The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-10-11
THREE WEEKS MORE.

lINEi W@1NS "OFN1
Three weeks from Tuesday next the
presidential election will a place.
and conclude one Of the most interest
ing, yet peculiar campaigns since Lin
coin first election. In some ways the
conditions this year are not unlike
those of the years Immediately preced-
ing the. war. Then the oligarchY of
the south had been in power so long.
il had become so arbitrary and ii had
so lost touch with the people as a
whole that its destruction was inevita-
BILE if the nation was TO continue. Now
the Republicans, those who really DOM
Linate the party, have been in power so
long J1ey-bave become so completely
committed to the special interests and
monopolies which have kept them in
power. that they have NJ conception of
the real sentiment of the people; or if.
utterly defiant of it.
AS the campaign has progressed, it
has developed an extraordinary situa-
ton. The Republican candidate, a
man of unquestioned ability to speak
for himself, one who is nominally the
standard-bearer of the party, has been
~relegated to the rear by the president,
the platform issues have been obscured
and evaded by him. and an effort made
to divert the Democratic attack on real
issues by concentrating the fire on
comparatively unimportant subjects.
The tariff and its correlative evil. the
trusts and m%Onopolies, has been dis
cussed gingerly by Mr.. Taft. but Mr..
Roosevelt has chosen to ignore them
except as he has cited his activity in
legal prosecution as evidence that the
Republican party is opposed to trusts.
He has not dwelt upon the failure of
his method, on the irsignifcance of the
punishment secured wen when prose-
cution has resulted in conviction. His
most attack has been an at
tempt TO show that the Standard Oil,
the typical monopoly, is opposed. to the
Republican party and is giving aid and
comfort to the Democracy.
Judge Parker's reply to this at Bal
timore stopped that line of argument.
He called attention to the fact that Mr..
Roosevelt was elected by the aid of
Standard Oil contributions; and with
cruel sarcasm he dwelt upon the con-
tribution of $3.50. 900 to the Republican
FUND by Mr.. Hartman at the direct
solicitation of Roosevelt himself. as an
instance of the presidents ~insincerity
now.
Nor did ne fail to remember the fact
~ that at the close of the last campaign
when he. Judge Parker. accused the
Republican national committee of
soliciting funds from corporations
through Cortelyou, who then had per-
sonal supervision Of the corporation
bureau, Roosevelt then denied the
charge and abused Parker with bitter
billingsgate. II was not expected then
that the Insurance hearings and the
Hartman correspondence would prove
every word of Judge Parker's charge
true. convicting Roosevelt of a du-
piicity, to put it mildly. which forever
bars him from credence in a political
statement.
II is worth noting that interest in the
election is apathetic In the east where
the Republicans have heretofore been
strongest. while in the middle west,
which is the real fighting ground, Bry-
an has made a. winning fight from the
opening of the campaign. New York,
with its local issues complicating gen.
-eral conditions, is debatable ground
with the chances in favor of Democrat
&c victory. Hearst's strength. an I'M
known factor, is being eXerted in be-
half Of the Republican ticket. and the
fact is so well understood that he is
likely TO lose all of the labor vote,
which has been his main dependence
and come 10 the polls with an inconsid-
rable showing. Hughes is ~undoubted-
ly strong in the country districts, and
he will poll more votes probably thar
my other man who could have beer
named in his party. For all that the
sentiment OF New York City. the or
ganiza ton of a united Democracy and
the discomfort of the machine Republic
cans are factors in favor of Bryan and