The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1915-09-10
TAI T DEN0UNCES
INITIATIVE AND.
REF T RE ND j N
SAYS PEOPLE ARE NOT ABLE
TO DEFINE GOOD FROM
BAD
tBy Associated PressJ

President William II. Taft today told
the American Bankers association, in
convention here, that practically all
of the radical reforms attempted in
connection with politics, railroads and
"big business" had failed OF their pur-
pose, causing the nation TO halt in its
progress, and that there must now be
"retracing to the line Of moderation
and justice"
In giving an economic and political
summary of the generation Just clos
ing" MIR. Taft said that the latest
outstanding feature appeared to be
the widespread growth Of the spirit Of
the brotherhood of man, despite the
fact that the war had shattered the
dreams Of universal peace.
In his opening remarks Mr.. TAFT out
lined the growth Of large combinations
in business; their successful adoption
to politics, and how the chase for
the dollar had absorbed all the peo-
pie until they suddenly realized they
were almost in the grasp OF a pluto
cracy II was then that agitation for
reforms swept the country, he said,
and public indignation became acute.
"The leyiathan of the people can
not be stirred TO such action as has
been taken and stop short at the line
Of moderation said Mr. Taft "rhc
hostility of legislatures and congress
came to be directed against all sue
cessful investment of capital without
discrimination. Nothing is so timid
as capital, and nothing is so easily
able to take care OF what II has
He then said that deplorable
feature OF such excess Of remedy was
that the wage earners suffered most
"The close ana absolute supervision
over the management of railroads.
said Mr.. Taft sand the restriction
upon the rates charged by them in
interstate commerce and in commerce
within states, together with the in
crease in cost of maintenance and of
wages through the efforts of labor
unions has ground the railroads be-
tween the upper and neither millstones.
All this is to the detriment of the
business of the country, and especl-
ally to the comfort and happiness of
the wage earners dependent on normal
business and normal demand for
labor.
I'VE are all in the same boat. The
prosperity of one class is dependent
on the prosperity of all. This is no
reason why we should not repress in
justice and punish abuse of power.
But it is a reason why we should not
indulge in excess.
"We must promptly grant increased
rates to the railroads when conditions
equire It. We must not allow the out
rageous injustice to continue by which
we inaugurate the real reform of par
cells post and do it at the cost of the
railroads by compelling them to carry
the enormous increase of traffic for
nothing. We should repeal the full
crew bills that impose upon the rail
roads the burden employing unneces-
sary labor. In curing these excesses +
there is no reason why we should not
retain the real progress we have
made in dethroning plutocracy"
Mr.. Taft said that conditions iden-
tical with those affecting the railroads
were to be found in all lines of bust
ness where large combinations of in
vestment have been made.
Another most important develop
ment in this country has been an at
tack upon our representative system ,
Of government as cause OF the cor {
porate and corrupt control of politics. {
II was said that the system involved
The selection of agents by the people
TO act for them in executive and legis- I
lativc work who too often proved s
and that the only method Of
,arryng on the government safely was
o dispense with legislative agents and :
let the people lesislate directly
"a most formidable wave Of public :
opinion in favor of such q change
swept the country and found express
non in the initiative and the referen. +
lum After study of the working OF S
hece innovations I do not hesitate %
0 say that it proves the unwisdom of a
uch changes If it be true that :.
,eople have not information and in. +,
diligence TO select from their own n
lumber competent and honest agents q
o do their work, they certainly have =
lot the capacity TO perform the much n
acre difficult task of passing useful II
Judgment on statutes. frequently dit IL
cult to construe or understand. a.
gain, the duty imposed upon the a,