The Washburn leader., 1912-08-02
As Wall Street
Sees Candidates
Comparisons are Made and Conclu-
sions Drawn as to Who Should
Be Our President

0S VuI IISSWSut
To the voter who desires certainty as
to the policy according to which the
government shall be conducted, that
the stable business interests of the
country as whole may know how to
proceed, there is but the choice be-
tween Taft and Wilson for president.
Each represents certain policy in
dealing with the most important prob
lens which the government must solve,
and their policies differ sufficiently to
afford opportunity for each man to
choose between them as the policy of
one or the other more closely approach
es his own opinion. Taft. has proved
that he can be relied upon to pursue q
consistent course laid down by himself
and by his platform. Wilson has CIV
en- like proof by his course as Governor
of New Jersey. His claim and rational
utterances during the pre-convention
campaign have inspired confidence that
he would adhere to the course marked
out, should he be elected president.
No such statement is true of Roose-
velt, hence the opposition to him from
substantial business men with the ex-
ception of a certain few, who are in-
terested in great corporations and who
have tied up with him. The chief
ground of opposition is his eccentricity
the feeling that we can never guess
what he will do next. That was the
worst criticism of him when he was
president. It has redoubled force now
that the lieutenants who exercised any
restraining influence to which he was
subject as president have fallen away
from him.
Wall Street, which desires above all
things to know what to expect, there
fore makes its peace with Wilson. 1t
has been persuaded that, notwithstand.
ing all the talk of his radicalism, he is
not so very radical after all. The New
York Times, which voices the opinion
of many of the great financiers, has
been at pains to foster this impression.
1t has republished an interview given
it by Wilson last December in which
the governor toned down his extreme
views in favor of a revenue tariff by
adding few ''buts." He is for tariff
revision by ga process of readjustment,
not revolutionary, but carried forward
upon definite principle" In an in
terview with the New York Evening
Post last November he committed him
self to the theory Of incidental pro-
lection for industries not yet fully
developed and wherever it may be
brought in without becoming mere
gratuitous subsidy, and>without cramp-
ing or embarrassing the life of ordinary
purchasers. That takes the sting out
of revenue tariff and opens the way
for many industries to retain large
modicum of protection. He favors
schedule revision and reciprocity, 2but
rejects as impracticable the difference
in cost of production as a basis Of
duties.
Wilson objects to the suggestion Of
war on the trusts, saying: Our problem
is one of equitable readjustment." He
comedies the existence of combinations
which do not refrain trade but prove
s-'an extremely successful means Of
economy and efficiency" He would
make certain ''offenses criminal and
put q sharp stop to inexcusable wrongs
in the restraint of free opportunity and
the smothering Of rival enterprise"
AS to direct legislation, he regards
that as simply 50 gun behind the door, .
to be used only by the states in max.
ing government truly representative
when it has ceased to be SO.
Wall Street even calls Taft radical
on account of his war on the trusts and
thus finds itself reduced to q choice
among three radicals. With the ex-
ception already noted, it rejects Roose-
welt as unreliable. It has no cause to
love Taft and has no hope that, if re.
D elected, he would relent towards it. Il
4 turns to Wilson as man who would
not war against it, but would seek only
the readjustment Of which he speaks.
Only few of the financiers show any
aversion for him on the score Of Bryan &
/ Sponsorship. That word ''readjustment'
is potent to calm its fears. The Ore.
sniaP
Commissioners oceedings
Resolution s
Y Resolved, that the County Auditor