The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-09-22
THE PRESIDENTS sTUMPING.

Ii is evident that President Taft s
stumping tour is not taking as well
with the people of the old Northwest
as he had hoped He is said TO be
pleased with his reception in Michigan;
but it is easy TO see that, while the
people respect his office as President,
and while they yield TO him all honor
due TO his personality as the occupant
of this hgh.oflicc. they do moi warm TO
him He is evidently a disappointment.
This is precisely what sbrcwd OBJ
servers in the East predicted before
tie President started on this stumping
tour. What the people delight in from
a stump speaker is something sensa-
pointed, personal. and catchy. Tho
slow, ponderous legal arguments which
the President presents, the rather
shop.worn pleas for arbitration and the
thrcshed ont arguments contained in his
vetoes Of tariff bills which were passed
by The extra session of Congress, these
all pail upon the public taste. There
is nothing new to be said about them,
there is not even ingenuity in present.
ing them III fresh and lively manner.
What the President saws is, OF course,
sound and well said but he has said it
before many times, beginning with his
vetoes, which were, in fact, a good
deal stronger than his speeches
And thus, while the people turn out
in crowds 10 see the President for the
sake Of seeing bim and hearing what
he has TO say. they do not, as matter
of fact get close to him, and they do
not get from him anything new, lively,
or aggressive. 1t is the same old story
all the time; and in these days of news
paper reporting, where the people
read day after day that the President
has said thus and so in Buffalo. thus
and so in Detroit. and thus and SO
somewhere else. all practically repeat
ling the same thing. with slight varia-
ton, day after day. the expectation of
what he will say is realized even be
fore he is heard. If he speaks on arb.
tration. every one knows just about
what he is going TO say and how he
| is going 10 say il. If ne speaks on
the lines which he has covered before.
Iand will bring forward the same old
points In the same old way; and as the
people have read all this before, their
response 10 his appeals. is rather me.
lchauical than hearty. They will ap.
lplaud the President. Of course. because
he is the President. and not because
he is saying anything that strikes forth
Applause, hearty. Jealous. aud sudden.
Yesterday morning 5 Tribune had au
account Of his speaking in tho northern
peninsula of Michigan. especially at
Marquette. He is tho first President
lof the United States TO appear on that
peninsula, and that fact brought him
certain warmth and appreciating re
sponsc that has been lacking hereto
'lfore. He was introduced most fer
ventlv bv Representative Young. and
be talked pleasantly upon the arbitra
tion treaties. but said nothing that he
has not said often before. We ar.
afraid that by the time President Taft
gets along a little more in his itinerary
he might lust as well omit the speeche.
and pass the compliments Of the DAY
with the people he meets and let il 20
at that, or, If he wishes 70 speak at all
he could say that he intended to say