The Washington times., 1911-09-27
THE MID-WEST'S ATTITUDE
TOWARD TAFT.

About the most illuminating political
literature now being purveyed is the
series of articles which the Chicago
Tribune is printing from CORE.
spondent who is following President
Taft.
Instead of travelling with the Presi.
Dental party this correspondent is
trailing the party. Two or three days
behind he drops into town that has
received, cheered, and listened to the
President, and then had time to think
it over. He talks to all conditions and
kinds of people about how it seemed
to them. Was the town enthusiastic
Do people believe in Tafti viii those
who voted for him three years ago do
it again a year hencei If not, why
notf
Especially commended by the evil
dence of effort to be perfectly fair, to
reflect just average sentiment and ex-
preston, these letters have indicated
beyond cavil that the middle West il
decidedly lukewarm toward the Presi-
dent.
All along the line is the same report,
that the masses of people are dissatis-
fed. They believe the President, after
promising that he would oppose Can
nonism and Aldrichism, allied himself
with them; that after promising down
ward revision he joined these men in
betraying the pledge; that he assumed
his full share of responsibility for that
betrayal by the Winona and other
speeches.
If this correspondent is correctly
diagnosing sentiment the reciprocity
incident is not getting much attention,
now that Canada has ended that dis
cussion for the time being. Interest
harks back to the tariff, the failure to
revise, it alb initio, and the vetoes of
the schedule bills that passed this
summer. The people clearly are not
prepared to approve the Presidents
course in the extra session just ended.
Seemingly, too. his tariff commission
excuse for vetoes and delays is not
sinking very deep into the minds of
people to whom the high cost of liv-
ing is a grave, ever present affair.
Important business men, merchants,
bankers, and manufacturers are pre-
sented as very generally loyal to Taft,
convinced of his sincerity and safety.
But these appear as the decided
minority.
From Michigan and Illinois, which
are not of the progressive group, this
sentiment is depicted as unrest. The
people don't know where they're 60
ing, but they're on their way" They
express very commonly the feeling that
something needs to be done to teach
the Republican party lesson. The
commonest expression is that if Mr..
Taft is renominated he will not be re-
elected. And next to this in frequency
of expression seems to be the convic-
tion that he is going to be renominated.
This is close-range view, a cross
section of the public mind at the points
where it has been subjected to the
most favorable influence, that of the
Presidents appearance and addresses.
Mr.. Taft's is an engaging personality.
People want to like him; seemingly, he
is in danger of a fate not unlike Mr..
Bryan's, of being awfully popular
personslly-but not getting the votes.
Such studies as this must be relied
upon, if any influence can, to bring
the Republican party to realize how
near it is to a calamity. 1t needs no
seer to forecast that Mr.. Taft, if re-
nominated, cannot be reelected with
out a miraculous change of sentiment.
The midwest as depicted by the
Tribune correspondent. is no different
from the East, as the East knows it.
self. 1T is apparently not materially
different from the farther West, the
distinctively insurgent area, which has
proclaimed its feelings more effectively,
but seems to feel about as the rest of
the country does on the main point:
the utter improbability that Mr.. Taft
can be elected if Nominated.