Some of these views were too progressive to suit the old leaders, and yet it was not long before the insurgent Progressive-Republicans were denouncing the President as too friendly with reactionary party bosses and big business, and a deserter from progressive standards. Believing in the necessity of party government, the President did feel it necessary to work with and through the party majority in Congress. For a time he withheld patronage from insur senators and representatives, and when he changed his policy the damage had been done. The defense of the Tariff Bill, the dismissal of Pinchot, the repeated vetoes of later tariff reduction bills, the veto of the grant of state hood to New Mexico and Arizona because of radical provisions in their constitutions, all in creased his unpopularity. The elections of 1910 gave the Democrats a majority in the House and showed a popular discontent with the old Republican rule and a drift toward Progressive Republicanism or toward the Democratic party. In Congress the insurgent Republicans often joined the Democrats to defeat the regular Republicans. In 1910 Roosevelt returned from Africa, and before long was openly taking issue with the policies of his successor. By 1911 the Progressive Republicans were planning to pre vent the renomination of Taft. At first La Follette was to be their candidate, then they turned to Roosevelt. Early in 1912 he agreed to accept the nomination. In the States having direct primaries Roosevelt made a much better showing than Taft; but the control of the party machinery by the regulars brought about the President's renomination. The Progres
sives started a new party, ensuring the over whelming defeat of the President in November and the election of Wilson.
The outstanding feature of the adminis tration was the conflict between conservative and progressive forces; but the confusion and recrimination should not obscure important de velopments during these four years. Among these were the reform of the rules of the House of Representatives (1910) ; the corpora tion tax (1909) ; increased powers of the In terstate Commerce Commission; Postal Sav ings Bank (1910) and Parcel Post (1912) ; Children's Bureau (1912) and Department of Labor (1913) ; publicity for and limitation of campaign contributions (1910-11); submission of amendments on income tax and direct elec tion of senators.
Since 1913 Mr. Taft has been Kent pro fessor of law at Yale University, lecturing on constitutional law in the college and the law school. He has continued to take an active interest in promoting international peace and a League of Nations. During the World War he was joint chairman of the National War Labor Conference Board.
With the calming of factional bitterness, Mr. Taft has gained again in the public esteem and confidence, and the accomplishments as well as the mistakes and difficulties of his adminis tration appear in a better perspective.