The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1908-10-22
TAR HEEL VOTERS
HEAR SECRETARY TAFT

there Is absolutely no reason now
why IL they favor Republican poll.
cles In the nation they should not
vote as they think. Now 1t is q
great pleasure and honor to me to
be the first Republican candidate for
the presidency who has come to
North Carolina in a campaign for
that great Office. I have come here
because / deeply sympathize with
the South. l am anxious that II
should take place at the Council
| board of the nation. I am anxious
that you should exercise the infiu-
ence through your able and great
men, Of whom you have many, in
the same way that Ohio and Indiana
and New York and Massachusetts
do. But, my dear friends, il you
are going simply from historic tradi-
ton to keep voting the Democratic
ticket because you think that your
fathers voted that way, then you are
bound to stay on the outside and
look in at others enjoying the power
in the executive councils of the ma
tion. 1t is not possible otherwise.
Human nature and party politics are
such as to make that necessary, and
l appreciate the homogeniety of the
Southern people, know their family
tradition. / know their conserva-
tism, and their adherence to some
thing just out of respect to their an
cestors; but on the other hand they
Cf ir-n
courageous people in everything but
politics, and I think it Is time that
they began in politics to show the
same enterprise that they do in man.
ufacturing furniture and in reaching
out to develop the enormous wealth
of North Carolina.
Should Show Some Enterprise in
Politics as in Manufacturing.
1t is time for North Carolina to
shed the old historic political ira
ditiOn, to come out in the open and
support a ticket mean a State
ticket, than which no party ever put
up better one, whether Democrat
or Republican, and If you do, IL
the satisfaction of knowing that
there are mighty few Democrats in
North Carolina that are going to
set up all night and worry over the
result.
The Spanish war united the
North and the South in way that
nothing else could, where we shed
common blood, where we fight for
a common flag there the parts are
welded, and what I am speaking of
now is not the union spirit, for that
| think we have. | am speaking now
of the political union. In the Phil
ippines we did not recognize any diff
ference between the North and the
South. We appointed men from the
South and from the North, Demo-
Gratis and Republicans, and we were
there a united country politically in
dealing with the Philippines. What
l should like to bring about here,
and it would be a result in which
should have the intensest pride II
could be the humble instrument in
bringing the States, North and South,
closer together in one political union,
as they now have, I believe consci-
entiously, one political creed. 1 be-
lieve that I am going to be elected
without North Carolina, but tell
you I would take lots of pride If l
could only have the Old North State
behind me in the election. 1t would
be creating political change, rev.
olution, peaceful revolution from
which would date great political
progress in this country.
Shall We Return to Prosperity.
my friends, Ihave not the time
to talk longer, 1 am like Joe in the
Bleak House, I am just going on, on,
on. I hope after the 3rd of Novem-
Der can stay quiet for a little while,
but just now 1 have got to move on.
l would like to talk to you at length
about the political issues of the day.
would like to point out to you that
we are getting over panic, a finan-
cial depression, and we are just
trembling in the balance now to see
whether that depression is going to
continue four years or whether we
are going to return to the prosper
Iity we had a year ago, and the ques-
ton is going to be largely determined
by the result of this election, and
ask you as man to man whether you
think that If you were an investor
of money for other people or fol-
yourself you would have more conf
dence and more certainty in the bus
mess future if the Republican ticket
is elected than you would ii the
Democratic ticket, with Mr.. Bryan al
it's head, is elected? I have no words
of enmity or criticism for Mr.. Bryan
except that find myself never agree
ing with him on any economic the
ory, and I am bound to say that hi:
experiments for the last sixteen year:
have been such that it has not takeI
more than four years generally tt
| demonstrate that at the end of those
j, four years nobody agrees with hi
. economic theories at all. Under thes,
[ circumstances I submit that to put ;
, gentleman of that sort, able as he is
orator as he is, persuasive as he
t with his eloquence, into the Whit
5 House and into the Executive chair
D there to exercise that economic an
: political judgment which has beel
D lfound so faulty in the past, is t
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