The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-09-27

But the best observers do not agree
with him in such expectations. At
best they think he will only reduce
very largely the former Republican
majorities in presidential years and
that he will run behind the Demo
cratic gubernatoriaf nominees in Con-
necticut, Rhode Island, West Virginia,
Ohio, Indiana and Minnesota. The
Democrats are conceding as much with
reference to the last three States.
Bryan said the other day that he did
not regard himself as strong in Illinois
as ex-Vice President Stevenson, the
Democratic nominee there for Gov
ernor,
Avalanche OF ''split" Tickets.
There is more than one reason to ex-
pect such an outcome. Many Demo
Gratis have acquired the habit in recent
years-and the elections have demon
strated that the tendency is growing
of voting for Democratic local tickets
and for the Republican national tick
cts. Ballot laws make it easier than OF
yore to split tickets. East of the Mis-
sissippi river, the Democrats have NOM
mated more conservative men for Of
fee, men who are supposed to be more
in accord with the masses of Democrat
ic voters of their section than Mr.,
Bryan is. Then the Republican state
governments have not been as satisfac-
tory in their administration of public
affairs as the Republicans have been, on
the whole, in Washington.
On the other hand, while efforts to
get the Republicans into the thick of
the campaign thoroughly united, have
been only partially successful, the mi
nority party has not been so harmo-
NOUS, outwardly at least, for many,
many years. Every week has been add
ing something to their compaetness as
voting army. Mr.. Bryan and his lieu
tenants, of course, are making the most
of this. Hence their broad smiles and
their predictions that "All we need to
do is to hold what we already have. !"
Taft's Tour Significant.
Coupled with other recent political
events, the decision of Nominee Taft,
all but finally made, to go upon the
stump in the West is very significant
at this stage of the presidential cam
paign. 1t means that the pro,Bryan
sentiment in that section is largely
identical with the pro-Roosevelt senti-
ment and that the voters who are OBJ
sessed with the Roosevelt Bryan ideas
are by no means yet convinced that
Taft would be the preferable occupant
of the White House for the next four
years. 1t also means that the radical
western sentiment, which cropped out
50 prominently at the Chicago conven-
ton has not receded as numerous wise
prophets claimed that it would do.
Polls have been taken already in
some of the western states. By this
and by other means of determining the
political trend, the Republican leaders,
state and local, have fathomed some
thing of the depth and direction of the
currents. They have Immediately re-
ported and put in their appeals for
help, which in turn have gone up to
Chairman Hitchcock and by him made
plain to Mr.. Taft. Now Mr.. Taft and
his lieutenants are celebrating whether
the plans for a front porch campaign
exclusively, as far as the nominee is
concerned should be changed, with Mr..
Hitchcock already admitting publicly
the possibility" that they will be.
If the early September polls and recon
noitering had disclosed satisfactory en-
thusiasm for the nominee and a general
alignment of the normal Republican
strength for him the change would not
be proposed Mr. Taft would follow the
presidents of Republican presidential
nominees ever since the disastrous
Blaine campaign of 1884 and pass the
months of September and October in
his home PIty of Cincinnati
Time for Real Serious Work.
The Washington politicians do not
infer from these striking developments
that Bryan is going to be elected They
only recognize the prospects of a close
campaign and that the necessity is
right at hand for the most aggressive
and determined combat the Republicans
have made since 1896. memorable in all
presidential campaign annals. They
! see in it the possibility, not the prob
ability, that blocks of western states
! may flock to Bryan and make his cleo
toral total so close to one half of the
entire college as to be uncomfortable
Then with the radical western senti-
ment for Bryan running unchecked all
through the preliminary stages of the
campaign, and probably, according to
reports here, increasing, the imperative
demands upon the national leaders to
cheek 1t are recognized.
The batteries of heavv artilInrv