Show THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS President Tafts inaugural address gives Instant assurance of the transi transition tion from disturbing executive activity to judicial poise in the office omco he as assumes assumes assumes Although he abandons none of ins his predecessors policies but on the th contrary declares his intention of ful fulfilling filling their purpose his is language Is so temperate the tone of his utterance so dignified as to convey conwy comfort to to a country that has been suffering from uncertainty as to What maladroit mo adroit eman emanation issue from the White house at any moment Having watched the circus of the Roosevelt re regime regime regimo gime gimo until it Is weary and the nation turns with relief to the pros pro prospect prospect pet of a normal sane performance of duties by a president who knows the law respects It and will willobey willobey willobey obey as well as enforce It First and most Important In the pres presidents promises is his affirmation of an Intention to promote tariff reform and secure action at the earliest possible moment He lie cites the promise of his party platform and declares his desire for a revision of the schedules In good faith falth Incidentally he points to the i deficit which T ill III reach this fiscal year and suggests that some source of revenue besides Import impart Imp rt du duties duties duties ties may be needed preferably a grad graduated graduated Inheritance tax He Is also In favor of a tariff which shall shaU give the executive power to impose pose countervailing duties against a those countries which discriminate against American products Considering tte tle necessity for the preservation of ot national resources the value alue of permanent Investments like the Panama canal and the proposal to the Internal waterways of the th country i he suggests that the cost of improving the Ohio and Mississippi iver channels might properly be met mel by b the Issuance of bonds which would t distribute the cost over several gen generations generations generations and be regarded not as an ex expense expense pense pease but as a profitable Investment Mr Tafts position as regards the army and navy nav is as might be expect expected ed exactly that of President Roosevelt lie Ale believes in a big efficient navy and an army large enough to provide the nucleus for an adequate national force foice in m case ease of need He approves of the coast defense plans in course of exe execution cution ution and urges the need of their com corn completion completion e Touching upon the relations of the nation with foreign peoples and spec c call ally all referring to the complications arising arl from the inability of the federal power to enforce rights transgressed or ignored by b state authorities Mr Ir Taft advances the idea that congressional legislation leg can and should be enacted which would grant the government power to bring violations of treaty rights by b states into the federal courts So far as we recall this Is the first def definite defInite mite announcement of his theory on this subject As a good lawyer he evidently believes such legislation would w uld stand the I I test of at review by the supreme court courtis It Itis ItIs with is of ot course directly in harmony the Republican theory of centralized r met t and th tt construction of the 11 i that lilt II but it is isby Isby Isby by no means certain that the individual 2 states would submit willingly to such sueh enactments or that the t e highest court would so construe the rights of the federal government as to declare deare that thata a I treaty could override state authority j cr or compel state action without legislation by the state affected In the Wyoming cases and in the New Orleans riot cases the government as assumed assumed that federal indemnity for losses inflicted by mobs was a voluntary corn com 7 pem atlon and not an obligation under treaties In force The debates in con eon congress congress gress at the tho time contained no hint hinl of legislative action such as Is suggested by Di Mr Taft and his proposal Is an in inder Index index dex der of the long IonS steps taken of late years toward the assumption of power by the federal government which had hadnot hadnot hadnot not been thought possible a decade ago The address reviews briefly the work Ork being done by b the special commission on monetary reform urges the establish establishment establishment establishment ment of postal savings banks approves of f the work on the Panama canal and promises to support to the utmost the theme theme theS S me now Jn in charge of construction In Ini i l Mr lr Taft takes it for granted that free trade will be established UshI between b tw een en the and the I II I I United States subject to some limita limitations limitations affecting tobacco tob cco and sugar in interests Interests Interests He commends the administration tion of the tho Islands and of Porto Rico I and felicitates the nation n on oil its work there a One Ono most interesting section of the address Is devoted to an expression of or hope that conditions may be changed I in the south so that the understanding between north and south shall be better bOtter He lIe concedes without reservation the right of the southern states to restrict the ballot by educational or other lim limitations limItations applied to men of all races and he declares the hope of the negro people p ople lies liea in industrial education and progress Very Vel frankly he questions the wisdom of or appointing negroes to fed federal federal federal eral office where the appointment is certain certaIn tain tam to produce friction and embitter the relations of the races suggesting most forcibly the case of Dr Crum in South Carolina whom Roosevelt attempted to force upon the senate and who did hold office until this thin week by recess appoint appointment appointment appointment ment without senatorial confirmation Mr Taft holds no such views of the labor problem as aM Roosevelt did when he urged congress to pass amendments to the antitrust act which should re relieve relieve lieve the labor unions of prosecution under that act The new president is very explicit in his support of the In Injunction Injunction injunction junction issued on ex parte hearing without notice Altogether the message Is a satisfactory satisfactory tory tor expression of the policies which find favor faor with President Taft It is not brilliant unless good common sense and have grown to be brilliant it contains no startling an announcements announcements announcements no Invective no Cagger exaggeration exaggeration aU on of the tho executive ego It is Just such an address as a good citizen of these United States having regard for forthe forthe forthe the dignity of his office and the welfare of the country might be expected to produce It outlines some policies which will find opposition natural to differences in theory of government but it invites no bitter blUer resentment appeals to no class prejudice It will find ap approval approval approval for its conservatism and Its Us au an author author anthor thor will be upheld In n his office by b that very large body of the electorate which believes the worthy chief executive with his heavy burdens is entitled to support regardless of politics in his administration tion of the laws and discharge of na responsibilities i |