The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-09-25
TAFT CONFIDENT
THAT HE WILL
Be REELECTED
President Insists That He is
Not Over Sangulne
WILL CARRY SOLID EAST
Enough Central and Western States
Will Go Republican to Insure
His Reelection.

New York, Sept 24.-President
Taft in a prepared interview issued
tonight, declared that his recent
claims of strength were entitled TO
respect. He repeated that he be-
lieyed he would be elected and gave
his reasons for denying that he had
been over-sanguine. He analysed the
political situation, as he saw it, main
tanning that the regular Republicans
would carry the solid east and hold
enough of the central and western
states TO win.
The President made these state
ments at the home of his brother,
Henry W. Taft, where he went on his
arrival from Washington late today,
and received "A number of his friends
and political associates. The Presi-
dents Interview follows:
when declared, few weeks ago
that felt reasonably sure OF my own
reelection in November and of the
success of the Republican party, |
was regarded by some as entirely ov-
er-sanguine, and unaware of the stu
alton. Today, however, after a mum
Der of indications that the Republi-
can party is still the dominant party,
and that the expected growth of Dem
ocratic strength has failed to ma
terialize. my early declaration is
shown to be entitled to respect The
Republicans necessarily will have a
reduced majority over 1908 because
of the presence of three tickets in
the field, but the Democratic party
will suffer also. The combined
strength of the third term party will
not be enough to change the ultimate
result.
Five or six weeks ago it was as
serted generally that the Republican
party would secure the vote of the
solid east, including all of the New
England states with the exception of
Maine and Vermont; that the Demo
cratic party would maintain its hold
on the solid south: and that the third
term party would secure the solid
west, leaving only the middle west as
debatable ground Today, with the
election still one month away, the Re
publican party finds itself with a
strengthened hold on the solid east,
having routed the third term party in
Vermont and the Democratic party in
Maine. The third term leaders re-
Gently conceded that we would pick
the state of Utah out of the solid
west, and as comforting with Chair
man Hilles and others recently in the
west, there is every reason to believe
that the Republican party will carry
Michigan, Washington, Idaho and
Wyoming. Moreover, if the proper
kind of campaign is waged we will
carry Oregon, Kansas and Minnesota,
where the third term strength has
rapidly waned since the recent tour
through that section by the party's
candidate
II am not familiar with the devel-
opments in other western states, al
though many good reports have come
to me at Beverley concerning them;
but even with the states already men
toned, il can be seen ihat there is
no longer a solid west back of the
new party. but, more nearly, a solid
west reunited in support of the Re
publican ticket. This strength, added
to the indisputable Republican hold
on the eastern states, constitutes, in
itself, a sufficient strength to give
success TO the party.
1T is scarcely necessary for me to
point TO the necessity of re-establish-
ing Republican majority in the
House of Representatives. If this is
done | feel confident that | will be
able to have placed on the statute
books the workmen's compensation
law which | urged upon the last SEES
sion, but which was sent to oblivion
by the Democratic House. If the
country will give the Republican
party complete victory in its con
gressional, as well as its presidential
ticket, a proper tariff revision will be
speedily effected, with knowledge of
the facts ascertained by a tariff com
mission, which will harm no one and
remove its present defects"