The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-09-27

tial candidates are out on the stump,
making fearful racket. They travel
by special trains and they speak at a
dozen small stations daily on the way,
with big, whoop-er-up speech every
evening.
To be sure, the vice presidential can
didates have been exercising their
vocal cords little this autumn, but
they are getting mighty few "spreads' -
in the newspapers, and the average cit
izen would have to scratch his head
and stop and think before he could
tell an inquirer much about what the
vice presidential candidates are doing
and saying. All this may change later
on, when the campaign "warms" a
little more. But the facts are that
the popular interest thus far, whatever
there is of it, is centered upon the
" big-uns the Republican and Dem
ocratie candidates for the presidency.
Peacework But Partially Successful.
Taft leaders, who rendezvous here,
express keen disappointment at some
developments of the week Just past
The good work in advancing peace
pacts, which Chairman Hitchcock start.
ed early in September, seems to have
halted. The campaign is now we'll ad-
vanced. The period for preliminary
organization and making ready is over.
Several Northern States failed to i'm
prove that period with harmony eff
forts The final fight for the presi-
IL - l.. 4 4,
weeks. It is now taken for granted
that the Republicans must enter upon
this battle with the handicap of half
dozen or so serious State quarrels.
If the numerical strength of the big
parties had been nearly equal in recent
elections, the Washington politicians
say these quarrels would be serious in
deed. How much of real handicap
they will prove to Mr.. Taft, under the
present status of presidential politics,
probably will be very uncertain right
up to election day. They are in part
a consequence of the inter-party quar-
rels that hared forth two years ago
and resulted in quite crop of Demo
cratic governors in the North, and in
part a consequence of Republican diff
ferenees in national politics.
The roster of Northern States, in
which the Democrats are now supposed
to have about an. even chanGe-perhaps
better than an even ehanee-of elect
ing their local tickets, is quite formid-
able. It includes Rhode Island, Con-
neeticut, west Virginia. Ohio, Indiana,
MinnesQt& and probably two or three
small Western States. Democratic op-
timists would add New York, Illinois
and Nebraska. 1t is worth noting that
all these States, with two or three ex-
ceptions.~ such as Rhode Island and,
perhaps, Nebraska, would be almost as
certain as Pennsylvania to choose Re-
publican governors were it not for
these pernicious factions. Governor
johnson got his foothold in Minnesota
because the Republican factions fell
out with one another and have never
been able yet altogether to adjust their
differences.
Quarrels Very Tenacious.
Oldtimers say it is a quarter of a
century since such tenacious quarrels
have cropped up in the Republican
camp. Otherwise they would have
yielded ere this to treatment. A good
part of ex-Seeretary Taft's most en-
ergetie effort in the last six months
much of which the public knows little
about-has been directed to securing
party peace Since the Chicago con
vention he has been ably assisted in
that role by Chairman Hitchcock, who
would have preferred to devote more
of his time to campaign preparations
had not these matters affecting har-
mony been more pressing. The situa-
tion has been even more embarrassing
because, apart from the numerous State
quarrels. there has been a sectional
quarrel, as 1T .were-a very marked
difference in the attitude of Republi-
cans of the East and Republicans of
the West. The Eastern Republicans
think the Western Republicans are ex-
ceedinglv unreasonable. and vice versa.
As nowadays almost every word and
act of a presidential nominee become
known to the voters throughout the
nation. the difficulties of conducting
the Republican campaign have been
augmented.
Mr.. Bryan's optimism, it is learned
from his close friends hereabouts.
really comes from the continuance of
these Republican conditions in divers
States. He expects to be large ben
efeiary therefrom and to run quite as
strongly. If not more strongly. than
the several Democratic gubernatorial
candidates. IF that should be the case.
his chances of election might be bright.