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HE TAFT PLATFORM
IBCSEVELTS RADICAL POLICIES
ENCORSED BY SECRETARY.
advocates Income and Inheri
tance Taxes and Tariff Revis-
After Election — Would
ion lc
Continue Trust Curbing, But
Wouldn't Own Railroads.
mlumbiiH, Ohio, Aug. 20—The Taft
inform was outlined for the first
by the secretary of war in a
i at Memorial Hall last night
President Roosevelt's radical pol
ies are accepted by him in their en
, Secretary Taft announced him
favor of tariff revision, but not
1 after election. He is willing,
ft . erer , to have the national conven
m pledged tor the reduction of dv-
enrb swoolen fortunes the secre
te? advocated both an income and an
jgberitanoe tax.
\fter an exhaustive review of the
cause? <>t the passage of the rate law
n ,i H detailed explanation of its opera
u Mr. Taft said of the railroads:
Distrust of Railroads
"After May, 1908, they are confined
in their business strictly, by a provi
-sion forbidding them after that date
t, transport for themselves anything
tut what is intended for their use as
;'omni()n carriers.
'Experience has shown that the
railroads cannot be trusted to deal
fairly in matters of transportation be
tween themselves and their competi
tors in an outside business.
"The revelations of infidelity to
trust obligations in the insurance in
vestigations in New York; of the
fraudulent discriminations of the coal
carrying railroads shown by the in
quiries made by the interstate com
merce commission aad the disclosure
if sceret rebates on an enormous scale
granted the Standard Oil Company by
the railroads in the report of Mr.
(iaifield as commissioner of corpora
tions, overcame much specious argu
ment, created a strong public opinion
m favor of a radical remedy against
all dishonest corporations and helped
the hinds of those supporting the
bill"
To the argument that the old Elkins
law was belter than the new rate law,
.Mr. Taft made this answer:
Effects of Rate Bill
"In ihe rate bill congress amended
the Elkins bill and restored imprison
ment as part of the punishment for
secret rebates.
"H the rate bill was likely to be a
failure and to accomplish nothing in
the regulation of their business, the
query naturally arises, why did the
railroads spend ao much money and so
great effort to defeat it? Why was it,
if it had no effect, that in the inter
val between the time of its passage
ani its going into effect there were
filed with the interstate commerce
commission more notices of reduced
rates by the railroads than ever had
been tiled in the previous twenty years
of the life of the interstate commerce
law?
"The rate law does not go far
eDough. The practice under it has
already disclosed the necessity for
amendments &nd will doubtless sug
ee>t more. Such is the true method
—the empirical and tentative method
-of securing proper remedies for a
new evil.
Over-Capitalization Evil
"Recent revelatioas have shown
k pernicious effect of so-called over
apttaliaztion of railroads which aids
Qsernpulous manipulators in dispos
ing of securities at unreasonably high
?riees to innocent buyers. This evil
*ould not of itself justify federal re
straint or control, because such stock
d bonds are usually included under
state charters.
"The practice, however, has a ten
•ency to divert the money paid by the
Public for the stock and bonds which
°2ght to be expended in improving
">e ( roadbed, track and equipment of
railroads into the pockets of the dia
6°nest manipulators and thus to pile
«eh an profitable debt on a rail
roa(J as to make bankruptcy and a
m °?ey stringency. . :.:■'_.
'A much used means of eliminating
among interstate lines
*7ing the same territory is the ac
quisition by one company of the stock
v another and the election of direc
p sto represent this stock. This pro
eßf is fairly facilitated by the uncon-
JJMJed power to issue securities be
u , the needs of the company for the
mi carrying on of its business.
