Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-09-16
Western Indifference to Wilson.


Democratic leaders are alarmed be-
cause of the indifference of the West
toward Wilson. Out of the West come
reports from sources friendly to the
Democratic party that Governor VIII
son has failed to arouse any great en-
thusiasm in that part of the country
some go SO far as to say that they be-
lieve the governor is not as strong
among the peope of the West today as
he was the day of his nomination. I'm
mediately after the Baltimore conven-
ton there appeared to be a Wilson
wave which his well wishers are in
olined to believe is subsiding in States
that he must carry in order to be
elected President. This is the primary
reason for his decision to campaign in
the West at frequent intervals from
now until election day.
Here are some of the problems con-
fronting the national Democracy.
What is the reason of this Western in
difference2 Wilson apparently made a
favorable impression when he spoke
along the line of his transcontinental
tour a year ago. He cannot afford to
lose the West or many Western
States. To lose them to Roosevelt
might throw the election into the
House of Representatives. To lose them
to Taft would elect the Republican
ticket The anti-protectionists think
his tariff speeches have been entirely
too mild, while the Republicans who
We're thinking about voting for him
have been frightened by what they
regard as the recklessness of the tariff
utterances. The same informant tells
the Boston Transcript correspondent
after an extended tour of the West
and he is a Democrat who will vote
for Wilson and who is an experienced
campaigner-that the radicals are in
clined to think that Wilson has be-
come conservative since his nominal
ton or that he never was really an
{ vatives. Democrats and Republicans,
doubt the stability of his convictions
on public questions and are heard to
say in their talks about the political
situation: Wilson does not know
whether he will be radical OF conser-
vative; he is waiting to hear from the
country
The same correspondent writes:
Such results are to be expected from
the type of campaign which is being
conducted in behalf of the Democratic
candidate. Wilson has told his man
ayers that he expects to be elected by
Republicans and Democrats. by radi-
Gals and conservatives, and his man
ayers have followed the example of
the candidate in their effort to trim
of 'betWixt and between campaign
that reflects the tones of Wilson'S
speeches Roosevelt has been very sue
cessful in adapting his speeches to
harmonic with the sympathies of his
audiences in different parts of the
country but Wilson is not so clever at
the same game and in the opinion of
this Western traveller who has come
to New York from long business
trip. Governor Wilson is disappointing
his supporters in both camps who
We're expecting to hear from him a
clear and definite programme of action
in the event of his election. Instead
his speech Of aeceptance-essays on
political conditions OF the present day
and the state of the public mind
There are those who believe that the
entire campaign will turn upon the
question of prosperity. and that once
the country is confronted with the ell
tentative of restoring the Democratic
party to power at a time when the
country is most prosperous or of con-
under which the country has recover
ed from the panic of 1907 the rally to
the Republicans win be strong enough
TO make up for the defections. with
Republican success as the result in
November. Just here comes the dam
ger TO Wilson; many business men
who are inclined to support him may
upon further thought, with times get
ting better every day, decide against
swapping horses in the middle OF
the stream OF good times upon which
ffse country has embarked.
70 those VINO are puzzled about the