The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1909-01-06
was filed by Herman Ridder. editor o

was filed by Herman Ridder, editor
the New York Staats-Zeitung.
July %, at Cincinnati, Taft delivered
his speech Of acceptance. He frankly
accepted the role Of "me too" by de
Tending the Roosevelt policies i'll theii
entirety and explaining that his work |
if elected. would be to carry on thost
reforms in detail.
Aug. II, at Lincoln. Neb.. Bryan was
notified of his nomination and sounded
the keynote of his campaign in the
question, shall the people rule?' In
subsequent speeches he gave great
prominence to the bank guaranty plan
to the popular election of senators and
to campaign publicity before election
He made a special bid for the labor
vote on the injunction plank. He
would destroy all trusts controlling
over so per cent of an industry.
Regarding the depression as the be-
ginning of the breakdown of the cap
italist system and claiming the army
of idle workers as their asset, the So
cialiSts of America went into the cam
paign with better weapons than ever
before On May 10 the Socialist con-
vention met at Chicago. For the first
time the Socialists of America af-
firmed their position on specific ques-
tons of policy. The convention NOM
mated on the first ballot unanimously
Eugene V. Debs for president and Ben
jamin Hanford for vice president, the
same ticket put up by the Socialists in
1904
The Prohibitionists, conscious of the
great strides their cause had made on
the local option issue in many states,
nominated Eugene w. Chain of Hi
nois and Aaron S. Watkins Of Ohio
July 10 at Columbus, O., on a plat
form containing many radical propos-
ais besides that against the sale or
manufacture Of intoXicants.
On July % at Chicago the first ma
tional convention of the Independence
party, outgrowth of the league organ
ICED by Editor Hearst, named Thomas
L. Hisgen of Massachusetts and John
Temple Graves Of Georgia on a plat
form containing most of the radical
ideas of the Democrats and some more
radical Opposition to Bryan was it's
keynote.
The Peoples party April 3 at st.
Louis again named Thomas E. Watson
of Georgia as it's standard bearer along
with S. w. Williams of Indiana, al
though it did not put ticket up in
all Of the states.
On Sept. 10, at Columbus, O., Hearst
stirred up the hitherto calm current OF
the campaign by reading into his
speech the first batch of a series of
letters which had been stolen from the
files of the Standard Oil company and
which threw a sinister light on the &C
tivities of various public men, notably
Foraker, Bailey, MacLaurin, Sibley
certain Pennsylvania judges and ex
Governor Stone, who was urged to ap
point them. Most of the letters were
written by Vice President Archbold OF
the trust and contained divers certif
Gates of deposit for large sums OF
money. At the same time Hearst re
peated the story of the alleged attempt
to bride former Attorney General Mon
nett of Ohio wherein Haskell, the Dem
ocratic treasurer, was made to figure
AS governor of Oklahoma Haskell alst
was accused of protecting a lega
branch of the Standard Foraker a
once withdrew from the campaign, and
the president issued a hot statement
condemning the Ohioan and gave ou
an old letter showing how Taft had re
fused to deal with Foraker; then com
pared this course to that Of Bryan ant
Haskell. Bryan replied, demanding {
hearing for Haskell. and then ensued
bitter verbal duel on personal ant
party issues. Haskell resigned, bu
protesting innocence. as did also D,
Pont, the powder trust head, from tn,
Craftsmanship Of the Republican speak
ers' bureau. Both the president an(
Taft took the ground that publishing
names Of contributors before electio,
would be to invite unfair and partisan
criticism Of candidates.
Gompers appealed to all unions /,
the A. F. Of L. to give moral and fnan
cial support to Bryan. Speaker Cannon
was the special target Of the Gomper
battery, and "Cannonism" became
national issue. many candidates 70
congress being pledged against Canno,
as the next speaker.
On Nov. 8 the voters Of the natio,
had their say. The extent Of the Re
publican victory can be best remem
bered by the statement that Taft cal
ried every state that Roosevelt did 1,
1904 except Nebraska. Colorado an,
Nevada. Furthermore, Taft invade,
the solid south with small pluralitie
in Maryland and Missouri and larg
gains in other southern states. TIL
popular vote stood: Taft, 1857, SIC
Bryan, 6,s0s, 1872; Debs, Al. 661; Chain
al, 252; Hisgen, SO. 1875; Watson. 1851
Gilhaus (Socialist-Lab 1921; total
1852, 239. The total vote in 1904 wa
aS,510.7O8. Several states in the TAT
column elected Democratic governor
Harmon In Ohio, Marshall in In