Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-09-09
Governor huahes on Bryan.

much praise from Democratic quarters
in the future. The speech Of Gov
ernor Hughes was a mastery and I'M
ansWcrable effort and is commented
upon by one of the leading newspapers
as one Of the ablcst utteranccs of the
campaign, standing on a par with Mr.,
Talt's speech of acceptance. If any
thing was Geedcd to make sure his re
NJ animation by the New York Republic
cans and to establish his standing as
one of the strong men of the party, it
was this great speech at Youngstown,
Ohio, in which the candidacy of Mr..
Taft was given such ar unqualified en-
dorsement and that of Mr.. Bryan con-
denncd in such scathing terms.
The leading issues of the tariff, the
trusts bank deposit guarantee and
injunction, as presented by the Demo-
cratic platform and candidate, are
mercilessly dssected by Governor
Hughes, but what he makes particu-
larly clear is what has been remarked
upon before, namely, that the para
mount issue of the campaign is not
found in the platforms but in the per-
Sonality of the candidates. Here it is
in a nutshell. The presidency is the
greatest and most responsible office
on earth. First and chiefly we are
el"cting a President, the executive Of
the nation" Mr.. Bryan has said that
his platform sis binding as to what
it olnts as we'll as to what it con-
tains." Here is what Gov Hughes
says as to that:
"Therc are q thousand eXigencieS in
the affairs of this great nation which
cannot be foreSecn or attempted to be
controlled by any platform. The sa-
gacity, StcadineSS of character, firm
ness and sound judgment of the chief
executive must be the security of the
nation in many trying emergency
And the man who eSpouSed
free silver in 1896. renewed it's ad-
vnracy in 1900 and later declared his
belief in government ownership of
railroads cannot be regarded ae a safe
leader to whom may be cOnfided the
great powers of the President merely
because those doctrines are omitted
from his present platform. The cOun-
try needs II man rock based in sound
conviction and fundamental principle
i'll whose good judgment in any diff
fcultv all may feel secure, and such
man pre-eminently is William II.
Taft
He describes the candidacy of Mr.
guide post. 1t not only commence
rates the fallacies and unsafe policies
Of 1896 and 1900, but it also points the
way to business uncertainty and the
Impairment of confidence. which is
the security of industry and trade"
This is particularly striking pas
sage:
eff all that Mr.. Bryan has favored
during the past twelve years had been
enacted into law we should have been
overwhelmed with disaster and would
regard it as our chief business in the
future to find a way Of escape from
the meshcs of i'll considered legislation
i'm which we should have been en-
tangled. 1t is fortunate for him rs
we'll as for us that he was defeated,
and whatever may be his present poll
tica potcntiality can be aScrib"d to
the fact that hitherto he has not been
permitted to carry out his program
Holding an influential leadership
because of what he has been pre-
vented from DOING That is a novel
way Of putting it, but true. That
characterization of monument and
guide post is likely to stick The
speech drives home the truth that
Mr. Bryan is dreamer and theorist
and an unsafe man to whom To trust
the dnstinies Of the nation. His
method is to evolve solutions and
remedies for public wrongs from his
inner consciousness and to urge them
with supreme confidence in their eff
ficacy. When We consider his trust
remedies eve find ourselves Journey
ing in a land of Dreams The Gov
ernor tears these to pieces and shows
IS to /. He shows how impracticable
ii would be to apply the policy of Ii
oensing corporations and forbidding
any to control more than 80 per cent
of the product consumed in the United
States. and he shows the result Of
such a policy. what vision Of
b,,Sipacc uncertainty and confusion. Of
idle and impaired plants; of the rain
of wcrkmen whose lives have clustered
round particular industries, and
who depend on their continued eff
cheney, is presented by this fanciful
remedy for the destruction of trusts!"