The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-08-09
IS OREGON A TAFT STATE

is OREGON A TAFT STATE
The presidential poll of Republica
editors of Oregon by The Oregonia
is received by the press of the stat
with a ruffle of interest, not to sa
excitement. So far as The Oregonia
has noted any expression, the rattle
surprising revelation that pluralit
of the editors are favorable to vii
most part as probable reflex 0
popular opinion; but it is also agree
that there is no decided drift in an
direction. One paper concludes tina
the result is indicative of the genera
mixup and that the papers take Taf
because they find no attractive alter
native. Another says that Mr.. Taf
represents the political calm before
the storm" Altogether Taft is popu
lar enough, but there is no shouting
enthusiasm for him.
What The Oregonian has been look
ing for is the reaction on the Pro
gressive with large P) journalistic
mind There are a few papers in
Oregon which had aligned themselves
with the Progressive movement OF
1912, and they are still offering their
progressive wares, some of them a
little shop-worn, but from the safe
and solid precincts of the republican
party. Here, for example, is the Med
ford Mail Tribune, with an editor who
has rarely failed to disclose his ap-
prevail of Theodore Roosevelt and of
Rooseveltism in it's various prominent
aspects. Says the Mail-Tribune.
g Mr.. Taft is popular with the re-
publican editors, largely because he
is at present a poor republican. He
has been a patriotic American citizen
first, and party man second. He
has scorned that Anticipated and
brainless theory of post-bellum days,
that all wisdom and light rests In one
party, and all iniquity and sin rests
with another He has faced the nat
ional and international situation as
it is, not as it was, and he has work
ed for those things which he believed
to be right, regardless of whether one
party or another happened to be i'm
mediately responsible.
The average republican, we fancy
will be disposed to put a question
mark after the Characterization OF
Taft as poor republican, and to. de-
clare that in the final analysis he will
be found to be good republican,; and
the average republican editor, who
may have said he is for Taft, will be
surprised to hear that he is for Taft |
because he is not good republican |
Our own opinion is that Mr.. Taft's |
recent words and acts on the league |
of nations and similar momentQls /
matters have been marked first by a
high minded Americanism, without
thought of partisanship, and, second,
that he has sought to save the Repub
lican party from a grave blunder, be-
cause he is republican, Portland
Oregonian.
"a "a "a
THE RAILROAD HOLD-UP
You have heard Of the man who
offered his boy a reward if he would
get rid of his yellow dog which was
q nuisance. The boy got rid of Tige
ali right and received the reward but
t turned out that he had traded him
for three yellow pups. That story IL
Iustrates our present position. We
nave got rid of, or nearly rid of, our
,ig problem, the great war, but we
IRE left with numerous progeny of
mailer problems.
For example the railroad problem
The government having surrendered to
abor in the passage of the Adamson
Ill, must now do something for CAPT
al by recognizing that capital in
'ested in railroads is held, through
insurance companies and savings
ankS, by the common people and that
! must yield fair return.
The lopsided way in which the gov
rnment has handled the railroads
niefly from political considerations
shown by the statement that rail-
BAD wage increases for a single
ear were 100000, which is
ore than three times the amount of
paid in a single year by all
the railroads in the United States. ii