. ne evil ought further to bedirect
y drained by making it unlawful
«tnt U- IDterßtate railway to acquire
Z i ln a C9mPetiag line. This is a
thJ l T remedy for meeting the > evil
an? f. recourse to the anti-trust law
aerthe Northern Securities ease.
shn*i/ ddition to this competing lines
cm* be Prohibited from having
COa»non officers. . -1 .i
Again»t Government Ownership ; (
J,? b contention in behalf of the
iurl a' ' already noticed, that such
BuEri 81on as the rate bill and these
iatic a amendments afford is social
«rsh* • teDds to tne government own
cien! 18 Utterl without basis. Effi
-Balation i 8 the very antidote
crn,; entiveof socialism and goy-
ownership. " :; |
0PDo»- ft here Stated his reasons for
Ifcsroad ß government ownership of
, Di.cuttion of Trusts v
nd I t Ow Paw from railway regulation
ac abises arising in the discharge
of a public function to the evils which
have grown out of the combination*
existing in private business, and so
come to the subject of trust*
"The combination of capital in large
plants to manufacture goods with the
greatest economy i 8 asneoessary as the
assembling of parts of a machine.
The government should not interfere
with the one any more than with the
other.
I am inclined to the opinion that
the time is near at hand for an amend
ment to the anti-trust law, defining in
more detail the evils against which it
is aimed, making clears the distinc
tion between lawful agreements rea
sonably restraining trade and those
which arepenicious in their effect,and
particularly denouncing the various
devices of monopolizing trade which
prosecutions and investigations have
shown to have been used in actual
practice.
"The decisions of the courts and
the experience of the executive and
prosecuting officers make the framing
of such a statute possible. It will
have the good effect of making much
clearer to those business men who
would obey the laws the methods to
be avoided.''
MEYER PROPOSES
POSTAL REFORMS
New York, Aug 17. — Par reacting
reforms and improvements in the pos
tal service, both for New York City
and national in scope are advocated
by George Yon L. Meyer, postmaster
general. As recommended by Mr.
Meyw the proposed reforms are as
follows.:
Renewal of postal notes payable to
an individual instead of to bearer as
before. Establishment of a domestic
parcels post limited to ten pounds.
Establishment of postal savings
bank system.
Increases in the rural delivery.
Decrease in the rates of foreign pos
tage to two cents each half ounce, foi
every country having direct steam
ship service.
Adoption of stamp selling slot slot
machines throughout the United
States.
Extensions of the seaport service,
extending it to the Cunard and
French lines.
Mr. Meyer said that he had studied
these reforms carefully and that where
he had the authority he would put
them into effect and that where he
had not he would recommend them to
congress.''
"NEXT FRIENDS" DROP SUIT
Case Against Mrs. Eddy Has Been For-
mally Withdrawn.
Concord, N. H., Aug. 22.—Counsel
for the "next friends" have announced
the withdrawal of the suit brought
against the leaders of the Christian
Science church for aa accounting of
the property of Mrs. Mary Baker Glo
ver Eddy, leader of that sect.
The suit was withdrawn for many
reasons, principally on account of the
"unprofitableness of any immediate
result of a decision in our favor upon
the eaxct issue as now framed, com
pared with other disadvantages both
before and after a decision is ren
dered."
The Christian Science publication
committee made public a statement by
Dr. Allen McLane Hamilton, of New
York, the alienist who recently exam
ined Mrs. Eddy. Dr. Hamilton said:
"I am firmly of the opinion that she
is competent to care for herself and
manage her own affairs, and that .she
is not coerced in any way. It would
appear as if she takes the initiative
on all occasions."
THOUSANDS ARE KILLED
IN CASA BLANCA FIGHT
Casa Blanca, Tangier? Aug. 17.—The
town is quiet and business is being
transacted. In the recent fight 1,000
men were killed, the majority being
Aribs. The town is now completely
under control of the Frenoh and
Spanish authorities. Five hundred
more troops have arrived here and yet
more are expected. The Moors have
received large reinforcements, how
ever, and are preparing for a general
attack. The French authorities are
still engaged in olearing up the
streets, burning the dead and collect
ing property.
FISHERIES DISPUTE
GOES TO THE HAGUE
Lonaon. Aug. 22-The United States
proposition to submit the New Found
land fisheries dispute to arbitration at
The Hague has been accepted by Great
Britain: While the matter is in pro-
MM of arbitration the fisheries will be
conducted under the same modus vi
vendi as last year.
..' -H■. ■To Drain Large Area ' ,; v;,.J
Mount Vernon, Wash., Aug. 17.—
A movement has been started for
the establishment of a drainage dis
rict a short distance south of thecity-
The election on this project was held
August 14^ «d it carried by practi
oallyl unanimous rote. The Bystem,
when established, will cover a terri
tory of 4;s6oapresof land.
