The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-09-21
FEARFUL FOR TAFT'S HEALTH On His Long Campaign
 Tour. REPUBLICANS ARE DUBIOUS Judge Taft's Breakdown Would Embarrass the Party. MT. Bryan is Tough and Has Good Pair of Lungs-Seems Fresher
 Now Than Eight
 Years Ago.
REPUBLICANS ARE DUBIOUS
RYALEREnIs L sToEER


 as to how Judge Taft will make out in the extensive speaking tour that mas been arranged for him.
 Naturally his friends and political partisans hope for the best. But there are many misgivings. The trip Is to be long one. and will cover numer- ous cities and towns In not less than eight States, the Journey to extend as Tar West as Denver. What causes fear and uncertainty among the Republican friends of this Presidential candidate Is that by the time Judge Taft gets well under way, the weather Is apt to be raw and disagreeable in the sections to be traversed by him. Necessarily the candidate will have to do a great deal Of open air speaking. There will not be halls large enough to accommo- date the crowds that will insist upon hearing him. He is a genial man. a noted man. and stands a chance of be- ing the successor in the White House of the woderful Mir. Roosevelt, who had such sweeping victory at the polls four years ago. Our Teddy" though. did not resort to stump speaking. Things were apparently all his own way In 1904. or at least he thought so. If he had any fears they were quieted in hidden manner by the big fellows who provided the "sinews of war" four years ago. and nearly all of whom are now known to wish that they had not given their cash and their influence to elect the man nearly all of them have been abusing for two years or more. And every observer who takes the trouble knows that in this campaign these men are still abusing Roosevelt bitterly. and at the same time some of them are openly supporting Taft, who they know is Roosevelt's candi- date, and who keeps stating that If elected he will most certainly carry out all of his policies. no matter how distasteful they may be to the "cap- tains of industry" the bankers and the railway magnates of the land. But those taking their dose of crow ex- plain their uncomfortable position by declaring that Taft. much as they con- demn him. is just a bit preferable to Bryan, and there you are.
 Many Are Dubious.
 Many of the Taft admirers hope and believe that he will get through with his stumping trip without any serious mishap. Others are dubious. They wish he had not undertaken it. and when they get to talking about 1t they can be heard to say
 "Confound that man Bryan. If he had not started this sort of business. and if 1t were not apparent that he is making an impression upon voters in his grand swing around the country. Taft could have conducted a front porch campaign as was done by Mckinley. by Harrison and others. But Taft is in for 1t now. and there seems to be no way out of 1t. We fear for his voice. His lungs may go back on him, too.
 'But Bryan! Ugh! He has a pair of lungs tougher than any bellows in the biggest blacksmith shop in the United States. There's no wearing him out. Those other two campaigns ne made were enough to kill him. but he seems fresher now than he was eight years ago."
 If Judge Taft breaks down 1t Is gen. erally conceded that 1t will be very embarrassing for him and his party. For this reason the candidate Is going to be groomed and watched carefully. As many open air meetings as possible will be lodged. The question, how ever, arises How can this be done?" The people will want to see and hear him. He cannot conf1ne his speeches principally to large cities in which there are halls to accommodate from 5,ooO to 15,O00 and even 10000 and 25'ooo. Those in the smaller cities and towns will feel sighted if he does. Bryan Is whooping up voters from the rear end of & Pullman. He did that last week in the State of New York on his way to Koch ester where he went to meet the Democratic leaders who were attending the convention which nominated the candidate who Is to dress down Governor Hughes at the polls. Bryan made sixteen speeches in one day. That was nothing for him He has made as many IS forty in day, and all of them either from his car or from a stand conveniently To- cated near the station
 Bryan Making Converts.
 In these open air talks Bryan has a chance to reach Republicans They nf them Of curiosity. They want to see him mere ly at first. Then they listen. and the reports are that the Democratic can didate has made a great many con verts at these gatherings. At any rate the Republican managers hear that this is true. That is why they have insisted that Taft shall get out on the stump. too. They are also known to be so alarmed that the prediction is made that they will eventually per suade even the President to go tear ing around through the West. Loeb insist that his chief will do no such thing. So do others. But who knows? This. from all accounts, Is getting to be a desperate campaign. It means A great deal to the President. His closest friends are constantly saying that Roosevelt would almost have brok en heart if his pet candidate were to be showed under in November. It would be a repudiation Of him and hlS policies. And, great goodness would that not be just too awful for any thing? All this talk will doubtless bring forth something. The country will soon know whether the President will go on the stump or merely con tent himself with firing off letters In aid of Taft and my policies" like unto the one he gave out the other day addressed to an obscure man in Mon tana.
 Judge Taft, 1t Is known, is anxious to reach Democrats as we'll as Repub- licans. when he goes before the people. He will it is asserted, try to break the effect of MT. Bryan's strong arguments among the Republican farmers and the laboring classes.
 Judge Taft is an exceptionally fat man He carries more weight than his age and height justify. It is pretty generally understood here and in Gin clnnati that he is short winded. as the saving goes, and exertion causes him at times much difficulty in breath ing. If he were not a temperate man in his habits and of a jolly. sunny nature. his ponderous size would have been a serious thing for his health long before this. What is now feared by his friends is that if he gets too much workd up on his stumping tour, bIS U0iCa h hack on