The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-09-01
A PULLING OUTLOOK FOR
THE NATIONAL CAMPAIGN
Not Enough Clear Weather Ahead Yet for
recasts---Republican Quarrels- Petty
Issues of Religion.
Not a Sure Test of Sentiment.

Not a Sure Test OF sentiment.
But after all the letter writers car
not be trusted to voice public senti
ment correctly. In every community
there is class of professional IetteI
writers. They hasten into print on The
slightest excuse. They address the loca
newspapers and they write to public
men of prominence. The White House
is always besieged by thousands of mis-
slves from these professional letter
writers, whenever any new issue arises
The letters, of course, are interesting
as showing the attitude of one more OF
less restricted class of people. SINH,
larry, the people, who flock to a Presi-
Dental candidate to tell him that he
surely will be elected, are not infallible.
They, too, like to get into association
with the great and the near great, and
are not apt always at telling the can
didate exactly what they think or feel,
but more what they think is likely to
please him.
Careful men who study the conditions
reason that Bryan is stronger this year
than he was in either of his previous
campaigns. That seems to be pretty
well established by the developments
In the campaign to date. He is more
experienced and more conservative and
thus far has handled his campaign very
well-On the whole with less friction
than the Taft campaign has been han.
died. Then Taft, with all his good
qualities, probably is not as strong
candidate as Mckinley was either in
1896 or in 1900. That, in summing up
the comparative strength of the candi-
dates with the voters, is not to be over
looked. For while the East is gener-
ally accepting Taft as the safer and
more conservative of the two candi-
dates, that very reasoning is a matter
of weakness to Taft in the West where
Bryan is making his most aggressive
Newspaper Accession For Taft.
Taft has made some pronounced gains
In recent days among the newspapers,
but it remains to be seen how much
these gains will benefit him in the long
run. The Baltimore Sun, strong and
influential paper, that bolted Bryan in
1896 and supported him perfunctorily
N 1900, has declared for Taft It prob |
ably assures Republican majority in |
Maryland for Taft, but there has been |
almost no hope from the very start that !
Maryland would vote for Bryan Re- |
cent events indicate that the Cincinnati /
Enquirer, owned by John r, Mclean,
md very much of a power IN the Mid /
lie West, as far as it's news columns
ire concerned, is gradually sliding over
o Taft. Mr.. Mclean and the Republi-
an nominee are not only fellow towns
men but intimate friends. Mr.. Nc.
lean, for sufficient reasons, would like
o be in the good graees of the next
if it is to be Republi.
an. He has been entirely out of SYM
'athy with modern progressive Dem.
cracy.
1t looks as though the Republicans
ad done something to check the trend
f the organized labor vote to Bryan
ecause of the labor plank of the Den
er platform. Most strenuous, although
MET, work has been done and in some
aTticulars it has been successful The
ry has been raised by the Republicans
Ii along the line that the labor vote |,
an not be delivered and Samuel Com.
ers, president of the American Fedora
ion of Labor, has been tremendously
enouneed for lending himself to any
uch effort. It remains to be seen,
owever, whether the Democrats will !,
OF get very good share of the labor
ote this autumn.
similar struggle has been in prog
ess with reference to the negro vote.
he Republicans have been fighting
uietly but with great determination to
revent movement Of the negroes into
ne Bryan camp, because of the Browns
lille issue. 1t does not appear at the 1
resent time as though any large num- Z
er of the Northern negroes were going
D vote for Bryan, but the campaign of ;
ersuasion has to be maintained, for /
Dme of the negro leaders are out and .
ut Bryanites. The negro pastors in !
numbers are taking this I
ro-Bryan course.
Taft as a Unitarian. f
During August new anti-Taft move. t
ent has been coming into prominence. Q
IS based on the well known fact that
lie Republican nominee is a Unitarian a
nd, as such, does not believe in the S
vinity of Christ. One would hardly 10
elieve that any such clamor against a a
residential candidate in the twentieth h
'ntury could have great weight. But I
gain a few weeks are necessary to 0
ent is at all serious. Many Protestant t
inisters are voicing their convictions U
bout it and in the meantime ex-Secre. p
ry Taft has been giving out inter P
ews regarding his appreciation of n
ethodist missionaries in China and at II
nding service occasionally at an Epis- ?
pal church. The criticism of the a
'minee's religion might not be very a
fnotfx1a lint hn bo+ | az
rs won the high esteem of many
lurch people by his lecture on "The Il
rince of Peaee'' and by the uncontro- e:
,rted fact that he is "Christian Il
,ntleman. V
Still, after these and other movements 81
.ainst the Republican candidate are y
careful men are unable to {,
gure how, even if he loses many votes I,
it'll the divers bodies of men enumera-
d, he can fail of maiorities in the u u
,rthern states that will he necessary II