Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-02-24

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Address the Courier Frins1"s &
DA1y. OttumWa, Iowa.
Entered A second class matts ~
October IL, 1908, at tn postonic~ ~
HunWa. Iowa. under the Act OF 49,
Ersss Of March :. 1879.
the LOGICAL CANDIDATE :,
There are three items in the RECORD
Of the Taft administration any one OF
which. the Sioux City Journal ASSERTS
should assure the presidents renoml-
nation. while in combination they offer
an unanswerable argument In favor OF
his reelection. Here are the lures
items the Journal enumerates:
President Taft has given us the tar
If commission, and formulated tne
policy OF scientific protective tarlH re-
vision on the schedule by scneduihe
plan. In doing this President Ia1t mas
offered the only rational ground upon
which the republican party can STAND
in view Of the well nigh unanimous oe,
mand for tariff reductions-a demand
which was not satisfied by the tarin
law Of 1909. Under the Taft tarin
program the republican party can
make further reductions IN the tarln
schedules It can do this without oe'
parting from the time honored protec-
tive principle principle to which no
republican admits opposition and to
which many democrats, while profess
ing opposition, really owe allegiance
Such tariff revision can be undertaken
with q guaranty that no industry snaii
, be ruined by the withdrawal OF protec-
ton that can be justified under the re.
publican definition of the measure OF
protection. 1t can be carried to COM
pletion, one schedule at a time, with
the least possible disturbance to bust
ness while the process is going on.
President Taft has formulated this tar
III program without much help from
congress. II the tariff is to be the
paramount issue, and the democrats
are fixing things SO it must be, VINO
can compare with Taft as the logical
republican nominee, and probable Win
ner in the election?
II the tariff were not to figure at all,
President Taft ought to be given
unanimous denomination and easy re-
election on the strength of his, admins
tration's record in enforcing the anti
trust law. Ever since Roosevelt START
ed the ball rolling there has been gen
eral public demand for strict enforce
ment OF the law against all offending
CORPORATIONS. President Taft has done
what Roosevelt did not do. President
Taft has enforced the law against Of
tenders without discrimination or IA
yoritisn. That was what the public
wanted, wasn't It? The only complaint
has come from Wall street. Are the
plain people going back on Taft for
his drastic enforcement of law that
thew insisted should be enforced? If
they are not, what chance would there
be of electing any other candidate
republican or democrat!
President Taft has done what every
political economist has been advocat-
ing, without practical result, since the
early days of our government. He has
actually made a start toward apply
INK business principles Of economy
and efficiency in administering the
business affairs of the federal gov
ernment Bear in mind President Taft
has not merely talked economy and
eficiency He has delivered the ac-
tual goods In moderate quantities and
is working out practical plans for de-
liyeries in much larger quantities. He
is pleading with congress for co-opera-
ton in this effort to see that the tax
payers money is spent as discreetly as
the money of stockholders In large
Industrial Organization. If given popu-
lar support he can force congress into
Senator
Aldrich said could be saved annually
by the introduction Of business meth
DDS in the public service. Forget all
about tariff and trust prejudices and
predictions for moment. Here Is
something big. The impossible has
happened The chief executive OF the
United States has committed the
whole federal government to the policy
OF getting dollars worth for every
dollar of the taxpayers money. Is
there single citizen Of the United
States, republican or democrat, who
doesn't want that policy continued as
permanent national institution? The
best way to insure its continuance Is
to keep on the job the man who had
the courage to make the only real be-
ginning that has been made on 1t IN the
recollection Of the Oldest inhabitant.
The Journal insists that the repub-
lican rank and file will sustain the
man who placed the party on firm
ground on the tariff issue; who full
filled the party pledges and met the
popular demand for law enforcement,
and who took economy and efficiency
out of the realm of fancy and placed
them in the realm of fact.
COL. WATTERsoN AGAIN.