The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-07-11
TAFT GOOD
POLITICIAN
This will be Shown by His
Campaign
----i.
ABILITY TO HANDLE MEN
He Wants His Victory to Be Decisive
He Believes the Middle West
VIII Be the Real Battle
Ground.
ABILITY TO HANDLE MEN

II going about the business of getting
the campaign under way in fashion
/ that threatens to convince many Of
those who have criticised him as a poe.
politician that after all they are mis-.
token. Politicians vary IN their me.
thods just ,as lawyers do. AIR Taft is
not politician Of the kind that Mr.
Roosevelt is, but this does not alter the
fact that he has shown extraordinary
ability in the art of handling men and
securing their cooperation Of more
than one trying and difficult occasion.
He has done this in Panama in Cuba,
N the Philippines and clserherc and
there is no reason 80 far as yet ap.
pears why he sno,lld not prove as mas.
ttyful in the political field as he has
in others. None can deny that MIR.
Taft possesses diplomatic ability of a
high order He does not use either the
big stick or any weapon of that sort
habitually. But those that know him
best know that he is capable of swing.
ing club as effectively as anyone His
disposition, however is to paeify AMI
conciliate. In this he resembles Me.
kinley rather than Roosevelt.
Mr. Taft has not yea afforded the
country much opportunity to gauge him
as politician. But il can be said that
the impression that is being formed
among politicians Is Washington, where
| politicians are more numerous than
anywhere else in the United States. IS
that many have nisjudgcd him and mis-
read him in respect to his capacity for
politics. His disposition to reach out
10 all parts Of the country and take
the leaders into his confidence and Sc.
cure their advice aud counsel is looked
on as indicating that he is not going
into the campaign blndly. His friend,
say that there is much misunderstood
ing as to the part Mr.. Taft played in
his own preconvention campaign, and
that he was at all times in close touch
with what was going on and was Civ,
ing direction to things to a much great
cr extent than many suppose. Then he
vas hampered by having on his shout
ders the enormous responsibility Of the
Cfiice Of secretary Of war But now
that he has no official cares, he viii
give unremitting attention to campaign
r,.atters from now on to November.
save when he is recuperating. and il
may be safely predicted that he will
in no small degree be his own campaign
manager.
IN the last week. since Mr.. Taft left
the war department he has been meet
ing leaders from all over the country
and has been doing lot Of talking
with them. He has not by any means
been combining these talks to the
craftsmanship, He il inquiring infinitely
into conditions in different states and
is getting an idea Of what eiiorts win
be necessary in one section and another.
He has called in many men who did not
support him for the nomination and
ONE who have maintained sullen at
titude since the convention, He i
smoothing ont the wrinkles left by the
happenings at Chicago wherever il APP
pears necdful to do so and is getting
the Republican machine in good work
iig order. Already there are numerous
signs that his efforts to bring about
peace and harmony in various quarters
are having their effect and that long
before November the Republican lead
us in every state viii have their coats
OF and will be working for the success
of the ticket
Mr.. Taft knows how to meet epople
and please them and it is certain that
this is an attribute of the successful
politician that cannot be overlooked.
lie has this faculty to rare degree,
He realizes the Importance Of co-opera-
ton on the part OF all Republican
hands in the campaign this summer and
fall. and when he meets man and talks
10 him he is quite apt to get him i'm
pressed with the Importance of giving
~ 4 to the cooperative movement. He
beaeves the Republicans are certain to
defeat Mr.. Bryan but he will not be
satisfied by any means. with vie
tory won on narroR margin. He
wants the victory to be ssSsive and es,
pecially he wants. to bleak into the
solid South He believes there is ex-
cellent prospect for accomplishing this
and when he sepaks NJ The solid South
he does not include Kentucky and Miss
ouri. Tennessee and, North Carolina
are two of the Southern states where
the Republicans are thought to have a
good fighting chance Tennessee is good
fighting ground for the Republicans.
rot, as many suppose. because of the
appointment of General Luke T.. Wright
but because of the extreme bitterness
aroused between the Patterson and
Carmaek wings of the Democratic
party in the fight over the governorship
No small part of Mr.. Taft's support for
the nomination came from the South.
and if he could succeed in breaking into
it in genuine fashion he would be deeply
gratifed for many reasons.
Mr.. Taft looks on the Middle West
RS the real battle-ground of the cam
paign. as, indeed, do most politicians. He
is going to give that part of the conn
try much attention. 1t IS true that
he viii not take many stump speeches
hut he will have in mind in what he
says and writes the sentiments of the