THE ADMINISTRATION OF PRESIDENT TAFT

On March 4, 1909, the date of the inaugural ceremonies, Washington was visited by a heavy snow-storm, and Mr. Taft, departing from the custom of delivering his inaugural address at the east end of the Capitol, spoke in the Senate chamber.  Many trains bearing visitors to Washington, from various parts of’ the country, were blockaded, This condition served to emphasize the call, many times made, for the transfer of the date of these services to April 30, the day on which President Washington took the oath of office.

President Taft’s inaugural address was wise and temperate and satisfactory to the country at large.  He asserted that the most important feature of his administration would be the maintenance and enforcement of the reforms inaugurated by President Roosevelt.  He justified appropriations, as his predecessor had done, for maintaining a suitable army and navy; advocated the conservation of our natural resources, the establishment of postal savings banks, and direct lines of steamers between North and South America.

The cabinet was made up of men largely gathered from private life, a majority of them being comparatively unknown to the public.  Philander C. Knox was United States senator from Pennsylvania when he was appointed Secretary of State.  He had served as Attorney-General in President McKinley’s cabinet.  Franklin MacVeagh, of Illinois, who was made Secretary of the Treasury, had been prominent as a merchant in Chicago and active in public affairs.  Mr. MacVeagh and Jacob M. Dickinson, who became Secretary of War, were both members of the Democratic party.  By inviting Democrats to become members of his political family, President Taft desired to give recognition to the fact that he had been elected by Democratic votes and had received substantial support in parts of the South.  Mr. Dickinson was also from Chicago.  The Secretary of the Navy, George von L. Meyer, of Massachusetts, had served as ambassador to Russia, and later as Postmaster-General during Mr. Roosevelt’s administration.  Frank H. Hitchcock, of Ohio, who was made Postmaster-General, had served as First Assistant Postmaster-General.  George W. Wickersham, an attorney of good standing in New York City, was appointed Attorney-General.  Richard A. Ballinger, of Seattle, who had been Commissioner of the General Land Office, 1907-1909, was appointed Secretary of the Interior.  James Wilson, of Iowa, who had served as Secretary of Agriculture since 1897, was continued in that office.  Charles Nagel, a noted lawyer of St. Louis, was made Secretary of Commerce and Labor.

With the beginning of the new administration the President’s salary was increased to $75,000 a year; that of the Vice-President to $12,000; and members of the cabinet to $12,000.

From June 1 to October 15 there was held at Seattle the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition.  The rapid growth of Seattle has been due in no small degree to the fostering of trade with Alaska.  The exhibits served to demonstrate the wisdom of the purchase of the territory, which at that time was characterized as Seward’s “folly.”  Alaska has for some years been recognized as a country of wealth and opportunity.  The gold output each year is more than three times the sum paid Russia for the territory.  About one-fifth of the gold produced in the United States comes from Alaskan mines.  Products amounting to $33,500,000 were shipped to the States from Alaska during the year 1907, and the return trade for that year amounted to $19,500,000.  The value of the fishery products is five-sevenths as great as the output of the gold mines.  Alaskan coal-fields are estimated to be even richer than her gold deposits.  Other productions of the territory are silver, tin, lead, quicksilver, graphite, marble, lumber, grains, vegetables, and fruits.

The purpose of the exposition was declared to be “to exploit the resources and potentialities of the Alaskan and Yukon territories; to make known and foster the vast importance of the trade of the Pacific Ocean and of the countries bordering thereon, and to demonstrate the marvellous progress of Western America.”  The energy and determination of the men of the new Northwest was well shown in the preparation made for the exposition.  No financial assistance was asked from the federal government.  The necessary $10,000,000 were contributed almost entirely in Seattle and the State of Washington.  One million dollars were expended by Seattle, as a preparatory step, on her municipal improvements.

The site of the exposition was the campus of the State University, between Lakes Washington and Union.  From the grounds, notable for their natural beauty, were visible in the distance Mount Rainier, the loftiest peak in the United States, the snow-covered Olympics to the west, and the Cascade range to the east.

Three permanent buildings were erected by the State of Washington with the understanding that they were afterward to be used by the university.  Most of the structures followed the French Renaissance design.  In the forestry building, which was 320 feet long and 140 feet broad, and built of logs in the rough, there were displayed the timber resources of Alaska and the Northwest.  An out-door farm illustrated the agricultural resources of the region.  The Japanese exhibit was second only in interest to that of Alaska.  The exposition served to demonstrate, as it was intended to do, the possibilities for the investment of capital in the Northwest and the opportunities for those seeking new homes.

