Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1908-09-18
DEMOCRATIC TICKET.
HUGHES TELLS TALES.

Governor Hughes of New York, a
would have been if he could presiden-
hal candidate, and he Estill hopes a
presidential possibility, has been airing
his views of Bryan and the Democrat
ic party. 1t little becomes Mr.. Hughes
to speak lightly of that party because,
but for it or large part of it in New
York, Mr.. Hughes would never have
been a governor of New York. But
Mr.. Hughes, like other men, cannot
talk of Mr.. Taft without giving away
the whole scheme. Take the following
extract from his most recent speech:
Is there one who does not believe in
his heart of hearts that the selection of
Mr.. Taft by Mr.. Roosevelt as hIs can
didate for the Presidency at the very
moment when he himself was thrust
ing aside the Presidency, was with the
honest purpose to secure the best pos
sible administrator of the great policies
that were dear to his heart Is it to
dishonest purpose that Mr.. Bryan
claims to be the heir, and is it possible
to aScribe desire to perpetuate per
sonal power to the man who held the
highest power in his grasp and reject
ed it?
'The selection of Mr.. Taft by Mr..
Roosevelt" Does this not prove all
that the Democrats have claimed. They
have asserted that Mr.. Roosevelt has be
come Dictator-not King-as yet, but
so great person, that he dictated his
seccessor. The kingship will come
later and Teddy will be on hand. Re
publicans have denied and do now de
ny that Roosevelt dictated this nomi
nation. They allege that Taft was
called by the people; they repudiate as
false any assertion that Taft became {
candidate other than by reason of his
own personality. They say the people
wanted him. This, however, proves
Mr.. Hughes mistaken,i if not falsifier
But Mr.. Hughes knowing that Taft
was dictated by Roosevelt, put the
, dictator on the highest ground posi-
BILE. He says he was honest, and it was
done with the honest purpose to Sc
cure the best possible administrator Of
the great policies that were dear to his
heart" Here again is the credit OF
having candidate in Taft all given to
Roosevelt. But it was done says Mr..
Hughes with an HONEST purpose OF
course it was. Honesty and public
welfare are the stock in trade of dicta-
tors and tyrants.
Kings have often abdicated in favor
of successors. Mr.. Roosevelt. accord
ing to Mr.. Huges, did this because in
the last sentence of the above quotation
he says that Mr.. Roosevelt held the
highest power in his grasp, that is Mr..
Roosevelt could have had the nOmina-
ton, but trejected it" in favor of his
successor, Mr.. Taft. This speech may
have been strong one from Repub-
lican stand point, but it is one which
tells tales out of school. 1t not only ad-
mits that Taft is the product of Roose-
welt, tool, bit of political clay, but
that Roosevelt rejected the place he
could have had, and could have been
three times Amounted. In other words
he could have been president as long as
he chose, but his ambition did not rise
to it now. He named his successor,
and having done so retired for while,
and after which, if the call seems loud
enough, he can return and take up his
own policies, the policies of imperial
ism, where he left them off.