The Washington herald., 1912-09-22
THE POLITICAL SITUATION

The political Developments of the
week have been important. President
Taft, in statement issued from Bev-
erly, has sounded the keynote which
will be the inspiration of the Repub-
licsn campaign from now until election
tdsy. He insists that prosperity shall be
J the chief issue and that the people OF
} the country shall be confronted with the
vital question, Shall we have change
: President Taft is right. Prosperity is
the one great asset of the Republican
party to-day, and President Taft is en-
titled to full credit for the satisfactory
situation. 1t may be said that the tre-
b., mendous crops are the foundation OF
prosperous times. While this is true,
it is also fact that there were'bumper
CROPS in the last Democratic admins
:. tration, and yet there was universal dis
tress. The difference is in the prices
which the crops bring. If freight cars
stand idle, if factories are closed, il
millions of workingmen are unemploy-
ed-as was the case in ISo3-then there
>. is no market for the products of the
farm When, on the other hand, there
is general activity in business, with
everybody at work and with money to
5 pay for food, the farmer finds mar
3 ket for his crops at prices which clears
. his farm of its mortgage and puts
5 money in bank for him besides.
: There is every indication that the
! people are realizing these facts. This
!. is the only reason, which can be ad-
!. vanced for the reaction toward, Taft
which has undoubtedly set in, and which
. is being reported from all sections OF
!. the. country The information TO this
: effect is so universal and is being re-
, iterated so constantly that it must have
. some foundation. At any rate, the Re
publican managers are so thoroughly
convinced that the people have stopped
!. to think, and that it is prosperity which
= has made them reason among them
selves. that they are encouraged to
. make an aggressive. and enthusiastic
campaign. upon this one issue. They will
supplement the facts concerning pres
. en-; conditions with literature showing
that President Taft has the confidence
of the country, based upon the safe and
wise administration he has already
. given. and demonstrating that Republi-
can laws and Republican policies al
ways conduce to prosperous times. By
% thus linking together business condi-
. tions with Republican administration
they have strong argument with which
to appeal to the people against change.
Coincident with the trend toward Taft
A.eon,es the information that the Roose-
s:YeIt sentiment is waning
- This is undoubtedly true. The non
partisan accounts of Roosevelt's trip
through the Rocky Mountain States and
, the Pacific Coast agree that he has
failed to create much enthusiasm. He
: IS finding that it is one thing to make
a tour as a President of the United
81 States or as a Republican seeking a
) nomination from his party and quite
= another thing to appear as bolter, try
- ing to get men to desert lifelong party
afhliation. This failure to create a
:: Juror. coupled with the fact that he
has been compelled to answer the at
tacks which John NJ. Harlan. of Chi
+: 'cago, and ]. Adam Bede, of Minnesota,
have made upon his record, has made
= Mr. Roosevelt peevish. The dispatches
!. state, that he has become so irritable
and grouchy that his company is un-
pleasant to those who are with him
upon his private car There are now in
timations that he will find it convenient
to terminate his trip before long.
1t was a clever stroke upon the part
of the Republican managers to send Mr..
Harlan and Mr. .Bede trailing after
Roosevelt Mr. Harlan is of the pom
derous kind who deals sledge-hammer
blows with forceful effect, while Bede
resembles a mosquito. He buzzes
around in lively fashion and then
stings with a shaft of wit and satire,
then buzzes and stings again. This COM
bination of heavyweight and gatling-
gun oratory has created sensation on
: the Pacific Coast. but, more than all, it
has infused fighting spirit into the
ranks of the Taft Republicans. The
latter seemed to be hungering and
thirsting for some one to meet Roose-
welt, out in the open, and now they have
witnessed good, old-fashioned politi-
cal tussle which has cheered their
hearts Here in the East not much has
been said of the hammer-and-tongs on