Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1908-10-30
CANDIDATES
COMPARED.
Records of Taft and Bryan
Studied For Fitness.
WHAT HAS EACH MAN D0NE7

WIN ttNS LHOtI UtftN bONLa
Nebraskan's Barren Career Con-
trasted With Ohioan's Fruitful
Life, With Its Long List of Duties
Accomplished.
William Howard Taft or William
Jennings Bryan will in a few days be
chosen president of the United States.
He who aspires to that exalted place
should have done much to show his fit
ness for the station he would occupy.
BY wisdom or by ability he should
have demonstrated his right to that
supreme and priceless honor. Take the
life of each man and set the two rec
ords side BY side. Scrutinize those two
iivesl Measure the one by the other
and then judge within your heart-not
impulsively, not with partisan bias, but
calmly, worthiIy and as patriotic
citizen--vvhich of these two men is the
worther to be honored by your vote
and to be crowned with the glory of the
greatest gift in the possession Of the
citizens of this nation!
Search first the life Of William Jen-
nings Bryant 1t lies before you for
your inspection.
What has he done to demonstrate his
fitness to occupy that great post to
which he now, for the third time, as
pires?
Has he in the whole course of his life
ever done one solitary thing to benefit
the nation of which he is citizen or
to advance the civilization and en-
i!ightenment of mankind?
Search your memory to it's uttermost
depths, and if you find that he has
done one single thing, either by word
or deed, that has proved of ever so lit
tie lasting benefit to the world set that
thing down to his credit.
Think! Is there one such single,
solitary thing?
Twelve years ago he advocated the
free coinage of silver, urging it upon
the nation with all the strenuosity Of
his feverish and vehement nature.
This idea he no longer advocates.
But has he abandoned it?
A little more than a year ago he sd-
vocated witt equal impetuosity the gov
ernment ownership of railways-an
ownership that would have entailed
upon the United States a national debt
Of more than five thousand million dol
lars.
This idea also he no longer advo-
Gates.
But has he abandoned it?
Twice he has advocated and twice he
has ceased to advocate a dangerous
and mistaken policy. What assurance
have you that he does not third time
advocate a policy equally dangerous to
the welfare of the nation?
And If you elect him to the presi-
dency what assurance have you that
no will not attempt to put that dan
porous policy into disastrous effeetf
His incompeteney and his inadequaey
10 fill any Of the major opportunities
, that he covets are known to all the
world.
1t is notorious that his first nomina-
lion to the presidency came to him not
because Of hs ability in public affairs,
but only because he happened to make
a happy phrase in an oratorical out
burst, which swept him into posi-
lion for which he had never before
and has never since proved his fitness.
: In the intervals between his ursuc-
| ressful CAM, aigns he has sunk into
: comparative obscurity. Not one act in
all that time gave any indication to
the world that he was really awake to
|, the needs of the hour.
Consider all this! Are not all the
facts here set down about him ineon-
! testabiy true? If they are not true,
amiss or that has been left unsaid and
4 let it stand to his credit.
$ IF, however, these things are true
then how great is their significance
How great is your responsibility if your
4 vote should help to seat this honest
srring, incompetent man in the Presi-
. Dental chair of this nation!
u b y
. Turn now to William Howard Taft!
His life is known to all men.
/. Consider it! Weigh IL in the balance
Of your eaImest and most candid juds
: ment!
\ Think, if you choose, only of those
i Two notable and splendid performances
hat stand before the world today az
4 monuments of his wisdom and his
4 lbility-his civil soVernorshiP of the
Philippines and h.s establishment Al
secretary of war of that vast govern
mental work now being done upon the
Panama canal.