theodore roosevelt-第56章

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he　Taft　Administration　was　not　carrying　out　his　policies；　and　that　the　elements　against　which　he　had　striven　for　eight　years　were　creeping　back。　Indeed；　they　had　crept　back。　It　would　be　unjust　to　Mr。　Taft　to　assert　that　he　had　not　continued　the　war　on　Trusts。　Under　his　able　Attorney…General；　Mr。　George　W。　Wickersham；　many　prosecutions　were　going　forward；　and　in　some　cases　the　legislation　begun　by　Roosevelt　was　extended　and　made　more　effective。　I　speak　now　as　to　the　general　course　of　Mr。　Taft's　Administration　and　not　specially　of　the　events　of　1910。　In　spite　of　this　continuation　of　the　battle　with　the　Octopusas　the　Big　Interests；　Wall　Street；　and　Trusts　were　indiscriminately　nicknamedthe　public　did　not　believe　that　Mr。　Taft　and　his　assistants　pushed　the　fight　with　their　whole　heart。　Perhaps　they　were　misjudged。　Mr。　Taft　being　in　no　sense　a　spectacular　person；　whatever　he　did　would　lack　the　spectacular　quality　which　radiated　from　all　Roosevelt's　actions。　Then；　too；　the　pioneer　has　deservedly　a　unique　reward。　Just　as　none　of　the　navigators　who　followed　Columbus　on　the　voyage　to　the　Western　Continent　could　win　credit　like　his；　so　the　prestige　which　Roosevelt　gained　from　being　the　first　to　grapple　with　the　great　monopolies　could　not　be　shared　by　any　successor　of　his；　who　simply　carried　on　the　work　of　〃trust…busting；〃　as　it　was　called；　which　had　be　come　commonplace。

Nevertheless；　although　nobody　doubted　Mr。　Wickersham's　legal　ability；　the　country　felt　that　during　the　Taft　Administration　zeal　had　gone　out　of　the　campaign　of　the　Administration　against　the　Interests。　Roosevelt　had　plunged　into　the　fray　with　the　enthusiasm　of　a　Crusader。　Taft　followed　him　from　afar；　but　without　feeling　the　Crusader's　consecration　or　his　terrible　sincerity。　And　during　the　first　six　months　of　his　Administration；　President　Taft　had　unwittingly　given　the　country　the　measure　of　himself。

The　Republican　platform　adopted　at　Chicago　declared　〃unequivocally　for　a　revision　of　the　tariff　by　a　special　session　of　Congress；　immediately　following　the　inauguration　of　the　next　President　。。。。　In　all　tariff　legislation　the　true　principle　of　protection　is　best　maintained　by　the　imposition　of　such　duties　as　will　equal　the　difference　between　the　cost　of　production　at　home　and　abroad；　together　with　a　reasonable　profit　to　American　industries。　We　favor　the　establishment　of　maximum　and　minimum　rates　to　be　administered　by　the　President　under　limitations　fixed　in　the　law；　the　maximum　to　be　available　to　meet　discriminations　by　foreign　countries　against　American　goods　entering　their　markets；　and　the　minimum　to　represent　the　normal　measure　of　protection　at　home。〃　The　American　public；　regardless　of　party；　assumed　that　the　〃revision〃　referred　to　in　this　plank　of　the　Republican　platform　meant　a　revision　downward；　and　it　supposed；　from　sayings　and　opinions　of　Mr。　Taft；　that　he　put　the　same　construction　upon　it。　He　at　once　called　a　special　session　of　Congress；　and　a　new　tariff　bill　was　framed　under　the　direction　of　Sereno　E。　Payne；　a　Stand…Pat　Republican　member　of　Congress；　Chairman　of　the　Committee　on　Ways　and　Means；　and　Nelson　W。　Aldrich；　Senator　from　Rhode　Island；　and　guardian　angel　and　factotum　for　the　Big　Interests。　For　several　months　these　gentlemen　conducted　the　preparation　of　the　new　bill。　Payne　had　already　had　experience　in　putting　through　the　McKinley　Tariff　in　1890；　and　the　Dingley　Tariff　in　1897。　Again　the　committee…room　was　packed　by　greedy　protectionists　who；　for　a　consideration；　got　from　the　Government　whatever　profit　they　paid　for。　Neither　Payne　nor　Aldrich　had　the　slightest　idea　that　to　fix　tariff　rates　to　enrich　special　individuals　and　firms　was　a　most　corrupt　practice。　When　a　Republican　Senator；　who　honestly　supposed　that　the　revision　would　be　downward；　privately　remonstrated；　the　reply　he　heard　was；　〃Where　shall　we　get　our　campaign　funds？〃　Finally；　after　some　discussion　between　the　House　and　the　Senatea　discussion　which　did　not　lessen　the　enormities　of　the　measurethe　Payne…Aldrich　Bill　was　passed　by　Congress　and　signed　by　President　Taft；　and　it　enjoyed　the　bad　eminence　of　being　worse　than　the　McKinley　and　the　Dingley　tariffs　which　had　preceded　it。

