第 50 节
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朝令夕改 更新:2021-02-25 00:18 字数:9322
st 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 been chief law…maker under Napoleon I in 1810。 Mr。 Cannon; however; had never learned that the Civil War was over; whereas every Frenchman who survived the Revolution knew that it had taken place。 So the Insurgents rose up against him; in his old age; deprived him of his dictatorial power; and; at the next election; Democrats and Republicans combined to sweep him out of office altogether。
The Jews who ridiculed Noah when he began to build the Ark were; it proved; Bourbons; but they had some excuse; for when Noah was working there was no portent of a flood and not even a black cloud with a shower wrapped up in it hung on the horizon。 But the Republican Regulars; under Mr。 Taft; could not complain that no sign had been vouchsafed to them。 The amazing rise in power and popularity of Roosevelt during the decade; the surging unrest of Labor throughout the world; the obviously altered conditions which immense fortunes and the amassing of wealth by a few corporations had produced; and such special symptoms as the chafing at the Payne Aldrich Tariff; the defeat of Speaker Cannon; and the election of a Democratic House of Representatives ought to have warned even the dullest Republican。 For good; or for ill; a social and industrial revolution was under way; and; instead of trimming their sails to meet it; they had not even taken ship。 Roosevelt and the Insurgents had long understood the revolution of which they were a part; and had taken measures to control it。 Roosevelt's first achievement; as we have seen; was to bring the Big Interests under the power of the law。 The hawks and vultures whose wings he clipped naturally did not like it or him; but the laws had force behind them; and they submitted。 The leaders of the popular movement; however; declared that this was not enough。 They preached the right of the people to rule。 The people; they urged; must have a real share in electing the men who were to make the laws and to administer and interpret them。
Every one knew that the system of party government resulted in