Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1915-09-10
RadicaIRef formsFailIn
Their Purpose; Causing
Country to Halt"- Taft
Former President Says There
Must Now Be a "RetraCing to
the Line of Moderation and
Justice" to All Sections.
BROTHERHOOD OF MAN is
GROWING, DECLARES TAFT
Speaker Before American Bank
erS Says the "ChaSe for the
Dollar" Had Absorbed Peoples
Minds Before RadiCaISm.

SEATTLE. Wash, Sept. 9-Former
President William H. 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 i'm its
progress, and that there must be
"retracing TO the line of moderation
and Justice"
In giving an economic and political
summary Of the generation just clos
ing" Mr. Taft said that the latest out
standing 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 combina-
tions in business; their successful
adoption TO politics. and how the
"chase for the dollar" had absorbed
all the people until they suddenly
realized they were almost in the grasp
of plutocracy II was then that agi-
tation for reforms swept the country.
he said, and public indignation became
acute.
THE leviathan of the people cannot
be stirred to such action as has been
taken and stop short at the line of
moderation, said Mr. Taft. "The
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 soeasiy able
to take care Of what il has"
He then said that a deplorable fea-
ture Of such excess Of remedy was that
the wage earners suffered most.
The close and absolute supervision
over the management of railroads"
said MI Taft, "and the restriction up
on the rates charged by them IN in.
terstate commerce and i'm commerce {
within states, together with the in /
crease in cost Of maintenance and Of /
wages through the effects of labor !
unions has ground the railroads be- 7.
tween the upper and neither millstones. !
All this is to the detriment of the /
business of the country, and especial |
ly to the comfort and happiness of the !
wage earners dependent on normal
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 reason why we should not in
dulge in excess.
I'VE must promptly grant increased /
rates to the railroads when conditions /
require it. We must not allow the .
injustice TO continue by I
which we inaugurate the real reform .
Of parcels post, and do it at the cost .
Of the railroads by compelling them .
TO carry the enormous increase of traf- /
fc for nothing. We should repeal the /
fun crew bills that impose upon the /
railroads the burden employing un-
labor In curing these ex-
cesses there is no reason why we
should not retain the real progress we
have made in dethroning plutocracy"
Mr. Taft said that conditions identi-
cal with those affecting the railroads
were to be found in all lines of bust
ness where large combinations Of in
vestment have beer made
Another most important develop
ment in this country has been an at
tack upon our representative system
Of government as a 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 leg
islatiye work who too often proved
and that the only method of
on the government safely was
to dispense with legislative agents and
let the people legislate directly
"a most formidable wave Of public
opinion in favor of such change
swept the country and found express
sion in the initiative and the referen-
dun. After study Of the working OF
these innovations. / do not hesitate TO
say that il proves the unwisdom Of
such changes. II il be true that a
people have not information aud intel
ligence to select from their own num-
ber competent and honest agents 10
do their work, they certainly have
not the capacity to perform the much
more difficult task Of passing useful
judgment on statutes, frequently diff
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