The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-27
POLITICAL POINTERS
WALTER wELBMAN.
Analyses the Peculiar Campnfgn of 1908, Witch is Notable by sO Much Discomfort, and in
 Which the DlRerence Be-
 tween the East and

cite all s0rLs or racte ana opinions do. and may do with profit and Inter. est; and that is to study the present mood and temper of the American people. There could be no more fas. man in his senses would claim to lucky if he could feel sure ef kno owins
 ss aSh nSt of yt snyhnS In hs aaa stSey to sas fy the demands of the scientific psy- chologist who loves to have his nien- tai factors all to hand. as If they were cr1clbie for assay down to the small est possible percentage and the rest duary trace" We cannot do that in dealing with the great mass of Amer tai processes of fifteen of sixteen mll- lions of voters is indeed a task of ap. palling magnitude. But there arc many manifestations of the influences these fortunately. are ample to war. rant certain definite conclusions. Our inquiry need not be uninteresting or sSs sssaufe 4 bseasss m paE hans. to add that in making this study we are simply taking things as we find them without any consideration W Wise eAe or aa aSnWise. rational or irratiOnai. analyst. not that of Athe teacher or preacher. Our bushels Is with what is, not with what ought to be-
 In many respects this Is one of the most peculiar and most interesting campaigns for. the presidency we have eyer had; II Is abnormsi Irn in its essen sen nal campaign, one truly suitable to the American temperament, Is one in which these three forces are in con alct; Party Habit; Dssire to Achieve p0lIHX. prnfAat ARAlnSl Other Things. Twelse years ago hall achieve the great policy of the gold icy of himetallism. Eight Sears ago the alignment was the same less m. tensely in q wish to fix the achieved gold standard. on one side. and to pro was the additional motive of approv- Ing or rejecting tine colonial policy which had grown out of the Spanish American war. Four years ago there here petuate the policies of the popular Roosevelt administration. and on his the majority in the affirmative was so overwhelming that the election Was simply & demonstration. not con- test.
 This year only two of the fgnds, ass, Aohisvomsnt Aa4ts aas Fa''s' Of ersss Policy. mandias % policy to be Sehisvsd. There might be if the opposition party stood Roosevelt administration. But It does not. It stands for those policies. only little more. so, Enorts nave neen made on both sides to and some issue issue; rise to the dignity of a ffrst .ciass prin- cipie, absorbing the attention of the people as whole. Those efforts have not met with success; The ,,tb tarin tbs ls masses. however much 3 few may be an issue of the first class, because promises of the two parties. The Ra- publieans have not succeeded Tn really frightening the country with "the menace of Bryanism," nor have. the convincing the masses that bank de- posit guarantee is serious and prac- ttcal question which must be decided Eight. now. So with Repubiiesn alarm and with the Bryan plea that the peo- pie do not rule and the trusts do rule. In the whole field there is not one constructive policy of imposing mag people and makes them believe there are great things to be decided by their ballots.
 whole lot of the American people are this year running about looking for something to shy a rock at. They don't mean much by 1t. but the feel to get 1t out of their systems. They are not fighting mad at all and do nof propose to kick up q general row. But. just the same, they would like to say Q few words to the cook about the coffee and interview the milkman about the cream. When they get into the street car or the suburban train they find most of their neighbors in growing because they can't get seat. They complain that their morning papers are unusually uninteresting. things sy woSd nsd s be dHfffeas of 4 tnd Pey could go down to Washington and run the government for while things would' be much better.
 This striking feature, this saving exception to the rule of discontent hurting the Republicans, is found in the great prosperity and contentment of the farmers. The farmers are in of them have money in bank. so many that the adroit Bryan has been able to appeal to them with his bank de- posit idea. The farmer has lent his money to the bank without any securi- ty. If he wants to borrow from the bank he has to give security. He thinks 1t a poor rule that won't work both ways. When the panic came last fall--it was currency not an indus trial panic-many farmers were un- able to draw their money from the banks. They jidn't like 1t. That did not as yet perceived that what the country needs Is not so much a guar antee of deposits-though in a truly scientific system. which the present be bad thing-but a currency system which would automatically regulate the volume of currency by the de- mand. This will come in good time, antee will not be pressing question, though 1t may well be adopted as part of a scientific system in which the soivency of every banking unit, with authority over the unit commensurate with the responsibility assumed farmers on this issue. few on other things. Many farmers. naturally Democratic but Republican or Roose- Veltian in these recent years of Re- going back into the Democratic ranks. But broadly speaking, the farmer is steady in his Republicanism. He has not joined the movement of protest. high prices for his products he Is able to put money In bank, buy motor cars pianos, carriages, send his children TSy to DsqS eGss upon Ss farmer, and has the farmer with him 1t Is all right. The farmer Is stick ing. generally speaking. Every place else. In towns and cities. mines, fac tories. along the railroads. the Repub- leans are in for losses great or small
 #
 The clerks and saIaried employees generally speaking. in all parts of the country. in some places markedly and in others only to small extent. are in protest. too. The hard times and the cost of living are causes Among al aWfandfng G0Wn fhH