The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-26

shameless" use of federal patronage by the President MT, Taft said that 70 per cent of the federal offceholders now in the service were appointees of Mir Roose- welt and as a natural result large per- centage of them favored the former Pres ident for renomination He said there was every indication that in the Chicago convention the influence of federal office holders would be less effective for any one candidate than ever before.
 President Taft said that MT. Roosevelt was not only enjoying the support of many federal officeholders, but the pat ronage of a number of state governors which was being used fir him with busi- ness like manipulation that lacks nothing in effectiveness"
 Dealing with Mir Roosevelts charges that he had become reactionary, the President said that it was on MT. Roose- velt's advice that he had his first meet ing with Speaker Cannon.
 T had been afraid that Mr. Cannon might oppose revision of the tariff and l looked about immediately after my elcc- tion to see if it would he possible to se- cure votes enough in the caucus to elect another speaker I found that it was not At the request of President Roosevelt I had an interview with MT. Cannon in which he agreed he would help me redeem the promises of the republican platform.
 This arrangement with MT. Can non was with the knowledge and em- phatic approval of Mir. Roosevelt
 Why He Signed Payne Bill
 Speaking of the Payne tariff bill, Mr. Taft again defended his course in signing it and declared that to have vetoed it would have broken up the republican party
 Has MT. Roosevelt ever condemned the Payne bill?" he asked Does he say he would not have signed it if it had been
 presented to him under conditions I had to meet? He has never said that as far as l know and the New York platform of 1910 adopted by the convention of which he was a part ndorsed the pending bill and approved its passage. Is it square deal, therefore, for him to charge me with not being a progressive when all that l did was to deal with the party as it was in Congress and to get as much as l could of the legislation promised out of that party, torn as it was by fac ton? We redeemed the promises of the republican platform to an extent that no political platform had ever been re- deemed before
 Tn all MT. Roosevelt's history he never failed to use as instruments for his pur- pose those whom he found in power"
 MT. Taft referred to the strengthening of the interstate commerce act. Certain amendments suggested by the admins traitor were defeated. These amendments MT. Roosevelt had denounced as vicious As a matter of fact, MT. Taft said. all the things contained in these amendments mad been recommended by MT. Roose- welt and had been promised in the plat form of the republican party.
 In view of his support of these very provisions in, his messages and else where said the President, lis it a square deal now for him to describe them as vicious?"
 Defends Commerce Court
 MT. Taft warmly defended the com merce court. saying it had reduced judi cial delays from two years to six months. If 1t exceeded it's Jurisdiction or made wrong decision he said the supreme court was at hand to remedy it.
 Taking up MT. ~Roosevelt's antitrust record, Mir Taft said he had warmly ap- proved it on the stump for the former President. He said MT. Roosevelt had in- stituted the proceedings against the Standard Oil and the American Tobacco company and that they had been carried to successful conclusion in the su- preme court under the present adminis- tration. MT. Taft continued:
 Now, l find Mir. Roosevelt coming the other way, denouncng the antitrust law and denouncing prosecutions underit He says that the decree in the Standard oil case is ineffective, that the price of the stock has gone up and in some way or other l am responsible for the fact that the price did go up and that my admin istration is to be condemned because that decree was confirmed in the supreme court. The truth is that the decree as finally entered and enforced was drawn exactly as MT. Roosevelts Attorney Gen eral in the bill which by direction of MT. Roosevelt he filed against the Standard oil company, had asked that it be drawn.
 Business Distrusts Roosevelt
 One of the real reasons why MT. Roosevelt ought not be selected as can didate of any party is the natural dstrust that the whole business community win have in respect to the measures which MT. Roosevelt will propose in order to effect a revolution in the interest of so- cial justice which he advocates so strong ly and defines so vaguely. It is true that