Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1912-08-09
". j. Bryan Writes Criticism OF
Taft's Speech OF Acceptance.

President Taft's speech of acceptance
will for several reasons stand out in presi-
Dental history as very remarkable public
utterance. To begin with, he accepts Sena-
tor Roots guarantee of regularity without
a smile, and even adds his Endorsement
Of the proceedings which resulted in his
nomination. This occasion. he says, is
appropriate for the expression of profound
gratitude at the victory for the right which
was won at Chicago.
By that victory the Republican party
was saved for future usefulness. What
an astounding indifference to the intelli-
eence of the republic How completely has
his conscience been scared not to be SEN
sitive in regards to the methods employed
at ChicagoI Both he and Senator Root
know that he was not the choice of a ma
jority of the Republican voters they know
that the Presidents administration was
repudiated by those who elected him. They
know that holdover committee deliber-
ately and contemptuOusly disregarded the
voters of the party and changed the char
acter of the convention by the seating of
Taft delegates.
Holdover committeeman who had been
repudiated in their States knowingly. even
exultinely thwarted the expressed will of
the Republican voters of their respective
States in order to give an apparent indorse-
ment to the administration and President
Taft is willing to accept this shadow as II
il were substantial. The President knows
that the Republican committeeman from
number of Southern States represent NTH
ical constituencies and that he accepts with
expressions of gratitude nomination that
was only possible because Southern Repub-
licans had many times as much influence
in the convention in proportion to their
numbers Northern Republicans had And
he accepts the nomination without any
suggestions as to improvement in method.
He neither indorses the Baltimore plan
of having the committeeman begin to serve
as soon as elected. thus having new COM
mittee organize new convention. nor does
he outline any plan for protecting the Re-
publican party from the scandal brought
upon its conventions by its patronaee-con-
trolled delegates from the Southern States.
The next thing in the Presidents speech
that attracts attention is the marked con-
trast between his point Of view today and
his point of view four years ago.
In 1908 he was condemning the male
factors of great wealth and crying out
against dishonest methods in business. He
held himself out as reformer and appeal
ed to the progressive sentiment Of the
country. New he Is Mortified at the dema-
gogue, the muck-raker, and the political
disturber. He says in the work of rousine
the people to the danger that threatened
our civilization from the abuses Of concen-
trated wealth. and the power it was likely
to exercise, the public imagination was
wrought upon and reign of sensational
journalism and unjust and unprincipled
undertaking was followed in which much
injustice has been done to honest men.
Demagogues have seized the opportunity
to further infiame the public mind and
have sought to turn the peculiar conditions
to their advantage. He contends that il is
far better to await the diminution of this
evil by natural causes than to attempt what
would soon take on the aspect of confsca-
ton or TO abolish the principle or institu-
ton of private property and to change to
Socialism.
What a difference in the tone of the two
speeches. Four years ago he was alarmed
for fear the country was going to suffer
at the hands of the predatory interests.
Now every exploiter is pleasing and only
the reform is vile. His speech of four
years ago must have been delivered during
a mental alteration. Surgeons tell us that
mans eccentricities are sometimes due
to pressure on the brain at some point.
II is possible that Drs. Root, PenrOse
and Barnes have restored his mind to nor
NAL action by removing the Roosevelt
pressure.
Mr. Taft is so solicitious about the people
who have failed TO devote as much time
as is necessary to political duties that he
is afraid to burden them with responsible
ties three times greater than the people
have been willing TO assume. He is afraid
that to concede the reforms demanded will
result in new duties that will tire them the
people. into such an indifference as to still
further to demand control Of public affairs
by minority.
To find an argument as absurd as the
above one must 60 back several centuries
and consult the reasons that kings gave
for not admitting the people to participa-
ton in government and then to add in
suit to injury he has the audacity to pre-
sent the aristOcratic argument that ii is
bread. not votes. the people need; work.
not constitutional amendments money to
pay house rent. not referendums clothing.
not recalls employment, not initiatives.
Modern literature presents no parallel to
this ignorance Of or Indifference to the
growth of popular government. In refer
ring to reforms that have come under his
administration he confines himself to a
few and these are not the most important
Why does he Ignore the popular election Of
United States senatorsH II is the greatest
reform in methods Of government that has
come since the adoption Of our constitution
Why does he overlook 1t ? Is it because it
came without his aid Why does he fail to
mention the income tax amendment to the
constitution He urged Il in message,
but he did II in order to defeat statutory
income tax. and he has never said word
since then to encourage Its ratification by
the States. He even appointed Governor
Hughes to the Supreme Bench after the
latter had sent message to the New York
legislature opposing the ratification Of the
income tax amendment.
Why Is he silent on the publicity law