Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-07-11
Secretary Taft is Busy Getting
the National Campaign Under Way

SA VAN SANS En.-b A-"EuLE E&r.A
Mr.. Taft knows how to meet people
and please them and 1t is certain that
this iss, an attribute of the successful
politician that cannot be overlooked.
He has this faculty to a rare degree.
He realizes the Importance Of cooper
alton on the part Of all Republican
hands in the campaign this summer
and fall and when he meets a man
and talks to him he is quite apt to
get him impressed with the import.
ance of giving genuine aid to the CO.
operative movement. He believes the
Republicans are certain to defeat Mr..
Bryan. but he will not be satisfied by
any means with a victory won on a
narrow margin. He wants the victory
to be decisive and especially he wants
to break into the solid south. He
believes there is excellent prospect
for accomplishing this and when he
speaks of the solid south he does not
include Kentucky and Missouri. Ten
nessee and North Carolina are two of
the southern states where the Re-
publicans are thought to have a good
lighting chance. Tennessee is good
fighting ground for the Republicans,
not. as many suppose, because of the
appointment OF General Luke e.
Wright. but because of the extreme
bitterness aroused between the Pat
terson and Carmack wings. of! the
Democratic party in the fight over the
goyernorship. No small part of Mr..
Taft's support for the nomination came
from the south and If he could sue
coed in breaking into 1t in genuine
fashion he would be deeply gratiied
for many reasons
MI. Taft looks on the middle west
as the real battle ground Of the cam
paign, as, indeed, do most politicians.
He is going to give that part of the
country much attention. 1t is true
that he will not make many stump
speeches but he will have in mind In
what he says and writes the senti.
ments Of the middle west voters. Thus,
he will speak out on tariff revision in
palmer terms than the platform does
and will leave no doubt that he is for
a genuine revision downward, despite
the position taken by the American
Protective Tariff league that the plat
form means revision upwards. OF
course, New York will be a great bat
tie ground. But outside Of New York,
the states Of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Kansas
and Missouri will be given special at
tention. This does not mean that
other states will be neglected but it
is realized the Democrats will put
forward tremendous efforts in these
states and that much efforts will have
to be counteracted. Indiana, of all
these states, is, perhaps, as doubtful
as any, though the state ticket put up
by the Republicans is considered more
in doubt than is the national ticket
and especially II Mr.. Taft succeeds,
as he seems likely to, in soothing the
feelings Of the Indiana Republican
leaders which were slightly ruffled at
Chicago. It appears likely the Chicago
headquarters of the national commit
tee will become more important in this
campaign than the eastern headquar-
tiers. In the different western states
named is a powerful Roosevelt fol
lowing, voters of radical tendencies,
who will vote for whateverDman they
feel will best carry forward the Roose-
welt program. Mr.. Taft appreciates
that he cannot afford to lose the con
fdence Of these voters and his talks
with leading politicians in recent days
will be of much value to him as Civ
ing him an index to public senti-
ment in the chief seat of war between
now and November.
7 !, a Weuiver