The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1911-09-21
PRESIDENT TAFT
AND HIS FOES
THE PROGRESSlvES FIGHTING
HIM FOR DENOMINATION
NEXT YEAR
TAFT FORCES LACK ORGANIZATION
Democrats Are Active and Confident
of Victory Next Year-president
Now on a Swing Around Circle

The Registers special correspon.
dence from Washington says that, as
President Taft travels west on his
tour # the country, he is likely to
encounter a condition within the ranks
OF his own party quite different from
that with which his predecessors of
the Presidency have found while max,
ing their pilgrimages among the peo-
pie, in the year preceding the enom
Democrats, while divided as to their
candidate for next year, nevertheless
confident of a 1912 victory and ready
to enlist under the leadership OF any
standard bearer who may be selected.
1t is within his own party that the
real danger of Republican success
lies, and a handful of a few western
states are furnishing most OF the
trouble. Taking advantage of the
reciprocity situation, there has been
sent out from the headquarters of the
progressive Republican League in
Washington, great quantities Of Sena-
tor LaFollette's speech entitled Sham
Reciprocity" The League is using
every effort to discredit the Taft adj
min%istration with the farmers, and in
a declaration from their headquarters
it is declared:
I'm the recent session of Congress
the progressive Republicans fought
with their backs to the wall to get
simple justice for the SO, 1000, 900 peo-
pie engaged in and depending upon
mate weapon to prevent the sacrifice
of the agricultural interests for the
benefit of the railroads, the Beef
Trust, the Coal Trust, the Flour Trust,
and all the ov%erprOtected manufacture
ers and trusts"
The progressive Republicans declare
that they have united to make a cam
paign for the 1912 national conven.
ton They are sending out quaint
ties of literature to the farmers and
are inviting replies as to conditions
in different localities. Their state
ment is that they wish to know the
sentiment of the people, especially the
farmers, toward Senator LaFollette.'
The activity OF the LaFollette op-
position outside of Wisconsin, which
is conceded to it's "favOrite son." has
been emphasized in Minnesota dur.
ing the past week, where a big boom
was launched for the Wisconsin Sena-
ton, and in this affair Congressman
Lenroot, who is regarded as Mr.. La
Follette's closest confident, made an
attack upon President Taft. About
the same time the candidacy OF Con
gresham Norris for Senator of Ne
braska vas launched, and it was
given out fat-footed that an attempt
would be made to defeat the cleo
ton Of a Taft delegation from the
State of Nebraska.
In the meantime President Taft has
started for his trip to the Pacific
coast and enroute he will defend the
policies of his Administration and tell
the people why reciprocity, which has
been promised them since the days
of Blaine and Mckinley. will prove
beneficial to the country, and he will
maintain and try to prove that the
legislation will be beneficial TO the
farmers and that the real OppOsi-
ton to it comes from selfish manu-
featuring interests who have had their
only hope in the movement Of the
insurgents. More than that the Presi-
dent proposes TO defend his famous
vetoes upon the wool bill and the so
called farmers free list measure. The
President will advocate more sanity
In the framing OF tariff schedules, and
will defend the Tariff Board, which
has laboriously tried TO put this great
question on a basis where more in
telligent laws can be secured.
1t is recognized here in the Nation
al capital that perhaps the greatest
accomplishment OF the Taft admins
tration has been in the direction OF
securing worldwide peace. A con-
tinuation of the progress of this work
will doubtless lessen the probability
Of further wars between great ma
tons. The Taft people intend to
make the most Of the progress made
In this directiron by their Chief. and
they feel that the discussion Of the