The daily sentinel., 1908-02-04
His STRENGTH
IS UNDER-RATED
Walter WeIman Noted Republican Correspondent for Chi
cago Record Herald, Makes Some Startling State
mens Regarding the Probability Of Bryan Being
President---Why the Nebraskan is More Popular
Than Ever-A Representative Of Roosevelism- Bryan
Roosevelt at-LaFoIette, in the Same Class

or second choice with an even larger
proportion in the middle and far
Western states. The politicians do
| not know what to make of 1t. They
are completely puzzled. But the
truth is plain: A large share mot
| alb of this popularity of Little Bob
| springs from his activity in the lee
| ture field.
Not all. My parenthetic qualifica-
| ton was timely, and this brings us to
the third and most important reason
why Colonel Bryan is so popular. 1t
| is the reason which involves directly
the names of Roosevelt. Bryan, Taft,
La Toilette and indirectly the whole
range of our presidential policies of
this year. 1t brings us right to the
heart of the whole subject, and we
may as well state ii with the utmost
possible plainness and frankness.
| The truth is that what are known as
| the Roosevelt policies have won the
support of a great majority of the
people of all political parties. These
policies are so well known and have
been so much discussed they need
not here be described. With the
question of what should be l have
nothing to do, only with what is.
and the great. vital, potential fact in
l
Roosevelt policies and the war which
wages and is to wage over them.
Are they to be perpetuated or are
| they not? That is the one issue in
American politics. Upon this issue
the presidential campaign is to be
| fought out.
| RoOscveltism.
| 1t is perfectly safe to say that If
one of the great political parties were
to name a candidate who stood in
the minds of the masses for perpet-
uation of Rooseveltism, and the other
great political party were to name
/ candidate who in the opinion of the
people stood for dropping those poll
cies, the first would surely be elected
president. And 1t would not matter
| which party named him.
There are four representatives of
Rooseveltism before the American
people. as judged by the people them
selves, and only four Just four who
have taken high place in the esti-
nation of the people as satisfactory
| agents for carrying on the work
which Roosevelt began.
First and foremost. of course. is
Roosevelt himself. This is why |
have said, and still say, that before
| 1t will nominate an anti-Roosevelt
candidate the Republican party will
force the president to run.
Second oddly enough) in popular
esteem is member, the leader of
the opposition party, none other than
Colonel Bryan.
Third, stands Secretary Taft, the
chosen and logical and promising
bearer of the presidents colors.
Fourth. we find the senator from
| Wisconsin, who Is out-Roosevelting
Roosevelt in congress and out of
congress has endeared him to mil
lions of men in all parts of the coun-
try, especially in the West.
| When you want to ascertain what
a great electorate of 100000 of
voters is going to do, you must first
try to learn what moves the greater
part of the individual units. We
have come to an epoch in our nat
ional life where 1t Is impossible to
say certain party Is sure to carry
the country. Party allegiance means
less and less to a constantly increas-
ing part of the whole mass of voters.
The other issues of tariff (except as
4 the tariff runs into the new ques-
tion), money. Imperialism, are dead.
The only real, living question Is the
one that bears the name of the pres
ent president. This is an issue which
would heavily break party lines
should it be sharply Joined. What
| mean is this:
II the Democrats name Bryan and
the Republicans an opponent of the
Roosevelt policies Cor one the people
think is an opponent, which means
| the same thing), Bryan will be
elected.
| If the Republicans nominate Taft
and the Democrats think to win by
taking the other tack and naming
conservative or reactionary, Taft will
win easily.
II the Democrats name Bryan and
| the Republicans Taft. 1t will make
hard battle, with the chances per-
haps little in Taft's favor.
If the Democrats name Bryan and
the Republicans should run amuck
and force the president to run again,
| II would be a great contest, with the
chances very much in Roosevelt's
| favor
| We may. upon this analysis of the
bent of the public mind. take it for
granted that the Republican party is
not going to commit suicide by re-
pudiating Rooseveltism. If this is a
correct diagnosis, it will have to NOM
mate either Taft or the president
himself, for no other appears to
possess the full confidence of the pro-
Roosevelt majority. La Toilette is
little too radical to fit the situation.
None of the other aspirants seems to
to be making headway. The Hughes
movement is just a little mystery.
We do not yet know the man, or
what he stands for. or who his
friends are, or whether or not he is
to be presented as the candidate of
his state.
Taft Almost Certain.
In the opinion of some observers
Judge Taft is already sure of the
nomination. l do not so quite that
far. but he is certainly pretty near
to 1t.