The Washington herald., 1912-09-15

that vote for Roosevelt contributes
to the election of Woodrow Wilson.
There is no better way for the Repub-
licans to elect Democratic President
than by dividing their forces between
Taft and Roosevelt. If the Roosevelt
Republicans can be made to appreciate
this fact, and if they can be. impressed
by the Republican argument that Demo-
cratic administration is synonymous
with hard times, they may close up their
ranks, let Roosevelt enjoy in solitary
loneliness the pleasure of bolting from
the party, and thus present common
front to their ancient enemy.
AT the present time there are indi-
cations that this is what they propose
to do, but there are less than sixty days
between now and election. Sixty days is
brief time in which to do,a tremen-
dous work.
Mr.. Roosevelt must have smiled to
himself when he gave out his list of
contributors showing that more than
one-half of his campaign fund has
been contributed by Mr.. Perkins, of
the Harvester Trust, and Mr.. Munsey,
of the Steel Trust 1t is enough to say
that no other candidate could have
made such an admission and survived
Itwenty-four hours. Mr.. Roosevelt.
however, has such unbounded conf
dence in his ability to bluff that he gave
out the statement without a single
quiver of concern.
The Republican managers at once
saw the vulnerability of Mr.. Roose-
velfs position and attacked him on the
ground that Perkins and Munsey were
simply paying off old debts-Mr. Per-
kins because Mr.. Roosevelt forbade the
prosecution of the Harvester Trust
and both Mr.. Perkins and Mr. Munsey
because they were enabled to make
millions of dollars when the Steel
Trust was allowed by President Roose-
welt to absorb its great Southern COM
petitor, the Tennessee Coal and Iron
Company. The Democrats also as
sailed Mr.. Roosevelt for his close con-
nection with the trusts. Mr.. Roose-
welt will not, of course, pay any at
tention to these thrusts. With all his
facility for talking, he always manages
to keep quiet when nothing that he
could say would do him any good.
He is not, however, to be allowed to
have everything his own way. Hitherto
the Republican leaders have ignored
him. They were content to know that
he could not be elected. Now, how
ever, in company with the rest of man.
kind, they realize that while he can
not himself be elected, he can defeat
Taft. 1t is necessary that his support
shall be entirely alienafed from him. 1t
has been determined to put him upon
the defensive. This is the true expla-
nation of the tour now being made by
John NJ. Harlan, of Chicago, and J.
Adam Bede, of Minnesota, along the
Pacific Coast and over 'Roosevelts trail.
All of the vulnerable openings in
Roosevelts armor are to be assailcd. His
violation of his anti-third-term pledges,
his numerous contradictory statements,
his record concerning the Harvester
T-,-. ,,J H. C+..I T,,e, lie o,o.;et;
cal declarations-all these and many
other similar things are to be re-
hearsed in public. In other words, the
object of the tour is to shake the con-
fdence of Roosevelt's followers in their
idol. Wide publicity is to be given to
this arraignment of the third term can
didate in the hope that he will be COM
PEELED to assume the defensive. He is
not as happy in that role as when he
is engaged in pounding the other fel-
low
The Democrats, too, are going after
Roosevelt. They are to send Mr..
Bryan to follow him. 1t is not yet evil
dent what policy of assault Mr.. Bryan
will pursue In view of the fact that
many papers throughout the country
are cartooning Roosevelt and Bryan as
walking arm in arm along the same
path, the developments of the Roose-
velt- Bryan debate ought to be inter-
esting
There have not been, as yet, any
exciting features in the campaign. The
Republicans, with the exception of an
occasional fling at Mr. Roosevelt, are
conducting themselves with ladylike
and the Democrats are equal
ly courteous. The fight between the
two parties is really discussion of the
tariff question from opposite points of
view, and the tariff, while vital sub
ject, is not thrilling.
Nevertheless, it looks more and more
as if, as the campaign progresses, the
one all-absorbing topic would be the
tariff. The Republicans recall the dis
NAL days of ISo2-o6,. while the Demo
Gratis blame the high cost of living
upon the protective system. Any one