Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-11-09
Monday, November 9, 1908.
Eight Reasons Why.

The principal reasons contributing to
the overwhelming popular verdict in
favor of william Howard Taft for the
presidency arc well set forth by the
Washington Post which is so located
that it has an exceptionally good op-
portunity to get the national view
point 1t sums up the causes under
eight heads, and they are worth a lit
tie study on the part Of all Interested
in contemporary political history.
First--Mr. Taft's judicial tempera-
ment and sense of fairness appealed to
the conservative sentiment of the
country, business, as well as labor,
while the Presidents earnest support of
him held in line any radical elements
which might have gone over to Mr..
Bryan on the theory that the Republi
can candidate would prove delinquent
in carrying out the RoOsevcltian poll
cies Mr. Bryan was too radical for the
conservative interests. and not radical
enough for many voters who supported
him in 1886, and again in 1900.
Second-Samuel Gompcrs and other
men influential in the ranks of organ
lied labor-most of them men of
Democratic tendencics-failed utterly
to deliver the trades uniOniSts of Re-
publican affiliations over to the Demo
cratic candidate, as they and Mr..
Bryan and his managers thought they
would be able to do.
Thrd-Thc business interests of the
country, especially in the East and in
important commercial states of the
West preft rrcd Il man of Taft's train
ing and temperament to one of Mr..
Bryan'S. These interests, in meas
urc, were opposed to Mr. ROosevelt's
method of enforcing his policies, and
while realizing that Mr.. Taft would
pursue similar policies, believed he
would do so after the manner of a
homCopath instead of a surgeon. The
large employers of labor unuueston-
ally excrted a strong influence upon
the men in their employ by telling them
that it was best for all concerned that
Taft should be elected.
-Workngmen whether or
ganiZed or not, were more interested in
the material question of steady en-
ployment at rcmunerativc wages than
in an academic discussion of the ap-
plication of the ant-n injunction process
in labor disputes or other abstract
principles involving the general scheme
of trade unionism. Artisans of all
kinds want work at gooG pay. and as
a general proposition prefer as their
leaders men who know how to secure
and insure 1t for them to those who
assume that their chief function is to
argue questions of constitutional law
Vel fI1a 1ao oiS 81
Capital Very likely some of the less-
lative agents of labor organizations
who have been employed at Washing
ton will have this fact impressed upon
their minds in the near future.
Fifth--the farmers of the country
made up their minds that the Republ-
can party was of more value to them
than the Democratic party. and that
they would fare better during another
Republican administration than with
the Democrats in power. A large part
Of the plurality which Taft received
came from the agricultural regions, as
had been anticipated
Sixth-The average voter was not
bcguided into voting against Mr.. Taft
because he was a Unitarian ard be-
longed to a denomination which does
not subscribe to the theory of the di-
vinitv of Christ though basing its
creed upon His teachings.
Seventh-The negro vote could not be
alienated to any great extent from its
loyalty to the Republican party by
agtators belonging to the race. on ac-
count of the Brownsville affair. The
detection among this class proved to be
so small as scarcely to be capable of
measurement
Eighth--In spite of the assurances
given to Mr.. Bryan that the gold
Democrats who bolted the ticket twelve
and eight years would support nm
this time. most of this class OF voters
waited AGAINST him