Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-05-31
EXIT, TAFT!

u
ait administration.
There can no longer be no misun-
dcrsranding Of the popular sentiment
Wherever they have an opportunity 10
40 10 tDe polls and express their con
victions the majority Of the Republic
cans voting have turned down the
leadership of Taft, disappTOved of his
administration of the country's affairs,
and refused to countenance his aspir-
atoms for another term. He stands
tried at the bar of public opinion in
lis own party and publicly convicted.
The people evidently want no more OF
him.
What causes have consired to bring
about this most remarkable Tepudia-
ton of a president by his own party
In the first place his manifest will
lingness to accept the advice and dis,
tation of the old school of political
bosses The eyes of the nation have
been awakened to the fact that TAT
has been governed to an unusually
large extent by Senatorial bosses" of
whose purity and disinterestedness Of
motives there are ample grounds fOr
suspicion. Slowly but surely the i'm
preston has gained ground that Taft
lacked will power to protect the peo-
pies interests, that Taft was a mere
tool in the hands of those represent
ing great corporate, even unlawfully
monopolistic interests. And the day
has passed when such an impression
could be otherwise than fatal
Added to this came his practical re-
anticipation of his ante-elevtion pledg-
es as to the tariff. His shameless
veto Of tariff revision measures gave
a distinct shock to the country, re-
! gardless of party. 1t showed Taft as a
man Indifferent to his own solemn
promises, as a man willing to hide
behind subterfuges to protect the in
terests that have too long fattened OIL
the life-blood of the people. That
knowledge alone should have been ad
equate to defeat him.
But to these general accusations of
indifference to the country's vital in
terests there have been added specific
instances of inability on Taft's part to
comprehend his duty as president
The pure-foOd scandal, the Alaska
scandals, and other evidences of NAL
administration, have pictured him Il
the nation as weak. Roosevelt's de-
,criptiOn of him as "good-natured but
weak struck the popular fancy as a
truthful portrait, And the mass oil
the American people do net want, and
will not have, a man of that type as
president. The time has passed fol
chief executives who are "good-natur.
ed but weak" This is a great coun-
try, requiring strong man at the
head. And out of the ninety million.
there are ample men to draw from
who are not of the Taft type. TIL
people insist on having something elst
! than broad smile in the White
House.
Added to these political mistakes AM
PERSONAL weaknesses there is to b.
added another significant reason tina
is attracting more and more attentio,
as the campa gn progresses. Taft has
unquestionably given grave offense t.
the Protestant sense of the country. |
e felt, and openly charged, that h,
has deliberately gone out of his wa!
to remote the interests of the Catholic
church, catering to the hierarchy TO
lolitical support. Action after action
on his part is recited to sustain Thu
charge Protestant church papers, al
most without regard to creed hav'
handled the President without glove
during the past few months for hi
alleged unseemly conduct along thes
lines. In this day of church and pa
triotic organizations, with various so
cieties numbering their members b.
the tens, even hundreds, of thous
ands, the influence of these attacks o.
Taft must have been tremendous. In
deed, his defeat in Ohio, PENNSYLVANIA
and New Jersey may be directly trace
able and attributable to them. Wit
seven-eights of the land Protestant
the president who gives offense to tn
cardinal principles of Protestan
churches is unquestionably on danger
Gus ground. 1t is true Taft a fort
night ago issued a ersOnally signe,
statement denying these accusations
but his denials robably fell on dea
ears. The feeling aroused against hin
on this score alone would be sufficien
to insure his overwhelming defeat il
November if his faction should, whic,
seems the height of improbability
force his denomination.
-Four things, then, enter into tht
complete discontinue of Presidenr
Taft. They are:
0)His subserviepcy to the Senator
ial bosses representing corporate in.
terests or generally corrupt in flu
ences.
~ His faithlessness to his pledges