Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1908-08-06
Taft's Address and its Significance.
News and Observer

Taft has spoken. The speech
whose Forthcoming has been her
aided for weeks past has been de-
livered. The nominee of the Re-
publican party for the presiden-
cy has been formally notified of
his nomination and has deliver
ed his address ofacceptance. And
the address is not without signi-
ficance. In fact, few addresses
have been heard in these years
that were fraught with signifi-
canoe go momentous in import
to the nation.
But wherein lies this great sig
nificanc? The answer is implied
in another question: Who was it
that spoke? Let us see. Taft is
the nominee OF his party for the
greatest Office in the world, nom-
mated by the party that named
and elected the present incum-
bentin trat Office AN offise whose
occupant, according to the fun.
damental principles OF our gov
ernment, is aservant OF no man,
but the servant Of all the people,
to receive the dictates oil no man
but to obey the will OF the whole
people.
Now what is his first signifi-
cant act after his nomination?
He goes to q summer resort and
gets himself busy to write an ad-
dress to be delivered in response
to the, speech of notification.
Does be write the sentiments o.
his own mind? Perhaps SO, but
logically his mind is subservient
to the will Of his political crea
tor. Like the faithful Christian,
elves and moves and has his
being" in the will OF his Master,
so this Rooseveltian begins his
career in connection with h G
presidency, his every thought
and word and deed based upon
the idea that in the will OF the
master at Oyster Bay he lives
and moves and has his being.
But it is not alone IN the draft
ing of the speech that he must
voice this sentiment. When it is
completed at length-Roosevelt
ian in length, containing ovel
10000 words--he HES himself tt
Oyster Bay to submit the manu-
script to his master to whom hi
is under all obligations for h IL
political existence, that hin
whom he faithfully serves a n {
hopes to server capacity, may
read, paragraph by paragraph
modify at will, cut and ellminat'
a passage here and there anu IN
sert here a word and there a line
to bring the entire deliverance il
to perfect harmony with ''my
politics, Then away to Cincin
natti to deliver this message fresl
from the oracle of Oyster Bay.
Now what ia contained in tn
speech? First and last and all tn
way through it throbs with th'
life of him who made it's deliver
ance possible-Rooseve 1t j
but q proclamation OF "my poll
cies" Out of all the IL, 900 word
and more, two brief sentences re
, fer to the occasion are forgotten
it is no more Taft that speak
but Roosevelt whose message b
. came to deliver. And, incidental
ly, if you please, behold the trt
mendous advantage to Roose
velt, the author, over what woul'
accrue If he himself delivered tn
address. He says what he woul
: say and more. Whereas if be wer
present on the platform in PEI
son the proprieties OF the occt
{ sion would limit the magnifyin
OF his own name to the proclt
Q nation and advocacy Of "m
J policies; asitis, while helounge
] collarless on the lawn about I'll
], tion 's'summer throne. the natio
is listening to the address pr
8 pared by his subordinate; crit
Z cised, modified and o. KID by hi
j calf and cn1nn0sed larnalv OF fII