Changes

==Presidency 1909-1913==

==Presidency 1909-1913==

[[Image:1909.jpg|thumb|270px]]

[[Image:1909.jpg|thumb|270px|As Roosevelt leaves office he gives Taft custody of his "baby" (TR's policies)]]

===Policies===

===Policies===

After serving for nearly two full terms, the popular [[Theodore Roosevelt]] refused to run in [[U.S. presidential election, 1908|the election of 1908]]. Roosevelt certified Taft as a genuine "progressive", in [[U.S. presidential election, 1908|1908]], pushing through the nomination of his Secretary of War for the presidency. At the age 51 Taft easily defeated three-time candidate [[William Jennings Bryan]]. Taft considered himself a "progressive" because of his deep belief in "The Law" as the scientific device that should be used by judges to solve society's problems. Taft proved a less adroit politician than Roosevelt and seemed to lack the energy and personal magnetism of his mentor, not to mention the publicity devices, the dedicated supporters, and the broad base of public support that made Roosevelt so formidable. When Roosevelt realized that lowering the tariff would risk severe tensions inside the Republican Party, pitting producers (manufacturers and farmers) against department stores and consumers, he stopped talking about the issue. Taft ignored the risks and tackled the tariff boldly, on the one hand encouraging reformers to fight for lower rates, then cutting deals with conservative leaders that kept overall rates high. The resulting [[Payne-Aldrich tariff]] of 1909 was too high for most reformers, but instead of blaming this on Senator [[Nelson Aldrich]] and big business, Taft took credit, calling it the best bill to come from the Republican Party. Again, he had managed to alienate all sides.<ref>Pringle (1939) v. 1 </ref>  

After serving for nearly two full terms, the popular [[Theodore Roosevelt]] refused to run in [[U.S. presidential election, 1908|the election of 1908]]. Roosevelt certified Taft as a genuine "progressive", in [[U.S. presidential election, 1908|1908]], pushing through the nomination of his Secretary of War for the presidency. At the age 51 Taft easily defeated three-time candidate [[William Jennings Bryan]]. Taft considered himself a "progressive" because of his deep belief in "The Law" as the scientific device that should be used by judges to solve society's problems. Taft proved a less adroit politician than Roosevelt and seemed to lack the energy and personal magnetism of his mentor, not to mention the publicity devices, the dedicated supporters, and the broad base of public support that made Roosevelt so formidable. When Roosevelt realized that lowering the tariff would risk severe tensions inside the Republican Party, pitting producers (manufacturers and farmers) against department stores and consumers, he stopped talking about the issue. Taft ignored the risks and tackled the tariff boldly, on the one hand encouraging reformers to fight for lower rates, then cutting deals with conservative leaders that kept overall rates high. The resulting [[Payne-Aldrich tariff]] of 1909 was too high for most reformers, but instead of blaming this on Senator [[Nelson Aldrich]] and big business, Taft took credit, calling it the best bill to come from the Republican Party. Again, he had managed to alienate all sides.<ref>Pringle (1939) v. 1 </ref>