The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1908-08-07
WHAT WILL THE YER.
DICT BE.

A shrewd observer was asked tn
other day how the presidential elec
tion was going. He says that tn
man who pretends to predict nov
how 1t is going is either fool or
fake. Then he proceeded about OF
this strain:
"It seems to be a clear case tina
no man who ever entered upon th'
presidency is so qualified for i; a
Mr.. Taft, who is lawyer, who is ;
statesman. He has had wonderful
experience in every direction; he
has clear, judicial mind, reinforced
by years of presiding on the bench
has been around the world; he
knows how everything is in the
Philippines and Cuba and on the
isthmus. His naturally fine mind
has been expanded by experience,
by study and by travel. l cannot
think of any president that the
United States has ever had that
entered the Office equipped as we'll
as Mr.. Taft today.
"On the other hand, there is Mr..
Bryan, and while he has twice been
defeated, he has lost nothing in the
enthusiasm of his followers for him.
He can draw bigger crowd than
any of them and his bitterest enemies
do not dare to impeach his integrity
as man, and there must be in the
man tremendous force to 50 hold
himself up that In the estimation of
a great nation forty-hve out of the
forty-six states of his party declare
for him for president.
"But who is going to be elected is
another thing. Had the decision
reversing Judge Lands in the Stand
ard Oil case been postponed until a
week before election my belief is it
would have elected Mr.. Bryan.
Gould the election come tomorrow
with all the discordant elements
which now fill the peoples mind
with apprehension and sometimes
with fear, l am not sure that NV.
Bryan would not be elected, aud
even up to election day there will be
at least 100000 voters in the
United States whose best friends
will not know how they are going to
vote. To predict an election now
is gambling ON impulse and not on
Judgment. Had the same candi-
dates been nominated four years
ago Mr.. Taft would have been tri-
umphantly elected, but that would
have been half on Mr.. Roosevelt's
reputation Now if he is elected 1t
will have to be on his own merits,
and l doubt very greatly whether
the presidents favoring him is a
help for him. There is this diff.
ference between the two men. We
know alntaSt positively in advance
what Mr.. TAft's covrse willibe. We
cannot tell what Mr. Bryan will do
if he ever gets into the presidents
chair, because while the senate may
be against him the president can do
a grea. maSy things in spite of con-
gress. He has the executive office.
We believe he will insist on having
the trusts prosecuted. We do not
believe he Wsil make any change In
the Philippines, because all that the
Democratic platform asks for in re-
gard to those islands is what those
In charge for the last four years have
been leading up to and promising
Just as soon as the islanders can he
trusted. l do not believe that if
elected Mr.. Taft will recommend an
income tax bill. l believe if Mr..
BRYAN is he will recommend it with
the certainty in advance that it can
not pass. 1 believe that Nj Taft
will recommend a strong revision of
the protective tariff. l believe that
Mr.. Bryan will recommend that
protection be relegated almost out
of sight.
"They are both lusty Americans;
they are both great men; they both !
have a tremendous following, but