Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-02
REPORT A TAFT WAVE
Observations of Republican
Campaign Managers.
PEOPLE AFRAID OF BRYAN
Believe That the Country Is Not
Willing to Accept Him.
DISQUIET ABOUT LABOR VOTE
IN. o. M" Says That the Taft Man
ayers Are Worried in That
Respect.

| the judgment of observing republican
managers in various sections of the coun-
try, communicated to headquarters here,
the Taft tide, which two weeks ago was at
a standstill, is steadily rising. 1t Is not
| any tidal wave. by long shot but is re-
ported as being a perceptible swelling of
the volume of public sentiment favorable
to the republican candidate.
| The explanation is that Bryan has shot
| his bolt and it has fallen short of the
mark in the observation of these man.
ayers who keep in touch with public sem
timent. The reports do not give details
nor figures, but deal with generalities.
| ut is in the air. is about the way the
! conditions are summed up. meaning that
there is an indefinable impression that
the electorate favors Taft.
Fear of Bryan is said to be the cause
of this feeling. 1t is declared that the
country is still afraid of him, as 1t was
in 1896 and in 1900. His attractiveness
as a personality received its need; he has
| been given his round OF applause and
| great many of his utterances have been
approved Just as I saw Senator La Fol
| lette at Madison indorse what he said
about campaign publicity and nod ap-
prevail to other declarations. Many OF
! them are agreed to by the republican
| party.
Weighing the Candidates.
| But now as election day approaches ana
men are beginning to make up their
minds whom to vote for the country Is
weighing the two men, judging them by
their records and the republican reports
| insist that there are increasing signs OF
decided inclination toward Taft In TINS
connection l recall what an old 1elloW
said to me at a way station out in Wis
consin last week, on the Bryan trip. The
correspondents would mingle with the
crowds and talk with the plain people 10
get the sentiment of the country. Bryan
was receiving a fine ovation, IN Wnlcn this
| old fellow had previously joined.
That looks good now, he remarked.
but when these fellows get into that
voting booth on election day, alone with
| their conscience and their pocketDooks'
confronted with the necessity of making
a choice between Bryan and Taft. they
are going to put their little marx At Tie
top of the Taft column"
| That is what these republican managers
in the states report to be a growing feel
| ing Their further explanation OF the
turning tide, now that the first entnuSiasm
of Bryan's magnetic presence Is sa1d 10
be fading as his train wnlrls INTO lile
west is conveyed in the alleged estimate
which the country is putting on the DEM
ocratic party and voiced in little cam
paign ieafiet which is being circulated by
the millions by the repuphcan congress
publican campaign document 1t quotes
distinguished democrat, one or the speii-
binders who will enter this state and VINO
will be met with an avalanche OF ,nese
| Iaa fets wherever he talks in behalf or
idemocracy This person VINO is oelng
quoted is United States Senator core OF
| Okla homa, democrat now, but formerly
lpopulist.
Senator Gore Quoted.
The wicked republicans have dug up
speech which Senator Gore is alleged 10
have delivered at Dallas. Tex, in 1875,
and are quoting Senator Gore as follows:
THE trouble with the, democratic
party is it is party of statesmen with
out states manship, patriots without pa
| trotism heroes without hcroiSm. Iheir
pclicy begets farmers without farming.
laborers without labor. freemen without
| freedom.
"The Fifty-second Congress had
democratic ma jOrity of 14S, and II IL re-
deemed a single pledge. observed single
promise kept a single command or dis
charged a single obligation made TO the
people of the United States. l Will quit
| the stump and retire from the canvass.
The Fifty-second Congress was elect
ed on retrenchment and economy. and
free coinage of silver and the repeal or
the Mckinley law. In the matter OF
economy that Congress exceeded the re-
publican 81, 900, 0O0, 900 by $1,000. OOO.'
| From now on the campaign Will pro-
| coed along very narrow lines. The two
parties are hair-splitting on tarln re-
vision, and the voters are getting con-
| ficting and mixed ideas of what each
party will do. The two parties promise
| to lambaste the trusts. each vying to
Guido the other in that direction, so that
| the plain people are certain to get good
measure in trust prosecution. Campaign
publicity does not seem to be a burning
question with anybody except Mr. Bryan
and Senator La Toilette.
| The issue it is said by the politicians
here. will be the personality and record
of the two candidates. Taft and Bryan,
and that issue will overtop everything
else
The Labor Vote Uncertain.
Now. while these encouraging reports
are coming into republican headquarters
of the growing Taft sentiment that is
lin the air." there is one very disquet-
ing situation which is keeping them
awake O. nights and bringing burrows to
their brows. That is the state of the
labor vote.
There is no use saying that the repub-
licans are not alarmed about the labor
vote. They hear a great deal of definite
news which is definitely unfavorable, but
they are also confronted with state of
uncertainty as to the secret attitude of
a large section of the labor vote which
they cannot gauge.
Republican scouts report that they find
IN locating d large SeCtlOn OIL
the labor vote. They cannot find out
what these men intend to do. That is a
worrying state of affairs.
Negro Vote Ohish.
The negro vote is still offlsh. In the
sections where the negro holds balance
of power it is in bad shape, and there
is no denying it. Right under my eyes,
as I write, there are two congressional
districts now represented by republicans
which can be swung by the negro vote,
OlcottS and Parsons, the same Mr.. Par
sons who is called the presidents resi-
dent agent"
| Last night n meeting was held at the
! largest colored Methodist church, which
! is in Mr.. Parsons district. Twenty-Five
hundred negroes turned out. For weeks
| they have been advised by their pastor
| to desert the republican ticket. The trus
| tees of the church dissented from the
pastors views and got up a meeting to
greet Gov Hughes.
| The pastors sympathizers turned out
and tried to prevent colored orator.
| supporting the republican ticket, from
| talking. There was riot and the re-
serves were called out. The man spoke.
| but the temper of the crowd showed
| that they were with the pastor and
against the republican party. Brownsville
| affair of course. Gov. Hughes was re-
spectfully greeted. but he did not discuss
| the question which is the one big question
| to those negroes.
| So. with these roseate reports from the
interstate managers. bringing the blush of
L