The　public；　which　had　seen　more　clearly　than　on　former　occasions；　how　such　charters　to　legalize　industrial　piracy　were　devised；　was　somewhat　dashedby　President　Taft's　approval。　Perhaps　it　still　hoped　that　the　creation　of　a　non…partisan　Tariff　Commission　of　experts　would　put　an　end　to　this　indecent　purchase　and　sale　of　privileges　and　would　establish　rates　after　the　scientific　investigation　of　each　case。　Soon；　however；　these　hopes　were　swept　away；　for　on　September　17；　1909；　the　President　delivered　at　Winona；　Minnesota；　a　laudatory　speech　on　the　new　tariff。　He　admitted　that　some　points　in　Schedule　Kthat　comprising　wool　and　woolen　goodswere　too　high。　But；　he　said　solemnly　that　this　was　〃the　best　tariff　law　the　Republicans　ever　made；　and；　therefore；　the　best　the　country　ever　had。〃　In　that　Winona　speech；　Mr。　Taft　hung　a　millstone　round　his　own　neck。　His　critics　and　his　friends　alike　had　thrust　upon　them　this　dilemma：　either　he　knew　that　the　Payne…Aldrich　Tariff　had　been　arrived　at　by　corrupt　ways　and　was　not　a　revision　downwardin　spite　of　which　he　pronounced　it　the　〃best　ever〃；　or　he　did　not　know　its　nature　and　the　means　used　in　framing　it。　In　the　latter　case；　he　could　not　be　considered　a　person　sufficiently　informed　on　great　financial　questions；　or　on　the　practices　of　some　of　the　politicians　who　made　laws　for　him　to　sign；　to　be　qualified　to　sit　in　the　President's　chair。　If；　on　the　other　hand；　knowing　the　measure　to　be　bad　he　declared　it　the　〃best　ever；〃　he　was　neither　sincere　nor　honest；　and　in　this　case　also　he　was　not　a　President　whom　the　country　could　respect。

I　would　not　imply　that　the　American　public　went　through　this　process　of　reasoning　at　once；　or　arrived　at　such　clear…cut　conclusions；　Demos　seldom　indulges　in　the　luxury　of　logic；　but　the　shock　caused　by　the　Winona　speech　vibrated　through　the　country　and　never　after　that　did　the　public　fully　trust　Mr。　Taft。　It　knew　that　the　Interests　had　crawled　back　and　dictated　the　Payne…Aldrich　Tariff；　and　it　surmised　that；　although　he　prosecuted　the　Trusts　diligently；　they　did　not　feel　greatly　terrified。　But　nobody　whispered　or　suspected　that　he　was　not　honest。

While　President　Taft　slowly　lost　his　hold　on　the　American　people；　he　gained　proportionately　with　the　Republican　Machine。　That　Machine　was　composed　of　the　Regulars　of　the　party；　or　the　Conservatives；　as　they　preferred　to　be　called；　and　it　was　losing　its　hold　on　the　country。　There　comes　a　time　in　every　sect；　party；　or　institution　when　it　stops　growing；　its　arteries　harden；　its　young　men　see　no　visions；　its　old　men　dream　no　dreams；　it　lives　in　the　past　and　desperately　tries　to　perpetuate　the　past。　In　politics　when　this　process　of　petrifaction　is　reached；　we　call　it　Bourbonism；　and　the　sure　sign　of　the　Bourbon　is　that；　being　unconscious　that　he　is　the　victim　of　sclerosis；　he　sees　no　reason　for　seeking　a　cure。　Unable　to　adjust　himself　to　change　and　new　conditions　he　falls　back　into　the　past；　as　an　old　man　drops　into　his　worn…out　armchair。

Now　Roosevelt　had　been；　of　course；　the　negation　of　Bourbonism。　He　had　led　the　Republican　Party　into　new　fields　and　set　it　to　do　new　work；　and　far　off；　shining　clearly；　its　goal　beckoned　it　on。　His　followers　were　mostly　young　men；　they　saw　that　the　world　had　changed；　and　would　change　still　further；　and　they　went　forward　valiantly　to　meet　it　and；　if　possible；　to　shape　its　changes。　For　ten　years　past；　these　Radicals；　as　the　Regulars　named　them　some　what　reproachfully；　and　who　were　better　defined　as　〃Insurgents；〃　had　played　an　increasingly　important　part　in　Congress。　They　would　not　submit　to　the　Bosses　and　the　Machine；　but　voted　independently；　and；　although　they　were　not　all　of　them　avowed　Rooseveltians；　they　all　were　going　in　his　direction。　In　the　second　year　of　Mr。　Taft's　Administration；　they　rebelled　against　the　rigid　dictatorship　of　Joseph　G。　Cannon；　the　Speaker　of　the　House。　〃Uncle　Joe；〃　as　the　public　nicknamed　him；　dated　from　before　the　Civil　War；　and　entered　Congress　in　1863；　forty…seven　years　before　1910。　It　was　as　if　a　rigid　Bourbon；　who　had　served　under　Louis　XV　in　France　in　1763；　had