The Democratic advocate., 1908-10-30
REVIEWING THE SITUATION.
Taft Paper Admits Bryan's Election
Is Possible.

From the Baltimore News, Taft.
Never has Maryland witnessed such
persistent campaign as this has
been to elect a President. The roar
of battle has been heard from the
mountains to the sea. Few spots have
been overlooked, and these few will
be remembered before election day.
Democrats of Maryland have made
a continuous fight There was strong
opposition to Bryan IN this State.
When the candidates were named and
the platform adopted it was freely
have a walk-over. Bryan came. AS
of the cheering thousands that gath
cred in the Fifth Regiment Armory
they knew it was "up to them" to go
| to work and go to work they did.
Since that moment the Democratic
sampaign in Maryland has fairly hum
med.
The Republicans Jagged for week
or 10 days. They Thought all they had
to do was to sit tight and hold down
sure thing. Then they woke up and
they have continued to be very much
awake In the meantime the Demo
cratic campaign had attained swing
that refused to be checked. The force
of the swing seems to be growing as
election day approaches.
AS the roar of the oratorical guns
subsided in the city, the Democrats
shifted the scene to the counties
where the Governors of several South
ern States have been enrolled as vol
unteers.
Since the Democrats cut such sor-
ry figure in 1896, 1900 and 1904 the
fight they are waging on this occasion
has started everybody to asking, how
and why? Conditions have changed
and with it the situation.
In 1896 Bryan was SO, now he is 49,
Then he was just an enthusiastic boy
well versed possibly in the politics OF
the plains, but knowing little about
conditions in the great commercial
and financial centers. Every speech
he made stirred his foes to greater
activity.
Today he is an adroit politician. His
speeches so. far, without single ex-
ception, have been an asset to the
party organization that has lined ur
behind him everywhere. He is being
attacked, of course, but the weapon
seems to have proved double-edged
sword.
In 1896, 1900 and 1904 the Repub-
licans seemed never to make a mis-
take and the Democrats always to
blunder In 1908 the Republican cam
paign appears to have been series OF
blenders, and many voters think the
worst mistakes have been made by
President Roosevelt, accounted the
best politician of them all.
In previous Camp, .Gns cash flowed
in steady stream into the Republi-
can campaign fund. Men big in the
railroad and financial world declared
that Democratic success meant nation
al ruin. 1t may be that the big rail
roads are not with Bryan in this fight
but they have certainly done nothing
to hurt him.
Hartman says: "Ill go on build
ing railroads, no matter who wins
On the face of it, this is an impartia
statement but when it is remembered
that Hartman is the man who tool
it upon himself in 1904 to see that the
Republicans had all the campaign
money needed, it is about the equiva
lent of this: I'm not afraid of Bry'
an; l hope he wins" Other leaders
in the railroad world have adopted
an attitude very similar to Harriman's
i Chaos reigns in the labor world
Unions claim a membership of 1,600,
0OO Naturally, they divide as othel
voting elements do, but between tht
dyed-in-the-wool Republican and thu
dyed-in-the-wool Democrat are those
upon whom party ties sit lightly. La
Dor includes many foreign-born citi
zens and others in whom party per
formance is not matter of inheri
ltance. These and others naturall.