The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-03-27
A GREAT RECORD.
A Few of the Things Done by the
Present Administration.

No better statement so briefly put
can be found of the splendid work
of the Taft administration than the
following from the Oregonian:
AS with one of his predecessors,
the people should love Taft for the
enemies he has made. Con over the
list and see if they are not the right
kind of enemies for man whose sole
aim is to enforce the law as 1t
stands and amend it in such fashion
that it shall more closely conform
to justice.
He has prosecuted violators of the
antitrust law with such impartiality
that political associates and college
classmates are not spared. He has
put such life into this law that these
men, who scoffed at it as a dead let
ter, now beg to have it extended, that
the Government may protect them
against their own proneness to
wrongdoing. These men who have
felt the scourage of the law are his
enemies.
He has consistently adhered to
tariff policy which will cut out the
craft without impairing the rational
protective features of the tariff;
which will relieve the consumer
from extortion without hardship to
the producer; which will make each
schedule stand on its merits, as de-
fined by an martial board, instead
of allowing those interested in ex-
cessive duties to pool their interests
in order to perpetuate such duties.
By securing the insertion in the
Payne-Aldrich law of provision for
the Tariff Board he insured that that
II, IL H. 1nak fa n n
under the old log-Tolhing system,
and that all future tariff bills should
be based on ascertained facts col
lected by a non-partisan body So
clearly did he see that this was the
only rational policy that he did not
fear to awaken a roar of denuncia-
tion by vetoing the Democratic bills
which did not conform to II. The
general approval with which the re-
port of the wool tariff has met, its
acceptance by the standpatters as a
guide, the embarrassment of the ir-
reconcilable Insurgents and the
cries of Democrats for the abolition
OF the Tariff Board are the yindica-
ton of Tafts policy. But he has
made enemies of the manufacturers,
who see the end of their tariff graft
approaching, and of the politicians,
who wish to keep the tariff in poll
tics for political purposes. Are they
not the right kind of enemies for a
faithful public servant?
He has conserved the public do
main by setting aside forest, coal and
phosphate land and water-power
sites, and has proposed reform in
the land laws which will conserve
this wealth from the eploiter, but
will permit its use. He has thus
made enemies of both the exploiters
of the public domain and the con-
servationists who would prevent it's
use.
He has approved a plan of none
tary reform which has won the In
dorsement OF business men, little as
well as big, but by so doing he has
incurred the enmity of those who
'see red" at every mention OF mon
ey and OF all those in whose disor-
dered brains the greenback and free
silver crazes still linger. He proposes
wholesale extension OF the Civil
Service system, which would deprive
congressman OF much power and
patronage. He saves millions by
economy in administration and pro-
poses TO put system into the national
finances by means OF an annual bud
get.