New-York tribune., 1908-09-14
TAFT ON THE STUMP
u1S METHOD AND BRYANS
Oratory Not So GHher7ng as the
p1otts Brand, but More Effective.
rn. Telegraph to The Tribune J

salo ,o-- week and his most ardent ad
su" o,not question the truth Of his asser-
~ ,f course, Mr.. Taft was thinking of his
nO"- IN the Presidential race when he as
op ,,s own oratorical limitations as much
80, he added that he must deal with facts.
. . .s largely Judge Tafts inaoihty TO paint
il "Ao .-.,,-.s 70 clothe glittering nothings with
N..ical language, 10 employ ali the resources OF
p0erO' Oo,,d metaphor and hyperbole. as does his
sini'40 z-i+h such rare facility, that led his
opFo 5,.,sers TO question the advisability
ponu0-- -, ~, the stump in competition with
OF HE :, Nebraskan manipulation OF Ian
gusse IN .,.n,sa M ansiencs with q
t,, .ocount of the hardships Of the down
- ,ahoring man: he will not thrill his
~ ~lIo11 --,.b o-a1orical flights embodying his
-e4erences TO "a cross Of gold and crown
-. he will excite no frenzy with vehe-
u .I,-,on Of the perfidy OF the plutocrats- He
* So, himself TO facts, to clear cut, tncisive
,-io1s of the truth. and to simple, logical
--.;-s therefroul- Even the picturesque
-. Of President Roosevelt will be lacking.
S -os the knowledge OF this which led
~r,,-nsn Hitchcock 10 advise against speaking
Cnn--''- 80 advocate a quiet porch campaign:
NJ hitchcock and other Republican leaders
% W hanged their minds They have come TO
% -, lines Judge Taft make 8 deeper
-.,s,on iH' on the minds Of his hearers than
.,e brilliant orator OF the Platte
I u-vsr's ught and airy nothings and his
..r,c n-a-iods DO not make the lasting i'm
--.sson on his audience which the simple truths
re- Mr.. Taft expresses with such absence OF
--.,,,icaI effort make upon his hearers, and IN
~, o,,uiou of those who have heard both speak
.-s during this campaign. many OF Bryans most
.-.,,s,stic auditors VIII go home and think 1t
.- and then vote for Taft The Democratic
.o- rarely fails TO tickle the fancy OF his
.r5,enoe The Republican candidate ensrsves
,--,on the minds and hearts Of his hearers con-
actions which time does not ehaoe
THINGS BRYAN OVERLOOKED.
of the most advantageous features Of Mr.
-of.,s method Of campaign speaking Is that ne
:, never rypnotized by his own oratory nor mis-
lss nv his own fights Of fancy. Never Will the
,.,rb1icsn candidate be found advocating
uro osition Of his party platform by such arsu-
-os1ts as those Mr.. Bryan urged in favor OF the
sua-autee Of bank deposits He said that as the
-ssu. Of the state guarantee Of bank deposits
.,ss 5enosIts Of the Oklahoma banks had in
,-essed s4yo0eo0 while. doubtless carried
sy,ev nv the spell OF his own eloQuence, he COM
-aste,v forgot TO tell his audiences that Of this
-,o,nt s. 10000 was the sum paid over by
the federal government from the proceeds OF
school lands, and was deposited In the banks
nv the state officials Mr- Tstts speeches, on
the coutrary will bear the keenest analysis Tor
with his mind intent conveying to his hear
s-s .he r,nvarnisled truth rather than upon en-
t-snc.nE them with his oratory, he onlits no
sslent point and creates false impression
And in another respect Mr. Taft has the ao-
vantage over his opponent So obvious is his
sincerity in sll he says that II is invariaoly the
OCCASION of remark. and every time he has de-
livered a political speech the first comment
heard among the audience has been. That man
believes what he says" or words to that effect
AT Athens, Ohio. Judge Taft, addressing four
hundred union coal miners, declared that he
had issued iniunctions. Il issued them because
the rights Of the plaintiffs demanded it When
7 an On the bench enforce the law he said.
and added. and / have no apology to oner-
For moment there was pause or aIrnos1 ora
ratic intensity, and then those four hundred
miners broke not only into applause. but cneerh
and after the address was finished many OF
those union men expressed 70 one another the
same Thought That wasn't no con talk.
they said. He amt great orator. but you
bet he means what he says" Bryan woulon
have told US the truth as plain as that. out
he meant what he said, and he's got The nerve
TO tell the truth" These are but few OF the
comments, all Of the same tenor. which could be
heard among those union miners after Judge
Iafts speech at Athens
HAS TO DEAL WITH FACTS
"T have TO deal with facts Judge Taft told
his sanduskv audience, and he proceeded to do
60 He outlined in the simplest language the
development Of antitrust legislation and the
powers and limitations Of the federal govern
ment Ee used terms which his every nearer
could understand II is probable that few re-
allied the speaker was constituting some OF
the most intricate propositions OF American
jurisprudence without resort TO legal phrase
ology or ahstruse reasoning. but they appreca-
, sted that they were listening TO a man who had
al absolute command OF his subject. and that as
he explained II IL was as simple and as clear as
their Cs.
In the matter OF personal magnetism the
Presidential candidates are probably almost
equally endowed but IN attractiveness OF per-
Bonality Judge Taft has the advantage. That
man has a fine face; ! would trust him any
where" said woman from the West Virginia
mountain districts as she listened 20 the Re-
publican candidate at Hot Springs on Virginia
Day. and the remark may be heard at every
gathering al which Judge Taft appears He In
spires confidence among men and women He
unconsciously imparts e realization OF his thor
ough knowledge, his judicial temperament and
hit absolute sincerity. and il is on this ability
that the Republican leaders are counting in
their plan Of sending the candidate on an ex-
tensive speaking tour.
Nor is Judge Taft slow at repartee- That was
Shown al Cooper Union. when he was subjected
10 an almost merc,ess crossflre Of questions
after bis speech labor shortly before his NOM
ination an the man who undertakes TO twit