Standard Dividend as Usual
N6 W yor k. Aug. 17.—The direotors
«f Standard Oil Company have
fe^Bd^^rterlriiHdead of Jf6^a
■bareTTbir unchanged from the
o^ipondtog 41!er a 8 yw.
PROBING TO GO ON
WALL STREET TIP ON SPEECH
WAS BOGUS.
Government Should Have Fuller
Control Over Corporations
Than It Has Ever Yet Exer
cised—Laws Asked that Will
Prevent Trusts.
Provincetnwn, Mass., Aug. 21.—
"There is no objection in the minds
of this people to any man's earning
any amount of money if he does it
honestly aud fairly, if he gets it as the
result of special skill and enterprise,"
said President Roosevelt yesterday in
an address commemmorating th 9 lay
ing of the cornerstone of the monu
ment marking the spot where the Pil
grim fathers first landed on American
soil.
"But there ia a growing determina
tion that no man shall amass a great
foitnne by special privilege, by chi
canery and wrong doing, so far as in
the power of legislation to prevent,
and that the fortune when amassed
shli not have a business that is anti
social."
The whole tone of the president's
address;was a progressive reiteration
of his determination to put a stop to
predatory law breaking, to proceed
along the plans already marked out
with prosecutions under the present
laws and to demand the enactment of
more stringent statutes from time to
time as they are needed to meet pres
ent and arising conditions. There is
no intimation of halting or hesitation,
there is no suggestion of copmromise
with law breakers.
Another striking feature of the
addresss is the reiteration by the pres
ident of his expression of some
months ago regarding "undesirable
citienship" of the officers of the
Western Federation of Miners. On
this subject he said:
"There is unfortunately a certain
number of our fellow countrymen who
seem to accept the view that unless
a man can be proved guilty of some
particular crime he shall be counted
a good citizen, no matter how infam
ous the life he has led, no matter how
pernicious his doctrines or his prac
tices. This is the view announced
from time to time with clamorous in
sistence, now by a group of predatory
capitalists, now by a group of sinister
anarchistic labor leaders and agitators,
whenever a special champion of either
class, no matter how evil his general
life, is acquitted of some one specific
crime." Speaking of corporations, the
president said:
National Incorporation Laws
"I believe in a national incorporation
law for corporations engaged in inter
state business. I believe, furthermore,
that the need for action is most press
ing as regards those corporations
which, becausse they are common car
riers, exercise a quasi-public function,
and which can be completely controll
ed in all respects by the federal gf v
ernment, by the exercise of the power
conterred under the interstate com
merce clause, and, if necessary, under
the^iost road clause, of the constiu
tion.
During the last few years we have
taken marked strides in advance
along the road to proper regulation
of these railroad corporations; but we
must not stop in the work.
"Thenational government should ex
ercise over them a similar supervision
and control to that which it exercises
ovei national banks.
Principle of Sherman Law
"The principle of the Sherman law,
so far as it prohibits combinations
which, whether because of their ex
tent or of their character, are harmful
to the public, must always be pre
served. Ultimately, and I hope with
reasonable speed, the national gov
ernment must pass laws which, while
increasing the supervisory and regula
tory power of the government, also
permit such useful combinations as
are made with absolute openness and
as the representatives of the govern
ment may previously approve.
Criminal Prosecutions
"Often men who have Jbeen guilty of
violating these laws have acted really
in criminal fashion, and if possible
should be proceeded against crimin
ally and therefore it is advisable that
there should be a clause in these laws
providing for such criminal action,
and for punishment by imprisonment as
well as by fine. But, as is well known,
in a criminal action the law is strictly
construed in favor of thedeendant, and
in our country, at least, both judge
and jury are far more inclined to con
sider his rights than they are the in
terests of the general public; while in
addition it is always true that a man's
general praotioess may be so bad that a
civil action will lie when it may not
be possible to convict him of any one
criminal act."
The address of president Roosevelt
pats the lie to the reports sent out
from New York city that Wall street
interests had secured advance tips
that President Roosevelt would state
that trust probing was over. This is
'■ now thought to have been done sim
ply to start stocks soaring again.
