New-York tribune., 1908-09-30
THE VITAL ISSUE.

According to press dispatches from the
Northwest Mr. Bryan has been ua'ellins
through the Dakotas a day ahead OF MI AaI'
and leaving behind him a trail Of questions TOT
b;s onnonent IN answer Yet, after all, tnere Is
only one question which greatly concerns loo
voters of the Northwest, as well as the so'eio
of the country generally OUTSIDE tne NV W.,
South. which chooses 10 act IN poillios
ont asking auv questions 1t is this Is MI
ne - ar, Rrvan the better man to take up
..+be burdens of the Presidency and to carry
..o. +bo nolicies of the Roosevelt admlnlstra-
..tiong" The voters of the country nave heIet
taken very seriously Mr.. Bryans cfdlih uh"'
bo ehouId he considered as both the Iole-
r1nner and the heir of Mr.. Roosevelt Nv"
+ho+ +be President has repudiated him as
fraudulent claimant and demolished MS status
as q next of kin legatee the Democfauc IIosi
den+isI candidate will have to shirt MS atutuue
and ssk for an election on the grouhu liial ne
has nothing in common with the Presiueh' anu anu
that in choosing him the country wiz
its anxiety for change. o+
I,o--or5 his axn1oded claim to heirship, what
hos Mr. Rrvan ever had to recommend MIN 10
the voters who want to see the present regime
If constructive and progressive leglslatoh ~
tho nublic interest indorsed and conuhueu'
The \ehrYl ska leader regretted the other ga!
No doub+ with deep sncerty-that he mad never
en5ovad = chance to show his metue III an
o1r,i,istra+iva office. He enyied Mr.. Taft the
lstter's many opportunities to prove nls Ca
nacity as an administrator and statesnlah' IL
is in fact Mr. Bryan's great handlcap ds
eool,or of the Presidential Office that he has
made his reputation solely as a talker. he
hos meyer had his worth and steadrasCness
+os+ed hv tbe p1lzzIing practical problems Whlcn
o-;So 1o vex the Judgment of the man VINO
,,,,,e+ do things The man who has never beeh
OBLIGED TO redeem his words is at an immense
disadvantage compared with the man VINO mas
mot all the responsibilities of numerous III
,or+ant +r71sts. and has conducted great enter
nrises without accident or reproach AS
r,oro Trainer of phrases and expounder OF
academic doctrines Mr.. Bryan cannot oHeI u
tne voter any of the guarantees OF sausIdcIOlS
performance offered by a man Win
of action like Mr.. Tafts.
-, &c q man of words Mr. Bryan has eX-
bihi+od TOO often the instability which comes
1ri+t easy and irresponsible theorizlng. he
has never had TO apply his notions, ana mas
therefore, heen tempted into fatherlng all hIhus
of incomnlete and half-baked schemes IN ecu
nornics and politics, whose rulnous conoeque'o
Tho country has fortunately never been con-
.oI,o5 70 face Would Mr. Bryan's reputation
.. statesman have survived the triumph OIL
his silver imitation ideas of 1896! we 90 hoC
doubt that the country WOULD nave 'u. neu ~
him and rent him if he had succeeoeo III ue
s+roving our standard of value and 1solatihs
MS from all the other great commercial ana III
dustrial nations. He would probably not nave
outlived politically the successful applIcalioH
of his anti-imperialistic policy OF I9oV, anu
he could not hope to outlive serious atuenipI
70 MT his 1906-'07 theory of government OWL
ersbfn and operation of the railroads into prac-
+ice Mr.. BRYAN is an unstable and fertile asl-
tator seizing and exploiting ideas as he mas
thought thai he could turn them to temporary
odvantage, But his rolling stone record has
repeIled the confidence of the American peo,
nile They do not trust him as pracucal
leader and administrator. The vital issue oI
4he camnaign he is now engaged in IS the con-
trast between his own improved capacity as
man of action and the proved efnclency Q. n.
Taft. 1EAiAst