The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1912-05-09
7AFT'S RECORD
ON RECALL or
COURT DECISIONS
Favored the Principle to ObligG
POISON Makers"
NOTORIOUS WHISKY RULING.

Reconciled His Conscience to the Pro-
mitigation of a Presidential Order
Legalizins Every Demand of the
Makers of imitation Whisky - He
RECALLED" Seven Federal Court De-
csions to Accommodate the Oppo,
nents of Roosevelt and DR.. Wiley.
Now that Mr.. Taft is so violent in
his opposition to any proposal to per-
nit the people of a state to assert
their understanding of the meaning
of the constitution made by them
when that meaning has been per-
verified by a judicial ruling, it is well
to examine his past record in this
particular. Recorded facts prove that
President Taft is not opposed to the
recall of decisions of the federal
courts when the recall is made by
"a representative part of the people"
even though that part consists of one
of 1O0,000,000 Americans
Here is an expose" especially in
terestin- at this time. 1t appears in
the editorial columns Of the Philadel-
phia North American:
Long before Theodore Roosevelt
upheld the hands of Harvey Wiley
and forced the passage of the pure
food law there had been notorious
frauds in the making, marking and
branding Of distilled liquors. But the
question seemed pretty well settled
by the unfolding of the explicit pro
visions OF the national pure food law
in the rulings Of DR. Wiley, sustain
ed by repeated messages of Presi-
dent Roosevelt opinions of Attorney
General Bonaparte AMI decisions Of
different federal courts,
Merely Common Sense.
"The question was simply one of
common sense. There was to be re
prevention of or penalty for the sale
of any sort OF liquor. The rulings
meant only that the purchaser was
entitled to the privilege Of learning
from the label whether he was buying
what he was paying for.
"UndoctOred whisky was to be label
ed whisky. A mixture of two real
WHISTLES was to be labeled blend \
mixture Of a whisky with something
that is not whisky was to be labeled
compound A concoction that
smelled and tasted like whisky. but
contained no whisky, was to be la
beled imitation.
THAT was all there was to the pro-
visions of the pure food law governing
interstate commerce in whisky 1t
was such simple, incontrovertible
regulation for square dealing that
every American who thought he knew
along what lines the administration
of William II. Taft would be CON
Quoted scoffed at the idea that the
question was not a closed chapter.
when the rectifiers of Cincinnati
and Peoria limited at the influence they
could bring to bear upon a Cincinnati
newspaper and Speaker Cannon and
prophesied the discrediting and the
downfall Of Wiley we thought them
overconfdent in proclaiming that they
could reopen a contest which had been
won and won over and over by the
people, by the state food commission
ers and friends of pure food before
President Roosevelt and the federal
courts
so there was wonder when there
followed President Tafts executive
order reopening the whisky branding
question settled by Attorney General
Bonaparte's successive opinions and
President RooseycIt's orders giving ex-
ecutiye effect thereto
TafTs Conscience Reconciled.
cat the time Of the ruling in favor OF
the swindlers 10y Solicitor General
Bowers, in June, 1903, the North Amer
lean said:
The real meaning Of this reopened con-
tToversy, of course, is that the conspiracy
TO weaken, break down and uullify the
pure food laws is widespread, powerful
and persistent. With President
Taft rests the responsibility of spreading
credence or giving the lie to the general
drink that the entire toll of Roosevelt and
Wiley to safeguard the health of the peo-
pie is to be obiterated before 1872 for the
benefit of certain strong but not altruistic
interests.
six months consideration resulted
in President Tafts reconciling hi, con
science to the PRONUNCIATION of a presl.
dental decision legaIizing every de
mand Of the cheating poison makers of
the Taft-Cox and Joe Cannon baili-
wiCks But this notorious annulment
of portion Of the work of Wiley and
Roosevelt is not the point of present
comment. The focus of present inter
est is President Tafts aversion toward
any questioning Of the sanctity Of judi
rial decisions.
But when the food committee of the
National Consumers league addressed
to President Taft an appeal for the
recall of DR., Wiley's resignation and
cited certain facts decidedly pertinent
to President Taft'S Mortified dcnuncia-
tons of 'nostrum makers and sub
verters of the constitution. who lay
the TX to the root of the tree of liberty.
who dare question the infallibiity of
INV iy7fyiciq1 ctp5Yctiop oS In