! ' Bounties for Wild Animal*
Olympia, Aug. 17.—The sum of $7,
--691 was paid out by the state of Wash
ington for wild animal bounties for
the quarter ended Jane SO, according
to reportss just compiled in the state
auditor's office. Bounty was paid on
14 cougars at $5 each, 850 wildcats at
$3.60 each and 4,584 Jooyotes at 91
each.
The First Boys' Cam*.
Whlcli was the first boys' camp?
Squam lake. New Hampshire, is their
native heath, at any rate. Here Camp
Chocoma was founded by Ernest Balch
in 1882. I think that it was the first
to exist anywhere. It closed in about
1889, and the boys jointly bought up
the Island, returning there regularly
for a fortnight every summer until
the late 90s; the open air chapel on
Chocorura island, its wooded acre of
sand and laurel, white birch cross and
stone altars, being regularly conse
crated in the Episcopal diocese, still
holds out services throughout the sum
mer. In 1891 I first went to Camp
Asqimm, which had moved to Squam
in 1887, from Rindge, N. H., where it
was founded by the present Bishop
Nichols of Nebraska. At that time,
when Camp Chocorua was out of exist
ence, we called Asquam the second old
est in the country, having the impres
sion that a camp somewhere in New
York State antedated us, but not Cho
corua. Be that as it may, the Balch
camp's slang and customs exist in
every one I have ever seen —"soak" for
swLm, "counselor" for what is called
"master" at school. And I know of at
least three camps which are direct off
springs of Asquam. Today, five dot
the lake, which is but seven miles long.
—Outing.
The Shot-Tower.
A mechanic named Watts of Bristol,
England, used to make shot by pound
ing out bars of lead Into sheets of the
required thickness and then cutting the
sheets into little cubes, which he rolled
in a barrel until the corners were worn
off by the friction. One night he
dreamed that he was out when it be
gan to rain shot —little balls of lead
falling all about him. He remembered
his dream the next morning and won
dered what shape molten lead would
take If allowed to fall some distance
through the air. To determine this, he
carried a ladleful of the metal up to
the top of a church tower and dropped
It Into the moat below. Going down,
he took from the shallow water several
handfuls of perfect shot. Thus came
to him the idea of the shot-tower.
A Barrel Slave Hammock.
THE COMPLETED HAMMOCK.
To make this hammock procure a
clean barrel, take off the hoops and
carefully draw out all the nails. Then
draw a pencil line crosswise three
inches from and parallel to both ends
of each stave. Then, with a five-eighths
DETAILS OF CONBTBUCTIOIT.
of an inch auger bit (using the pencil
line as a center), bore two holes at
each end of all the staves, leaving an
equal margin on both sides, and suffi
cient room in the middle to prevent
breakage. As some of the staves are
wider than others, you will have to
use your own judgment in the distance
apart you bore these holes. To fasten
the staves together
obtain a piece of
stout rope about 20
feet long. Thread
the rope first
through the holes
from the outside
part of the staves,
then through the
following hole. Re
peat this until one
side Is finished.
bound fob camp. Thread the other
side In the same manner, tie the ends
of the rope together, and to the loops
on either end; fasten the staves long
enough to conveniently swing the ham
mock. A space of about one Inch
should be left between each stave.
The hammock thus made will be
found durable and much more comfort
able to recline In than one would imag
ine, though perhaps not as safe for
swinging In as the ordinary twine ham
mock. But then it Is a novelty.
This hammock will be found conven
ient for camping parties; the barrel
can be used to pack camping equip
ments and provisions In. The holes
having been bored and the rope thread
ed through before It has been taken
apart, it can be taken to pieces and
formed into a hammock on arriving «t
the camp grounds.
Falling Asleep.
