Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1915-11-10
STILL HECKLING TAFT.

man HapgOOd, pauSing in his lambaSt-
ing of the kaiser and Mr.. Hearst, to
/ take a slam at his ancient bette noir.
The last thing in the world that is
worrying the genial eX-president or
the Republican party is the question
propounded by the falsetto editor of
Harper's Weekly. If there is any con-
siderable number of Republican lead
ers who think of Mr.. Taft as possible
presidential candidate, they are dill
gently keeping it to themselves; and
as for that gentleman himself, we
doubt whether wild horses could drag
him away from his happy professor
ship into the quest for political vindi-
cation.
For Mr.. Taft is nothing if not philo-
sophical, and being that he will find
the surest and most eloquent vindica-
ton in the failure of his successor.
Which raises the pertinent question
of what William Howard Taft would
have accomplished for the American
people, had he been given a second
term, in the departments where Wood
row Wilson has conspiculously failed.
In the first place the settlement OF
the Mexican situation. Mr.. Taft, who
laid the embargo on the shipment of
arms to that country, would never
have raised it as has Mr.. Wilson, and
thus sustained the rebellion and per-
mitted the murder of American sold
ierS and citizens by American bullets.
He would have brought peace to Mex
leo not by war, out by the bloodless
use of fOrce-a blockade of Mexican
ports and our army drawn up on the
border. The latter maneuver alone
was successfully employed by him to-
ward the close of his administration.
Second: Mr.. Taft would have given
the nation a strong and strictly neu
trail policy toward the European bel
MIGRANTS. An authority on information
al law himself, there would also have
been a statesman, instead of an anna
teur, as secretary of state. Mr.. Taft's
defiance OF England in the matter of
the Panama canal tolls gives proof
that there would have been no truck
ling and delay in bringing Albion to
time for her violation of our rights
under international law.
Third: Under Taft, the country
would have been given permanent
tariff commissioner outgrowth of
his tariff board-and there would be
in force a scientifically revised tariff
just alike to industry, to the consumer
and to the revenue needs of the coun-
try. AS result there would be no
war tax, no gaping treasury and no
crippled industries desperately trying
to keep alive by manufacturing NUM-
tions of war.
Fourth: The banking and currency
reform, the most creditable accom-
plishment of the Wilson administra-
ton, would have taken place just the
same, since the basis of that reform
was laid by the work of the monetary
commission during the Republican
regime.
Fifth: The presidents board of eff
f1ciency and economy would have been
continued instead of abandoned, and
the departments and their finances
would by this time be reorganized on
a modern, scientific and business basis.
Sixth: There would be economy
instead of extravaganza. Taft con-
verified a $4,000 900 deficit into 49,
100000 surplus through economics
and administrative reforms, whereas
Wilson, in spite of income and special
taxes, has created the greatest deficit
in our modern history-and is still in
creasing it.
Seventh: The civil service would
have experienced large extension, as
it did during the Taft administration,
instead of being curtailed and Grip
pied by Mr.. Wilson.
Eighth: There would have been no
anti-negro segregation in the depart
ments, a Wilson policy that has en-
couraged the South to enact the most
vicious racial legislation since the war.
So we might go on, if space permit
ted. However, one of Mr.. Hapgood's
unjust charges demands an answer.
After accusing Mr.. Taft of certain
specific errors" we are told that "he
gave the impression of not being
aware OF the existence of the laboring
classes" Yet here is partial record
of the much maligned presidents adj
ministration in labor and social legis-
latiOn:
A federal employers liability
law, an industrial relations COM
mission, an eight-hour federal
/ labor law, the safety appliance
act, the investigation of railway
accidents by the interstate COM