Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-08-07
Taft After New Territory.

| President Mckinley sowed the seed
of rationalism in the South. President
Roosevelt cultivated the growth and
Mr.. Taft will endeavor to reap the har-
vest. Though coming from n middle
west state Judge Taft is, in tact, one
| of the most Southern statesmen in the
range of his sympathies and the extent
| of his knowledge to be found in the
country. Mr.. Taft stands for the ma
tionalizing of the South. Many have
belaborcd the South for it's political So
liditary, but Taft has labored with it
to convince it that it's true interests
lie in the line of the nations develop
ment. and that it cannot afford tC have
the stream of national life grow strong
cr ard stronger without responsive
beat. The South is the most American
section nf the country.
Mr.. Tair can count a great deal upon
the popularity of Roosevelt with many
SouthcrnnrS. He can count upon the
effect of the policies of Roosevelt that
have touched the southern spirit But
he can count much more upon his own
identification with the interests of the
South. Ic stands for the carrying of
the impulse of Southern industry to the
farthest bounds of South America The
South sees in him the wizard of Pana-
ma. This undertaking it regards as
peculiarly its own project. 1t sees in
him the magician who has made it i'm
possible for the open door in the East
to be shut by any power. Southerners
view him as the vigorous promoter of
the military energies of the nation.
They are full of patriotic sentiment and
ardently devoted to the projects for the
building UP of great navy. capable OF
defending the entire coasts of the coun-
try and it's dependencies. They have
true American snrewdness in fOreseeing
coming events. and see that one field
of international complications is that Of
the Pacific. To them Taft is the
Voyager TO the East who has impressed
the American name and character up
on the people of that section. Taft rep
resents almost everything to which the
South is devoted.
The personal convictions and the
public record of Mr.. Taft will he given
added influence by the favorable turn
of politics in that section. There are
many Southerners who are declaring.
as The American has maintained tina,
the Democratic party is no longer a
southern party. 1t is a Western party.
1t has its atfiliation there. 1t finds it's
strongest endorSers there 1t goes
there for its policies, and it picks it's
leaders from that section. 1t is the
party of the plains, of the alkali re-
gion, of the sand hills and the bad
lands. 1t is the party of the men OF
wide vision and narrow range of per-
ception in relation to national affairs.
The South is awake to the fact that
Bryan is simply exploiting it. Virginia
and Georgia particularly are quite loose
in their attachment to the traditional
party. 1t would not be surprising If
one or the other or both cut loose from
Bryanism. Georgia is honeycomhed
with Democratic disaffection. 1t is
conservative estimate to place the
Democratic majority in Virginia at
the present ut not more than fifteen to
twenty thousand This might well be
swept aside altogether. The Indepen-
dence League has created wide dis
affection in the Democratic ranks. car
rylng off enough battalions to make
more than one state well worth the ef-
fort of its capture. There are hosts of
independent Democrats who are ready
to form Republican atHliation if the
party can be given force and field. This
is being done; So that, early as it is
in the campaign, the observation may
be ventured that the days of the solid
South are past and the nationalized
South is about to enter into its larger
political opportunities.