You have all beard of the boy who
wait to sleep the minute , bis head
touched the pillow, so dead tired wa*
he, but those indefatigable knowledge
seekers, the scientists, tell us that even
In a case of that Wnd, the falling
asleep is a matter of degrees; that the
senses do not "drop off" simultaneous
ly. The eyelids begin the work by ob
scuring sight; the sense of taste fol
lows, and then smell, hearing and
touch. In order. Touch sleeps more
lightly than any other sense, and
therefore is more easily aroused. Hear
ing comes next. Smell is one of the
first to fall asleep, but it is one of the
last to wake. Some parts of the body
go to sleep before others, too. The
sleepy influence begins at the feet and
works its way upward to the center
of the nervous system. That helps to
explain why it is so hard to get to
sleep when our feet are cold. The sci
entists find out lots of queer things,
don't they?
The Garden Piratea.
A pirate's life Is the life for me!
My mates are brave and bold;
Seven, and six, and five are we,
Or eighteen years all told.
Hard-n-lee with the Susan, boys!
Up anchor ! Hard-a-lee !
A prize for the garden pirates, boys—
A vessel in sight I see!
Give chase o'er the deep, green garden
boys,
We'll capture her safe and sound!
But alack-a-day, and a-well-away,
The Susan has gone aground!
Shoo«lmc a Tallow Candle.
It may surprise the readers to know
that It Is possible to pierce a board
with a tallow candle fired from a gun.
The reason may be thus explained:
When a candle starts from the breech
of the gun Its motion Is gradually In
creased until it leaves the muzzle at a
high velocity. When it reaches the
board, every particle of matter com
posing It Is in a state of intense veloci
ty, and the particles of matter com
posing the board are In a state of rest.
As the density of the candle, multiplied
by the velocity of its motion, is great
er than the density of board at rest,
the greater force overcomes the weak
er, and the candle breaks through. You
will find many queer Illustrations of,
that kind when you come to study the
laws of motion in your natural philoso
phy.
Com pen nation*.
"Are you happier now that you own
your own home?" asked the solicitous
friend.
"Of course," answered Mr. Meekton,
"there is a proud satisfaction in hav
ing my own place. But occasionally I
can't help longing for the time when
my wife kicked to the landord for re
pairs instead of coming to me." —
Washington Star.
The Thins to Do.
Frank and Willie had found a dead
bird.
"Let's bury It in my garden," said
Frank.
"No; let's bury it In mine," said Wil
lie.
"I'll tell you, we'll trary it in both,
only in mine first," said Frank.
And they did.
Excusably Late.
Rob Roy's little new brother, who
had come only the day before, failed to
appear promptly at the breakfast table,
as Rob expected.
Hearing nothing of him as breakfast
went on. Rob remarked Indifferently:
"Wonder if that youngster's got up
yet?"
Am Athletic School.
In an athletic school when a pupil broke
a rule,
And the teacher from his desk had
sternly said:
"Now, sir, stand up in your seat!" he
might stand upon his feet,
But more likely he would stand upon
his. head.
Out of Breath.
We had been going very fast,
And when at last the train stood still,
The locomotive panted some.
As every locomotive will.
"My I what a run! It seemed to me
Just like a race for life or death!"
Cried Dot; "and I don't wonder that
The poor old engine's out of breath!"
"Deprived of Hl» See.'*
As an example of the ability of th»
Juvenile scholar to evolve an unexpect
ed meaning from his text, a corre
spondent relates that the following
question was put to a history class:
"What misfortune then happened to
Bishop Odo?" The reply came quite
readily, "He went blind." An explana
tion was demanded, and the genius
brought up the text book. "There, sir,"
triumphantly, "the book says so." The
sentence Indicated by an Ink stained
digit rend, "Odo was deprived of his
see."—London Spectator.
If a man doesn't marry his tat 1ot»
he'» apt to regret ? It—likewise also If
b» doe*.
TBUMPET CALLS.
Ram'i Horn ftoanH» Wnrnlni N«tt
. .' T , ■ to the Unredeemed. 'y>9:?:?X
The man who
looks for good
could not look for
an^hing >he will
be^more •certalp-td
find.. '.-S* : will
wore certain to
When truth goes
Into battle: It al
ways fights iv the
ront r^nk.':.'^ ■/*.?*•
xne yoke of Christ will not fit a
•tiir neck. _, ;; ". J^; -t; ■/ "^ ;^
;; The faith that moves mountains be
gins on mole hills. .<. -1 ,-..--.••. .-^
A whole menagerie of sin can hide
behind one doubt. - . .
