The Detroit times., 1912-04-13
WESTERN OFFICEHOLDERs
AND LAND BOOMERS ARE
PULLING WIRES FOR TAFT



nouncements that he would accept the
nomination. Hundreds OF men who
before were demanding his entry into
the contest are now denouncing him.
because they get their information
! from the trust controlled press. which
Is so absolutely unfair as TO be abso
lutely unreliable. | am I'm the news
paper business myself. believe I'm
the mission OF the press, but my trip
has convinced me that the big news.
papers OF the big cities are bound
body and soul TO the corporation inter
ests, with very few exceptions. The
hope OF the future depends entirely
on the small city papers and the coun
try press. They have no organiza
ton, and can have none, any more
than the masses can ever have real
organization. and so TO be frank, the
outlook is not pleasant one to con-
template. The present methods are
manufacturing Anarchists by the hun
bred, and unless the great corpora
lions are willing to give the people
something like half way decent
show, this republic stands to fall Just
as all other attempts TO establish tne
rule or the people have failed In the
past. am sorry TO write this but
feel II to be true.
THE small fry politicians who want
the Offices may in the final roundup
decide that Taft cannot be elected
and may nominate either Roosevelt
| or La Toilette. Nothing will stop his
nomination but the fear that he may
be defeated, on the part OF the Eel
lows who want TO stay in or get In,
"a the situation seems TO be today,
and this is written before the returns
from Illinois are known. and | do not
think Illinois will change the situa.
ton. no matter how large a majority
| II gives for Roosevelt. The TAFT in
terests have already too many dele
gates nailed down. The same corpor-
atoms and the same money power
that Is fighting against the nomina-
l.tion OF Roosevelt or LaFollette, Is as
determined to control the Democratic
nomination Practically every paper
that fights the two Republican pro-
gressives is fighting Gov. Wilson, the
Democratic progressive. The men
who are determined TO crush the pro-
gressive movement are united, they
have billions of capital behind them.
They knew Taft would do their work
for them in their own way when he
was first nominated. They spent, IL
lis said. the sum OF $l6,0OO,OOO to de-
! feat Bryan in his first campaign. anu
| they stand ready TO spend $5O,OOO,OOO
to elect Taft again, without any ques-
ton OF a doubt. One manipulation
| OF the markets when they get condi-
tons right under an administration
that Is ready to pay It's political debts
at the expense OF the public, Will
clean up five times the cost or the
election.
II am not discussing the question
/ OF who Is the real standpatter, or
which is the best progressive, or who
| Ia the most consistent. am just
lcalling attention to belief that was
expressed by scores OF men one
meets In such trip as have taken
and that is that the man with the big
purse will win---and the big purse is
backing Taft. With all the big news
papers in the country, the big banks
and trust companies, railroads, trusts
and so on. with only few exceptions
fighting for Taft, and fighting against
Roosevelt, LaFollette and Wilson with
all the bitterness of the first Bryan
lcampaign, there seems to be small
doubt to one who carefully studies
the situation that Taft will not only
be nominated, but he will almost as
Icertainly be elected as that he is
nominated. The men who manipu
late campaigns are after the money
and they will soon discover who car
Tries the pocket book, and whoop II
Iup accordingly"