The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-11
NOBODY BUT TAFT.
William Allen White Tells Chicago
People He Alone Can Win.

Chicago. March 11.-"Bryan undoubt-
eddy could beat Hughes, Fairbanks,
Cannon or any so-called reactionary,
but Taft would beat Bryan"
That was the political opinion voiced
by William Allen White of Emporia,
Kan, editor and author, in discussing
the presidential situation. Mr. White
came to Chicago to make three
speeches.
II can't see Bryan winning except
against one of the distinguished gentle
men that certain sections of the Repub
dictionary" said Mr.. White.
"AS far as I have sounded the Senti-
ment of the country-and have travel
ed around good deal of late-the gen.
eral public is strongly for the Roose-
welt policies. At least. the policies
which have come to be called the
Roosevelt policies, but which are, as
matter OF fact, nothing more than
concrete representation of the ideas
which a great mass of the American
people have had in their minds for sew
eral years.
The candidate of the Republicans.
therefore, who is to be successful at the
polls in November must be a man who
is in sympathy with the Roosevelt poll
cies. If such a man is nominated be-
lieve there is no doubt that he will be
elected as against Bryan or any other
candidate the Democrats can name. 1t
country is sick of Republican rule, but
I have seen nothing of that alleged Re-
publican illness. ~
eff Taft, who is in sympathy with
those principles. is named, 1 think that
he will carry the country. But If
man antagonistfc to the Roosevelt ideas
is named and Bryan is chosen by the
Democrats. Bryan will sweep the coun-
try, because he will be considered more
in touch with the Roosevelt propaganda
camp.
Mr.. White then turned to the prohi
bition question.
This prohibition wave which seems
to be sweeping the United States said
he, sis, as far as have been able to
analyze it by travelling around in many
states not a prohibition wave at all,
but an anti-saloon wave. The people
do not want to prohibit the drinking
of light wines, beer, and so forth, but
it's evils.
'It is an anti-saloon war much more
than it is an anti-liQuor war. The sa-
looms as such have done so much harm
and are doing so much harm that the
good sense of the American nation Is
against the saloon"
In a speech at the Press club Mr..
White raped some of the critics OF
the editor in this fashion,:
mo matter how little man Knows,
no matter If he has as little moral sense
as a scorpion and no more general In
telligence than an oyster; no matter IL
a man does not know how many toes ne
has without stopping to count them. he
always knows enough to run a news
paper better than the men who are do
ing it. 40
newspaper business, but In every craft
and profession, when man may De MS
own master. Today in this country a
man who deliberately adorns himself
with the shackles of any creed, any
leader. any system, any party Whlch
he thinks is wrong, or who sells his
freedom to live his life candidly for
the price of an office or business, is
worse than the aneient slave.' .-
Taft Long in Ptibiic-Has Little.
"I rode up with Taft from Kansas
City to Chicago not long ago, SAID
White, land I want to tell you I
changed my opinions about him good
deal I like him first rate.
'sIn the first place, he must be on
the square, for he is poor man. Do
you know that when he landed IN san
Francisco from his trip around the
world. he had no roof over his head,
no furniture, and only $1,000 in the
bank?
NOW, to have been in public office
as many years as Taft has, and TO
at the age of 81 years, speaks mighty
eloquently, to my mind, of his scrupu-
lous and old fashioned honor.
Did you ever stop to think, too,
that you never saw a picture or TAFT
in which his coat wasn't wrinkled?
When he took his wife and child
around the world they had no maid or
valet. In these days of bursting gra-
naries no Kansan would make the trip
under such hardships."
Would "Clean Up the Desk"
White thought that Taft's function
n he sf11a
HE hasn't the initiative that Roose-
vent has, the editor said. He
wouldn't be the kind~ef man to push
new legislation and open up new
questions. No, that's not Taft. He'll
get up in the morning and have his
little cold bath, and his can of Calls
themes, and his breakfast of toasted
bannocks. or whatever it Is that con
demned presidents eat. and then he
will go to his desk-Theodore Roose-
velt's desk-and clean it up.
HE will take the laws that Roose-
welt forced congress to pass and he
will whip those laws through the
up the situation. Well have statutes
then, not merely congressional enact
ments. That, to my mind. is the serv-
ice that Taft is going to perform,
would be nominated on the first ballot.
.sIf he isn't" he said, "it won't be
Hughes, or Cannon. or Knox. or Fair
banks. 1t will be Theodore Roosevelt.
D'you know they are getting awfully
worried again over that possibility
down east? 1t is actually bringing
New York around for Taft. Anything,
thew say, except another four years of
that Cromwell in the White House.
East Fears Roosevelt Stampede.
What they are afraid Of is that If
there is hitch on the first ballot,
some fellow from Oklahoma. orsTexas,
will see a chance for immortality and
will get I'D and say: 'Tll-with-the-
o-crats,-I-nom-i-nate Theodore
Ruzevelt for-president.' And then the
old rebel yell will go across that con-
vention, and New york, anxious to
keep the record straight. will drop