Beginning with September 25 and continuing throughout the first week of October, there was a notable celebration in New York City, and in other cities on the Hudson, commemorative of the discovery of that river by Henry Hudson three centuries before and the trip up the river by Robert Fulton’s steamboat in 1807.  The leading feature of the pageant was the assembling in the harbor of the largest fleet of international character ever brought together at one time, and the cruise up the Hudson as far as Newburg of eighty war vessels selected from the navies of the United States, Great Britain, Germany, France, and other powers.  These huge vessels were in striking contrast to the two small ones which were given the place of honor in the pageant, the replicas of the Half Moon and the Clermont.  The land parades were likewise spectacular in their effects.

In October, 1909, Commander Robert E. Peary and Dr. Frederick A. Cook, two American travellers, returned to the United States, both making claims to having discovered the north pole.  The accomplishment of this task, which had baffled so many arctic explorers, was hailed as a triumph throughout the civilized world.  Ardent supporters of each of these men began to champion the right of their favorite to the great honor.  It was shown that Commander Peary had for twenty-three years been engaged in arctic exploration.  His first voyage was made to Greenland in 1886, and in his numerous expeditions to the frozen north since that time he had secured much scientific data relating to the glaciology, geology, and ethnology of those regions.

When Commander Peary left the Roosevelt, the ship which bore him as far north as navigation permitted, on February 22, 1909, his expedition consisted of 8 white men, 59 Eskimos, 140 dogs, and 23 sledges, with the necessary equipment for arctic travel.  Upon returning to the United States after overcoming the many dangers incident to such exploration, he submitted his records to the National Geographical Society.  A committee of that body, after passing upon these documents, declared unanimously that it was their opinion that Peary had reached the north pole, April 6, 1909.  This report further commended him for his organization and management of this expedition and for his contributions to scientific knowledge.

Before his return to America, Dr. Cook had been hailed as the discoverer of the north pole by European scientists, especially those of Denmark, who accepted his story of the accomplishment of this task in April, 1908, one year earlier than the date of Peary’s discovery.  Many honors were conferred upon him when he reached Copenhagen, September 4, 1909.  He was met by the Crown Prince of Denmark and the American minister, and by explorers, professors, and scientists from various European countries.  He was greatly honored also upon his return to New York City.

Commander Peary declared that the claims made by Dr. Cook were without foundation.  His decision was based on the evidence given by two Eskimos who had accompanied Dr. Cook, and who asserted that the party went only a two days’ journey north from Cape Hubbard and were never beyond the land ice.  Further evidence of deception by Dr. Cook was set forth by Edward M. Barrill, who had accompanied him on his ascent of Mount McKinley in 1906.  This guide declared that Dr. Cook had not reached the summit of that mountain as claimed, but that the records had been falsified.  Later, a commission was appointed by the University of Copenhagen to examine the notes and memoranda submitted to them by Dr. Cook.  After a careful examination of these documents, the commission reported that they found no evidence sufficient to warrant the belief that Dr. Cook actually reached the north pole.

By vote of Congress, June 20, 1910, the territories of Arizona and New Mexico were granted permission to form State constitutions.  The constitutions which were framed in their conventions and passed by majorities of the people contained some unusual provisions.  The Arizona constitution included the initiative, referendum, and recall of all elective officers, including judges.  The New Mexico constitution contains a referendum clause, but the clause providing for initiative was rejected.

The constitution of Arizona was attacked in Congress and opposed by President Taft on account of the provision for the recall of judges.  The chief objection to the constitution of New Mexico was the unsatisfactory method provided for its amendment.  This constitution, however, was approved by President Taft and by the House of Representatives, but the Senate failed to take any action.  In August, 1911, the President vetoed a joint resolution to admit the territories of New Mexico and Arizona as States into the Union.  He stated his attitude as follows:  “The resolution admits both territories to statehood with their constitutions on condition that at the time of the election of State officers New Mexico shall submit to its electors an amendment to its new constitution altering and modifying its provisions for future amendments, and on the further condition that Arizona shall submit to its electors at the time of the election of its State officers a proposed amendment to its constitution by which judicial officers shall be excepted from the section permitting a recall of all elective officers.  If I sign this joint resolution, I do not see how I can escape responsibility for the judicial recall of the Arizona constitution.  The joint resolution admits Arizona with the judicial recall, but requires the submission of the question of its wisdom to the voters.  In other words, the resolution approves the admission of Arizona with the judicial recall, unless the voters themselves repudiate it. . . .  This provision of the Arizona constitution in its application to county and State judges seems to me pernicious in its effect, so destructive of independence in the judiciary, so likely to subject the rights of the individual to the possible tyranny of a popular majority, and therefore to be so injurious to the cause of free government that I must disapprove a constitution containing it.”

