Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 198, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 August 1912 — NATIONAL TRIBUNE STILL FAVORS PRESIDENT TAFT. [ARTICLE]

NATIONAL TRIBUNE STILL FAVORS PRESIDENT TAFT.

Soldiers’ Paper Praises Executive for Consistent Friendship to Civil War Veterans. The National Tribune, published at Washington, has the following to say concerning President Taft’s part in the recent pension legislation: “It is impossible to give President Taft too much credit for approving the pension bill. Never before in the history of pension legislation were such extraordinary efforts made to prevent the passage and approval of the bill. Never before was there such well-organized opposition, embracing such powerful persons and influences. Never before had there“beeff an organized campaign waged for years against any further liberation of pension expenditures. The money power was never so much in evidence as in the organization and venom of the anti-pension campaign. The money power viewed with the utmost alarm the diversion of from $20,000,000 to $30,000,000 a year from its purpose toward a great act of noatianal justice. In its fight it showed a solidarity and command of resource such as has never before been exhibited in any congressional contest. “In the first place, substantially all the southern senators and representatives were solidly arrayed against the bill. “Next, every great metropolitan paper, without exception, the leading journals of all the great cities and all the big magazines were in a steady fire against any pension bill. Hired muekrakers industriously defamed every pensioner on the roll and assailed the character of the manhood of the soldiers who put down the rebellion.

“Next, influential senators and representatives of both parties were suborned to attack the pension bill. Thurs the strongest political, financier and editorial influence was constantly brought to bear upon the president to get him to withhold his signature. For more than a year before the' bill was actually passed- the newspapers, magazines and public speakers were greatly injuring the president’s popularity by their constant assertion that he was hostile to any pension bill, and his veto would be certain. “President Taft has all through his official life shown a most admirable talent for rising above the clamor of selfish interests and demogogic appeals to do that which he has conceived to be right. Vastly more of an upright judge than an artful politician, he has acted according to his convictions, with absolute disregard to real and manufactured clamor. He never showed to better advantage in this respect than in resisting this immense pressure to sign the bill which commended itself to him as recognizing a righteous debt of the nation to those who had saved its existence. His approval will be to his high and lasting credit when, all pension-hat-ers are forgotten. “Every veteran and relative of a veteran owes President Taft a debt of gratitude for his approval of this bill. They should —understand, how much it cost him to withstand the pressure and sign the bill. It is conclusive testimony that his heart is true to the men who saved the union, and that all the injurious allegations set afloat to the contrary are slanders and intended for his injury.”