The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1912-05-17

| 1908. accepting the nomination for the
presidency. Mr.. Taft took occasion to
reiterate his Endorsement of Mr.. Roose-
welt and to enunerate some of the acts
which he regarded us the distinctly
beneficial achievements of his prede
cessor In that speech he said:
HE (Mr ROOSEVELT recommended
| the passage of a law. which the Re-
publican convention has since specif-
lcally approved, restricting the future
issue of stocks and bonds by interstate
railways to such as may be authorized
| by federal authority. He demonstrate
ed to the people by what he said, by
what he recommended to congress and
| by what he did. the sincerity of his
efforts to command respect for the law
and to save the country from the dan
gers of a plutocratic government. to-
ward which we were fast tending"
In numerous speeches during the
campaign of 1908 Mr.. Taft declared his
cordial support of Mr.. Roosevelt's
proposition to secure the enactment of
law controlling the issue of securi-
ties by interstate carriers. When he
became president, he pretended to
make such law one of the paramount
measures Of his legislative program.
He caused to be prepared with much
advertisement and publicity, bill pur-
porting to contain provisions aimed at
such control of the issue of securities.
This bill was drafted by the eminently
successful corporation lawyer whom
Mr.. Taft had placed at the head of the
department of justice. The moment
that bill was read by the genuine pro-
gressives of the senate and house they
denounced its provisions to control the
issue of securities as intended really
to further the designs of the railroad
reactionaries and the special interests
whom Mr. Taft has steadily sought to
please from the day he was inaugu
rated.
After hard fight in the house, the
Taft Wickersham provisions were
stricken from the bill and substi
tute provision was adopted which at
least embodied recognition of the
principle of federal control over the
issue of such securities, and was.
therefore, distinct step In advance,
When that measure reached the SEN
ate, Mr.. Taft's allies and cronies there
were vastly disturbed by this pro-
vision. Aldrich, Crane, Penrose, Gal
linger and all the other representatives
of the special interests in the senate
at once protested against it. These
were the men with whom Mr.. Taft was
associating intimately, with whom he
was working constantly. and upon
whom be was relying for support In
the senate.
They were the same men who had
most vigorously opposed his nominal
ton when they, like Mr.. Roosevelt, be-
lieved him to be real progressive,
but already they had learned that his
progressiveness was merely a mask
worn for the purpose of securing the
presidency. They knew now that he
was as good n reactionary as any Of
them and they counted upon his sup
port in defeating this provision for the
control of the issue of securities by
interstate carriers. They did not count
in vain.
With Mr.. Taft's knowledge and con-
nivance, they arranged a deal with the
Democratic opposition in the senate
whereby they not only struck from the
bill this provision which was in ac-
cordance with the Republican plat
form and the many speeches of Mr.
Taft's campaign, but they stopped the
further efforts of the real progressives
in the senate to make the railroad BILL
of which this provision was part,
genuinely effective and valuable meas
ure. Then they inserted in the bill as
sop to the public clamor for real legis
lation a provision for the appointment
of a commission which was to deter
mine not the method by which the
government was to exercise its right to
control the issue of securities by inter-
state carriers. but whether or not the
government had such power. The
appointment of this commission was
qualification of the Republican plat
form and of every speech Mr.. Taft
had made in support of that platform.
1t was fair notice to the whole coun-
try that from that day forward no
faith or credence could be given by
the country to any declaration of any
Republican platform upon which Mr.,
Taft might be running for office.
But now. In the face of this incon-
trovertible fact and OF scores more OF
exactly similar purport and effect. Mr..
Taft has the effrontery to stand before
public audience and denounce Theo-
dore Roosevelt and present himself In
the attitude OF the one who has the
right to feel aggrieved 1t is an
astounding exhibition of willingness to
deceive the people of the country In
the effort TO secure office.
The Demons of The SwaWp