Times-promoter., 1908-10-23
TAFT's CAMPAIGN OF BUNKo.

! "Why Taft Went West; Or Is Golf
a Ladylike Came" might afford an ap-
propriate title for a chapter on Mr..
Taft's recent campaign trip. 1t now
develops that one of the chief reasons
why Mr.. Taft took to the rear plat
form was to tell the farmers Of the
northwest about golf, and to show
them that he is not dude. Mr.. Taft
emphasized that fact in his speech at
Fargo, N. D. By inference, at least,
it was apparent that Mr.. Taft wanted
to inform his hearers that If by any
chance he should be elected president
there would be no more tennis cabi-
nets, such as President Roosevelt
maintains, but that he would proceed
to organize a golf cabinet and play
the game on the White lot. He might
invite that other distinguished
golfer, John D. Rockefeller, to play
with him, but John D. is not so popu-
lar with the farmers and laboring men
as he is with the Republican party,
so Mr.. Taft did not mention him.
Here is a record Of what he said on
the subject, as transcribed from the
stenographer's notes:
Il want to make little personal
explanation. ] got an intimation that
| ought to go out to North Dakota and
convince the people that / am not an
aristocrat and above the people. They
said that had been playing golf this
summer, that that is an eastern game
and it Indicated that was out of sym
pathy with the plain people. Well,
now, ] want to state my case in order
to satisfy public opinion on that game
of golf. In Scotland golf is the game
of the poor, and in this country, where
you can get place to play it, 1t is the
game of the people that are not active
enough to play baseball and tennis
that have too much weight to carry
around. And yet when a man weighs
EOS pounds you have got to give him
some opportunity to make his legs
and muscles move, and golf affords
that opportunity. 1t may be that 1t is
game of rich men, but | beg to as
sure you that 1 am personally advised
of the fact that a very poor man can
play it, But somehow or other my
friends were certain that if | could
only come out here and show you the
kind of man am in appearance that
you would get over the impression
that there is anything about me that
resembles a dude. So,-I am here and
| am glad to be here"
After setting himself right on the
all important golf question Mr.. Taft
proceeded to explain why 1t was that
two gentlemen" as he characterized
them, who had violated the antitrust
law, and who were presidents OF two
subsidiary concerns of the Tobacco
trust, had not been put in Jail when
they had confessed their guilt He
then argued that it would be better to
have trusts than to have the statutes
piled with laws which would result in
red tape and impose burdens on cor
porations.'
In the same speech Mr.. Taft paid
Mr.. Bryan the compliment Of admit
ting that to take the tariff off and put
on the free list every trust-made arti-
Gle in this. country would GER
tainly end the trust that was depend
ent on the tariff"
Mr.. Taft, perhaps unwittingly, how
ever, admitted also that the Dingley
tariff is not responsible for the pros
perity of the farmers, for he said, Il
don't maintain that the Dingley tariff
bill alone accounts for the great pros
perity that WE have enjoyed in the
last IL years, Certainly SO far as the
farmers are concerned, the Lord has
had good deal to do with 1t In the
matter Of good crops"
This is the first instance on record
where the Republican party ever con-
sented TO divide honors with the Al
mighty.
"The Republican Plan of Regulating
the Trusts"
In a speech In the west Mr.. Taft