The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-01

states. he Will lutu DS ~ 'NNSS victory.
 This has been an unprecedented cam paign. It has been dull from beginning to end. It's only enthusiasm was injected into. it by W. R. Hearst who has bolted the democratic party and Is running candidate of his own for President MT. Hearst. 1t will be recalled, read few letters from Archbold of Standard oil to Foraker senator from Ohio, and forth with the republicans kicked out Senator Foraker MT. Hearst also read some doc uments concerning Haskell, treasurer of the democratic campaign committee, and then he was kicked out. Afterward the campaign relapsed into monotony.
 The spellbinders have done their best. Both leading candidates, made heroic ef- forts. and in the last week of the cam paign both showed signs of physical and mental fatigue. They said things that doubtless they would not care to be held accountable for in more responsible mo-
 rAents. But enthusiasm on the stump
 was not communicated to the people.
 No one seems to have become excited
 about Taft, and there's no real enthusi-
 asm over Bryan-at least around here.
 Nearly every one, democrat or republ-
 can, comedies that Taft is an able man;
 no one dislikes him, but there are many
 republicans who do not care for the way
 he was nominated. It is his master, or
 so-called master, they dislike-not Taft
 Notwithstanding their feelings, all repub-
 licans will vote for him. just the dem
 ocrats down south will vote for Bryan. A
 great many democrats in New York and
 other eastern states will vote for Ta<t-
 not because they love him, but because
 they despise Bryan more. The democrats
 are united in the belief that it is time to
 fire the republicans out of offce but they
 are not united in the belief that Bryan is
 the best man to put in. The democrats
 who will vote for Taft are opposed to the
 republican policy of high protection; they
 are tired of the republican party's as-
 sumption that it is the only party that
 can run the government; but they don't
 dare put Bryan in-they fear worse things
 would happen.
 Then there are large number of re-
 publicans who would vote for almost any democratic candidate except Bryan; they hate Roosevelt and all his works, and
 think the republican party should be re- buked, but they are afraid to use Bryan as the instrument to do it. There are still other republicans who are so fond of the strenuous life that they do not think Roosevelt has gone far enough. This class will vote for Taft with reluctance because he is too mild. Mir. Bryan has hopes of getting some surprises in the so- called western Roosevelt states
 There are a good many democrats in the country who would like to see Bryan elected, but few of them live around here Democrats of this section of the coun- try who vote for him will do so for the sake of party regularity or because they are tired of seeing the same old crowd in office. Some of these democrats say that although the party is without able lead CTS now, it will develop them if put In office. A well-known editorial writer has wisely summed up the matter thus: Tn the matter of principles. there is | hardly a penny to choose between the | parties. As between the men, the repub- | licans have by far the better candidate; | but their party needs the discipline of de- | feat, whereas the democrats sorely need, | for the countrys sake, the discipline of responsibility and power"
 | Few people understand our electoral sys- | tenn. Those that do are against it. Why? | Because under our electoral system the | small state has the advantage of the | large state. For instance, a vote in Ne vada will have as much to say in Tues