's antitrust
| plank is probably the least d"fensible
plank in the entire platform. In effect it
is the old Roosevelt scheme to divide
trusts into two classes-good trusts and
bad trusts-and have paternal govern
ment at Washington spank the bad trusts
and reward the good ones!
Our program on this question is clear
cut and definite. 1 would retain the
ti.trl Ia hut fo
the voluntary federal Incorporation of
all corporations doing interstate
business under law to be enacted by
the congress which might denounce GER
tain injurious methods of business and
competition as misdemeanor.
From all of this. with the decisions
of the courts. it would be easy for
corporations to know the correct rule
exactly what were their rights and what
were their obligations. A board could
be created to see to it that they COM
piled with the rules. In any case where
legality or constitutionality an appeal
to the courts for review Of it's action
would lie.
Tremendous and Dangerous Power.
But the progressive party's program
would empower a board or commission
appointed by the executive to have ex-
elusive supervision over and regulation
of everything that body SO appointed
might classify as an injurious trust
This would place in the hands of the
executive and his commission a dis
cretionary power dangerous because so
capable of tyrannous USE I favor IA
! line of distinction between good corpo-
ratons and bad corporations of uni
| form character established by law and
| statute. and capable Of definition, limita-
ton and enforcement by the courts.
The progressive idea is to leave this
| line of distinction to the discretion of
an executive tribunal to determine each
case according to circumstances and the
general views of the commission as to
public interest and benefit.
Such a commission. acting under an
ambitious executive, would grow to be
an instrument Of tyranny and dangerous
| in the extreme"
| DO you. Mr. President regard the
Constitution, which both the democratic
and the progressive parties are seeking
to amend in several particulars, per-
/ fectw
| "In a broad sense I do not: for do I
not myself favor two important amend
ments. and am / not doing all / can
| to bring them about? / refer to the
income tax and the popular election of
senator's. The republican party in Con-
gress and the majority of the states in
which it is dominant Is committed to
L Al A~.,>