This world Is too small to show Just
how big a good man is.: -
■> Doing will not take us to heaven, but
not doing may keep us out.
The biggest of all cowards ,is the one
who Is afraid to do right. . **%r*t
It is the man who believes some
thing who does something.
A preacher with a warm heart will
not long have a cold church.
.-"--■■ ■-"■■■'
There Is no pew in any church, that
the devil has, not sometimes occupied.
Job never made money any faster
than he did while he wn«s down in the
dust
Whenever the good seed of truth is
■own, the Lord will see to it that some
grows.
Am long as prize fighting pays bet
ter than preaching, the devil will have
plenty of hired help.
Call the devil by his right name, and
there are men in every crowd who will
take It as a personal affront.
MARK TWAIN'S CHILDREN.
A Case Where Attempted Pnnlah*
ment Proved a Hopeless Failure.
Ordinary punishments answered very
well for Susy. She was a thinker and
would reason out the purpose of them,
apply the lesson and achieve the re
form required. » But it was much less
easy to devise punishments that would
reform Clara. This was because she
•was a philosopher who was always
turning her attention to finding some
thing good and satisfactory and enter
taining in everything that came her
way. Consequently it was sometimes
pretty discouraging to the troubled
mother to find that after all her pains
and thought in inventing what she
meant to be a severe and reform com
pelling punishment the child had en
tirely missed the severities through her
native disposition to get interest and
pleasure out of them as novelties. The
mother, In her anxiety to find a pen
alty that would take stiarp hold and
do Its work effectively, at last resorted,
with a sore heart and with a reproach
ful conscience to that punishment
which the incorrigible criminal In the
penitentiary dreads above all the other
punitive miseries which the warden in
flicts upon him for his good—solitary
confinement in the dark chamber. The
grieved and worried mother shut Clara
up in a very small clothes closet and
went away and left her there —for fif
teen minutes. It was all that the
mother heart could endure. Then she
came softly back and listened—listened
for the sobs, but there weren't any;
there were muffled and Inarticulate
sounds, but they could not be construed
Into sobs. The mother waited half an
hour longer. By that time she wa»
suffering so intensely with sorrow and
compassion for the little prisoner that
she was not able to wait any longer
for the distressed sounds which she had
counted upon to Inform her when there
had been punishment enough and the
reform accomplished. She opened the
closet to set the prisoner free and take
her back into her loving favor and for
giveness, but the result was not the
one expected. The captive had manu
factured a fairy cavern out of the
closet, and friendly fairies out of the
clothes hanging from the hooks and
was having a most sinful and unre
pentant good time and requested per
mission to spend the rest of the day
there!— From Mark Twain's Autobiog
raphy In North American Review.
,\ An Uniarorr Source. - ; ;
Mrs. McDonlad McLean, who ; hat
been re-elected president of the Daugh
ters 'of the American Revolution, said
of ancestry at a.dinner In New York:
"I think we. would all, if we had
our choke; prefer to be well born.
Good children are more apt to come
from good than from bad parents.
Then besides, good birth is a recom
mendation. In everything, everything,
we consider the source. ;; *■-><
"It is like the story of the school
teacher. There was a teacher, teach
ing In a very i poor neighborhood, who
received dally gifts of flowers from
one of her pupils, a ragged little boy.
The flowers were of all sorts, I some
times costly hot-house blooms, some
times simple, old-fashioned . garden
flowers. ? As a rule, ithey- t were some
what faded. - One day the boy brought
the teacher a great bouquet of mauve
orchids. ITo be sure they were much
wilted,' butl none the \ less It could ?be
seen that they had once cost a great -
deal of money. The puzzled teacher,
as she took them, said:
f"'Jimmy, where do you get all these,
flowers that you give me? - You don't j
steal them, I hope?' • -
•Oh, no,« ma'am,' the youngster
swered. 'Father's an ash man.*"
: •' ; ■-'.-- ;: Tfce- Scorcher. 1": .."■>/_: - ; J.^
■■■"' Tls in vain he seeks to warn, ; f
The auto goes so fart
Yoa haven't time to hear the horn.
-^-Washington" Star. .
The dock cets there hand over hand.
. ........