January 6, 1912, New Mexico, having complied with all conditions, was formally admitted into the Union as the forty-seventh State.

Arizona, having an area of 113,000 square miles, was organized as a territory in 1863 and appeared in the federal census reports for the first time in 1870 with a population of 9,658.  From 1870 to 1890 its growth in population was rapid, increasing a little more than four times during the decade 1870-1880 and doubling during the succeeding ten years.  The population in 1900 was 122,931 and in 1910 it was 204,354.  During the last decade, therefore, the increase in population has been 66.2 per cent, while the percentage of increase in the United States as a whole has been only 21 per cent.  According to the thirteenth census, Arizona contained eight cities with an aggregate population of 58,414.  The largest cities were Tucson, with a population of 13,193, and Phoenix with 11,134.

Arizona produces more copper than any other State in the Union.  Of the total copper ore mined in the United States (1909) 27.7 per cent was from Arizona.  There are also good mines of gold and silver.  Coal-mining, marble-quarrying, lumbering, raising cattle, sheep, and ostriches are also important industries in Arizona.  Through the efforts of the Reclamation service in completing the Roosevelt Dam and a dam at Parker, and by the use of pumps, it is estimated that 1,000,000 acres of fertile land will become available for cultivation.  Other large areas are also susceptible of irrigation.

In 1850 the territory of New Mexico was organized and in 1863 it was reduced to its present limits with an area of 122,000 square miles.  The population of New Mexico in 1900 was 195,310 and in 1910 was 327,301 an increase of 67.6 per cent.  Albuquerque, with a population of 11,020, and Rosewell with 6,172 were the two largest cities.  Like Arizona, New Mexico possesses great wealth in mines and forests, but the foundation for her future industrial progress lies in her farms.  In 1910 New Mexico possessed 500,000 acres of irrigated land.  It was estimated that 3,000,000 acres more were amenable to artificial watering and the government is expending millions of dollars on projects which will fertilize vast areas of this land.

During the year 1911 the world was astounded at the unparalleled exhibitions of the possibilities of the aeroplane.  The dream of centuries had been realized, and American genius was responsible for the achievement.  In 1896, a model machine which had been constructed under the direction of Professor Langley, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, driven by a one horse-power steam-engine, made three flights of a mile each near Washington.  Congress appropriated $50,000 for the construction of a complete machine, but after two unsuccessful attempts to fly, with an operator, the project was abandoned.

Wilbur Wright and his brother Orville, bicycle manufacturers of Dayton, Ohio, did not share in the general ridicule which followed this failure, and after three years of experimentation demonstrated that the principles upon which Professor Langley had constructed his machine were, in the main, sound.  The first successful flight of a few seconds by one of their machines weighing 750 pounds was made in 1903.  Two years afterward a flight of 24 miles was made at the rate of 38 miles an hour.  Other successful experiments followed, and the claim of the Wrights to be considered the inventors of the first successful man-carrying flying machine was established.  French inventors at about the same time were carrying on successful experiments with machines similarly constructed.  September 16, 1908, Wilbur Wright, at Le Mans, France, demonstrated that his machine could remain in the air for over an hour and at the same time fly across country at a high speed.  In that year, also, Orville Wright, in a government test at Fort Myer, Virginia, not only made flights lasting over an hour, but carried a companion with him.  During July, 1909, a French aviator, Bleriot, flew across the English Channel, a distance of 32 miles.  That year, also, Orville Wright ascended to the height of 1,600 feet; with a passenger, made a record flight of 1 hour, 12 minutes and 36 seconds; and flew across country with a companion for 10 miles at the rate of 42 miles an hour.  Thus it was shown that a machine had at last been constructed which would not only fly, but would remain in the air at the will of its pilot and subject to his guidance.

