Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1908-05-22
thinks BRYAN'S
Chances best.
Republicans Even Concede that Taft
Is Weak.
1T LOOKS AS IF EACH PARTY'S NOMI-
NEE is NOW THOROUGHLY SETTLED
UPON-A SUMMING UP.
Richmond Journal.

NEE is NOW THOROUGHLY SETTLED
UPON-A SUMMING UP.
Richmond Journal.)
Washington, May 18.-"It is all over
but the shouting, on both sides, is the
way the present political situation is
summed up by those who seldom make
such declarations before there are facts
to bear them out. Secretary Taft has
the Republican nomination cinched
now. The conventions which have been
held this week settle the matter so far
as Chicago is concerned. 1t is now be-
coming the general belief here that,
seeing their hopeless case, the allies
will probably move to make it unani
nous before the first ballot at Chicago
is taken.
On the Democratic side the nominal
ton of Mr.. Bryan is as certain as any
thing political can ever be- He has
enough support to assure him safety
from any "tail wagging the dog" per-
formances. All the opposition to Mr..
Bryan has ever hoped for was to get
scant one-third, but now even that
hope is gone a-glimmering.
With the question of nominees set
tied it is interesting to speculate on
what the result of the. election will be.
OF course the majority OF. loyal party
men on each side believe their candi-
date will win. But looking at the mat
ter dispassionately, there are so many
things to be considered that it is all
but impossible to accurately forecast
the allignments of the campaign.
WHO WILL THE NEGRO VOTE
FOR?
One of the questions that will be in
volved is that of how the negro will
vote. He has hitherto adhered pretty
faithfully to the Republican party,
despite the innumerable times that he
has been turned down by that party.
And the Republican leaders expect
him to stand by the party again. They
declare they have no dread of Browns
vile, because although the negro will
kick up a lively rumpus beforehand,
on election day he will be found march
ing up to the polls like tin soldier
and depositing his ballot for the Re
publican party. So faithful has the
negro been to the Republicans, that he
has uniformly, in the States where
they hold the balance of power, and
they are numerous enough to elect or
defeat president, failed to force things
in his favor by an exercise of that bal
ance of power.
1t is doubted here whether the negro
will be broad enough to grasp the OPP
portunity that is his or not. But in
this particular case that opportunity
lies in voting the Democratic ticket.
The negro is rapidly losing his old time
and the National Committee is now
expected to recognize the lily white
delegates, giving the black and-tans
nary show. II the negroes go ahead
voting the Republican ticket, as they
have been, the party will be fortified
in their conclusions that they can
count on the negro vote no matter what
they do to him between elections. And
that will mean more lily-white conven-
lions and more cases like Brownsville.
| CHANCE OF A LIFETIME.
But suppose the Republicans were to
discover that the negro was breaking
away from them? Suppose he would
vote the Democratic ticket to man
this time? There would certainly be
the widest scramble for the negro vote
at the following election you ever saw.
Every sort of sop that the Republican
leaders could throw-and they have
greater variety Of vote-getting sop than
you would meet up with in all the rest
of the world-would be thrown at them.
Brownsville would be voted their way,
serious effort would be made to cut
down Southern representation in Con-
gress or to force the South to restore the
suffrage to the negro, lily-white con-
ventions would be banished forever,
and the negro vote would be courted
more assiduously than any vote ever
was courted before.
A few of the Washington negroes
have seen this point, and have an
nounced their intention of taking that
course If they should succeed in lead
ing their fellows to the same course it
would probably be very excellent
thing for them in the long run and a
very bad one for the Democrats. Pre-
dictions differ as to whether Mr. Bryan
will get the bulk of the negro vote or
not. Some declare that Taft will prom
Use certain things to the negroes, among
| other things to return Senator Foraker
| to the Senate and favorable action on
his bill to restore the negro troops to
the army.
TEMPERANCE, LABOR, BOSSES.
Mr.. Taft is an advocate of the can
teen in the army. MI. Bryan is oppos-.
ed to it. 1t remains to be seen what
effect this will have on the temperance
vote.
Mr.. Taft has always been hostile to
the principles which lie closest to the
heart Of labor. Mr.. Bryan espouses
those principles. There is wide diver
gence of opinion as to what effect this
will have in the campaign.
Mr.. Bryan is consistently opposed to
the corrupt bosses in politics, and re-
fuses to have any dealings with them.
Mr.. Taft two years ago denounced Boss
Cox of Cincinnati, in the most unspar-
ing terms. Now Boss Cox is one of his
right hand men, and has walked away