The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-11-03
Tine MEN AND THE REBUILT.

ence between the men and the parties
they represent.
To commence with, Bryan and Taft
appealed to the people. Each has q
record that is scrupulously clean.
Each is an honest, earnest nan. with
out a spot or blemish. They are men
who may be trusted, and always re-
spected, because Of their sterling
worth.
They approached great questions
fearlessly, grappled with conditions
after having first considered the re
suits, and without any thought Of
where, or whom, they struck. That
is because each man was so heavily
armored with personal honor and
rugged honesty.
Each is an attorney, learned in the
law, the n a great jurist, the other
"a great pleader. Each man is an ora
tor, one Of tremendous force, the other
of surprising eloquence. In the pres
ence Of either Of these great men.
for they are remarkable, when we
measure them by the standard Of the
average man-one feels that he Is in
the presence Of a man Of rare attain
ments. Each is a scholar, finished,
polished, gentlemanly, cultured Of ex-
quisite taste, possessing q fine sense
Of ht,mor, a keen insight to Ter and
affairs, gravely responsible. and OF
amazing forethought. Each weighed
we'll his words.
For these men were more evenly
matched, perhaps, than any two who
ever made the race for the presidency
before. That is one Of the many rea-
sons that may be advanced for what
we termed the general apathy during
the campaign.
These men, who were measuring
mental caliber one with the other,
moved slowly at first, each trying to
draw the other out, seeking to deter.
mine his line OF thought, his method
Of attack, Of defense. the skill with
which he could parry, lead, thrust,
stab and execute. Tftans, indeed, are
they. And when they came to the at.
tack, the eye OF each was clear, the
flesh firm, the conscience unclouded,
the mind alert and wholesome, their
lives fragrant with good deeds to.
ward men and absolute justice toward
all. It was no wonder that we stopped
and pondered and Thought, for it sci,
dom falls to the lot of a man to live
at q time when two such men trod
the earth together.
These men carried their ideas into
the platforms OF their respective par.
ties. They would not compromise
with crime. They would not consult
or associate with questionable per
sons.
In a word, they are above the du,
plicity ordinary in political life.
And when VIZ come to sum 1t all up
there is but little difference in the
two parties. On the main point al
issue, there was considerable said
Nothing that vas new, perhaps, for II
was a question that has been talked
and argued, and discussed and de.
bated, not only in the campaign jus,
closed, but in every one in American
national life-in the history Of Eng
land before us, OF the old world, and
the nations that link themselves to
gether from the sunlight OF today
down to the deep shadows Of tradi
tlonal times.
That point has been argued so often
/, the differences OF opinion are SO radi
cal, and men are so positive, that i
may be explained by the statemend
that - Ne advance In civilization, oul
wants change. gu demands ar.
greater, and hence it is that different
conditions are necessary to meet the
new environment. So it is that We
divide into classes, one side advocat
ing the new idea, the other clingine
to the old.
With q form Of government, Of
course, the advantage lies In the fact