The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-03-05
kANSAS COAAEWT
LEARNING no KNOW TAFT.

LEARNING no KNOW TAFT.
I NOBODY In American public life has
been more lied about and more mis-
judged than William H. Taft The I'M
fortunate and wholly unnecessary
schism in the Republican party, which
mas since grown until it has resulted
IN the organization of a new party,
began after he was elected and while
ne had nothing whatever to do with
starting it, he was the first victim OF
it. By the time he took his seat in
the White House this schism had
reached such proportions that a posi-
ton of neutrality was impossible for
him. He had to take one side or the
other, and he chose to ally himself
with that side which was in the over
whelming majority in the house of
entatives-following in doing so
the counsel of Col. Roosevelt who very
wisely advised him that he could not
afford to break with the majority in
his own party. His decision on that
point was the only one he could proper
ly have made under the circumstances,
but it was none the less made cause
of offense on the part of the Insur-
gents who started in from that hour
to break him down.
And then Immediately there came the
revision of the tariff. President Roose-
Welt had been urged to recommend the
revision of the tariff the preceding
year, but his answer had been, Let
every man skin his own skunk He
knew that with one single exception
every important tariff revision in our
history had been the political death of
the man in the White House when it
took place; and so he passed that par
ticular "skunk'' on to Mr.. Taft. The
tariff bill failed to put print paper on
the free list. and SO all the metropoli-
tan newspapers joined the Insurgent
howl against Taft. About the same
time the postmaster general recon-
mended that the magazines be required
to pay a higher rate of postage. And
so the magazines Joined the big news
papers and the Insurgents in the out
cry against Taft.
Later on Col. Roosevelt, having failed
in a desperate endeavor to gather in
enough Southern delegates to give him
the nomination for third term, went
about the country violently accusing
President Taft as the receiver of stolen
goods because he had succeeded in do
ing what the colonel tried TO do but !
failed, and so the weight OF his ire
mendous personality was added to the
lineup against Taft.
AS a result of all of which the minds :
of the people were poisoned against
President Taft to an extent that made
it impossible for many to believe any !
thing good of him at all.
But all that is rapidly changing |
Now that the fight is over and the tu- |
multi and the shouting have died away
and the dust and smoke have settled
a little, the people are beginning to
realize that the administration which
goes into history next tuesday. mas
really accomplished great things. Prac-
ticaIIy every pledge made in the plat !
form upon which it was elected has
been written into the statute book. and +
that in spite of a divided party during
two years and a hostile majority in /.
the house of representatives another i
two wears. There must have been a
good deal of a man at the head of the
a administration, the people are begin
ming to see, in order to accomplish that.
And then, too, the record of this ad-
in the enforcement OF the
law is that stands without par
! Hell IN all our annals.-Iola Register