In the aviation meet at Los Angeles, January 10, 1910, Louis Paulhan, a Frenchman, established the record of 4,000 feet for height and Glenn H. Curtiss with a passenger set a new world’s record of 55 miles.

Shortly afterward Curtiss demonstrated for the first time that it was possible for an aeroplane, especially constructed, to rise from the surface of water, make a flight in the air, return to the starting-point, and again alight on the water.

The great possibilities as well as the dangers connected with aviation were brought out in the meet at Chicago during August, 1911, where two aviators lost their lives.  C. P. Rodgers, in a Wright machine, remained in the air twenty-six and one-half hours out of the possible thirty-one and one-half hours.  Lincoln Beachey set a new world’s record by ascending 11,642 feet.  This record was again surpassed within a month by Ronald G. Garros, a French aviator, who ascended 13,943 feet.

Harry K. Atwood flew from St. Louis to Chicago in one day, a distance of 315 miles.  He continued his flight to New York, and in eleven days reached that city.  He had travelled 1,265 miles in the actual flying time of 28 hours.  C. P. Rodgers eclipsed all records for long-distance aeroplane flying by crossing the continent from Sheepshead Bay, New York, to Pasadena, Cal., a distance of 4,231 miles.  He accomplished this feat in the total time of 49 days, September 17 to November 5, 1911.  His actual flying time was 82 hours.

These flights served to demonstrate that the permanent triumphs of aeronautics are to be won by steadiness and efficiency and not by recklessness.

Among the significant legislation of the Sixty-second Congress, the passing of the “publicity law,” August, 1911, is deserving of especial commendation.  The Democratic platform, 1908, demanded publicity of campaign contributions, and Mr. Bryan announced that no funds would be received from corporations.  According to a New York statute, all campaign receipts and expenditures must be filed.  The Republican campaign committee agreed to apply this law in the presidential contest.

According to the federal Publicity law no candidate for member of the House of Representatives may spend more than $5,000 in his campaign for nomination or election, and no candidate for United States senator may spend, legally, more than $10,000 in his campaign, Candidates are prohibited from making promises of office or other promises in order to obtain votes, and no candidate for senator may aid in the election of members of the legislature that is to fill a senatorial vacancy.  At the time, two United States senators were under indictment for the purchase of their seats, and one of them acknowledged that he had expended nearly $100,000 in his primary campaign.

In partial fulfilment of the declaration that his policy was to bring about legislation for the benefit of the whole country, President Taft in his message to Congress, December, 1911, asked that the appointment of local federal officers throughout the country should be placed under the classified service.  “I wish,” he wrote, “to renew again my recommendation that all the local officers throughout the country, including collectors of internal revenue, collectors of customs, postmasters of all four classes, immigration commissioners, and marshals should be by law carried into the classified service, the necessity for confirmation by the Senate be removed, and the President and the others, whose time is now taken up in distributing this patronage, under the custom that has prevailed since the beginning of the Government in accordance with the recommendation of the senators and congressmen of the majority party, should be relieved from this burden.  I am confident that such a change would greatly reduce the cost of administering the government and that it would add greatly to its efficiency.  It would take away the power to use the patronage of the government for political purposes.”

President Taft took an advance position also in his advocacy of the substitution of the appeal to reason for the appeal to force in the settlement of all international difficulties.  The treaties of arbitration which were agreed upon during the summer of 1911 between Secretary Knox and the representatives of Great Britain and France illustrate the general type of treaty which the President hoped would be negotiated with other nations.  Heretofore, the treaties to which the United States has been a party have accepted as suitable for arbitration all questions save those which concerned “vital interests and national honor.”  It was a great step forward, therefore, when the agreement was reached between the powers that all disputes that are justiciable and cannot be settled by diplomacy are to be submitted to arbitration.

In case of a difference on whether the dispute were justiciable or not, it was to be submitted to a commission of inquiry for decision.  If the commission found it was justiciable the question in dispute must be submitted to arbitration.  Should the commission find it was not justiciable there would still exist the possibility of war.  But either nation has the power to delay the findings a year during which time diplomatic action may be resumed.  The arguments against the ratification of these facts in the Senate were based on the plea that they provided for compulsory arbitration and thus tended to deprive the Senate of its constitutional prerogative.  The wording was so greatly modified in the Senate that the form of treaty which was finally ratified differed but little from the arbitration treaties of 1908.