The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-10-07
! H.|A
REACHED
HIGH
HI tory o 1896
and 1900 Being
Repeated

based upon know dge gained by close
observation of William j. Bryan's tac.
tics In his two previous dasnes for the
Presidential stakes enabled the Replh.
licap managers to prophecy, as they
did among themselves that the Begin
lling. OF October would ind the rela.
tive ttlons IT Mr.! Taft and Mr.. Bry-
an III The political armament exactly
as they are to-day, with Mr.. Taft gain.
ing ground steadily as Mr, Bryan
loses.
Mr.. Brysn has rapeated once more.
He virtually shot his bolt by October
in 1896 and agai, IN 1902. He q not 4
laster. In the yernacular Of the trot.
ting track, he is a3Fgtarter norse.' He
gets OFF aneai at the drop OF the fiag.
trots like a macfAne ar-und the first
turn. breaks on the back stretch and
fails behind. while his antagonist
keeps to his stride and finishes strong
with Mr.. Bryan eallnn'ng, instead OF
trotttng, scores Of yards in the rear.
When Chairman Hitchcock and his
associates planned the campaign two
months ago there was one element
inst they knew they bad to content
with. That was Republican apathy.
over.confidence based upon the evi.
dent belief Of the voters that there
could be no nosvlble question cS Mr..
Taft Winning over Mr.. BRYAN. There
was no question hut taat majority
of the Rapubllcln electors when they
Saart thrt Mr. Tsft had been morn.
f7Gtth and that Mr.. BRYAN was to be
bis aDtagon'st, settled hack content.
edly. quite satisfied that they would
Dc their full duty hv turning up5 at the
rplls m election day and voting the
Renuhlican ticket. The leaders also
took into consideration that this list
lassress to a great extent wonld be
reutra; ;fged by Mr., BRYAN himself. The
t:ling which worried them was the nos.
sibilitg that aIF BRYAN would absHdoi
Ibis nsual lha bit and 4 Instead s 0f ta K
fpg he stump ali 90 sSs "a haen
hi s4ort would cand dhck his csmpafgti
from Lincoln If he began to travel
md talk as freely as he did in 1896
md 1900, they figured that fear 1f
the old ghost OF BixanisTn and what
u represents In princinles OF erratIc
snd untEfef government policies would
scare the Republicans and bestir them
to action.
Fighting spirit of Republicans is
Aroused.
All this csme TO pass. No m-re
eloquent. spectacular and for the
once convincing political casuist
than Mr.. Bryan ever attained toSprtmc
importance in national politics. He
nossesses the gift above all men now
IN public life Of inspiring temporary
enthusiasm and saying things that
sound we'll and look equally well in
rrint. From a news standpoint alone,
Mr.. Bryan cannot be ignored, even by
the opposition press. When a Repub.
litan. no matter how confident he may
be OF his candidates election. picks
ND his paper day after day and reads
oi the cayortings OF Mr.. Bryan, how
he sneaks powerfully and tirelessly
fifteen or twenty times between dawn
and dusk, covering hundreds OF miles,
being listened to by big audiences. he
is bound to feel doubts rise within him.
It Is an old political trHtsm that II you
can get Republicans thoroughly scared
like sixty. That Is what is happening
now. The Republicans, the rank and
file Of the party, had up to within ten
days even worse attacks of Bryanftts
than when Bryan was. in prospect.
sweeping State after State into his
train. tn the late sumer eight and
twelve years ago Now, as a Repub.
lican senator from the Middle West
who called at headquarters to-day. ex.
pressed II, ''they're up and busting
like a jack rabbit with hound dog
three jumps behind"
The scare Is over now. Mr.. Taft be.
can to turn the tide before he had
been twenty.fonr hours out en- his cam.
naign tour. The people like to be
Shown. They want TO see the man
for whom tiey are going to vote. to
study MIN at close range, to size him
Fup face to face and figure II he meas.
vres I'M TO their personal standard Of
what a Presidential candidate ought to
be. And if they like him. as every
one dogs who sees and hears Mr., Taft.
and ~ he has the ability to deal ont
to them nlatn, stmple. sensible, copper.
riveted Republican doctrine. as Mr.,
Taft does. without speclous tricks OF
orato.y or spreal-eagle demonstra-
tions, they 90 back home vita their
faith renewed and determined to win
over to their side every man they can
get hold OF.
TAFT Has Made Good.
Daily renorts are coming TO head
quarters OF the deem and favorable i'm
pr6ssicns created by Mr.. Taft wher-
ever he has snoken in Ohio. Mlnneso-
tn. Iowa. Nebraska, South Dakota and
the other States where he has trav.
eled. The effect Of his presence and
tile recession Of the Bryan wave Is
shown by the change in the tenor Of
the statesments given out from the
democratic national headquarters and
by the gossin which drifts into the cor.
lridors Of the Hoffman House from
Chairman Niack,s ONCE. They are Stif.
tS Der cent. less optimistic since Mr..
Taft leaDea into the saddle. Even
their claims otJa Bryan victory In New
York are less assured IN tone, They
also realize that. no mai Ter how ener;
lgetieally they may toll 10 carry Iii
Empire state aIl that they can a !
vs. sure ttcsbe nlidcne when Mr., Tai.
fe.6N4tniIs1 - I,SSS lse5,S5 n - ~