e number of States before Taft went out of
office, and the other was finally ratified less than a month after the
close of his term. These were the amendment authorizing the imposition
of a Federal income tax and that providing for the direct election of
United States Senators. Two States were admitted to the Union during
Taft's term of office, New Mexico and Arizona, the last Territories of
the United States on the continent, except Alaska.

Other achievements of importance during Taft's Administration were the
establishment of the parcels post and the postal savings banks; the
requirement of publicity, through sworn statements of the candidates,
for campaign contributions for the election of Senators and
Representatives; the extension of the authority of the Interstate
Commerce Commission over telephone, telegraph, and cable lines; an act
authorizing the President to withdraw public lands from entry for
the purpose of conserving the natural resources which they may
contain--something which Roosevelt had already done without specific
statutory authorization; the establishment of a Commerce Court to
hear appeals from decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission; the
appointment of a commission, headed by President Hadley of Yale, to
investigate the subject of railway stock and bond issues, and to propose
a law for the Federal supervision of such railway securities; the Mann
"white slave" act, dealing with the transfer of women from one State to
another for immoral purposes; the establishment of the Children's
Bureau in the Department of Commerce and Labor; the empowering of the
Interstate Commerce Commission to investigate all railway accidents; the
creation of Forest Reserves in the White Mountains and in the southern
Appalachians.

Taft's Administration was further marked, by economy in expenditure, by
a considerable extension of the civil service law to cover positions in
the executive departments hitherto free plunder for the spoilsmen, and
by efforts on the part of the President to increase the efficiency and
the economical administration of the public service.

But this good record of things achieved was not enough to gain for
Mr. Taft popular approval. Items on the other side of the ledger were
pointed out. Of these the three most conspicuous were the Payne-Aldrich
tariff, the Ballinger-Pinchot controversy, and the insurgent movement in
Congress.

The Republican party was returned to power in 1908, committ