The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1912-03-12
TAFT Is STRONGER.

Taft Is Stronger.
While Theodore Roosevelt was
president and had all. the prestige
that high once carries, he carried
West Virginia by only 5000 or 81
600 votes more than William M.
Taft did four years later when ns
was not president and did not enjoy
the presidential prestige.
An examination Of the pIuralities
Of the two men in this state would
not show Colonel Roosevelt the more
popular, or stronger with the :: p d
pie. When Mr.. Roosevelt ran, his
opponent was Judge Alton B. Par
ker who was in outstanding with
the larger part of the Democratic
party in this state, especially the
Thousands upon thousands Of Bryan
advocates. AS safe and sane
candidate he failed to get the undi5
yided support of his party Many.
Democrats voted for Roosevelt or
some one else in preference. That
condition naturally Increased the
Roosevelt plurality, which was
added to by his presidential pres
tige. -
When William u. Taft ran, his
opponent was the great apostle Of
West Virginia Democracy, william.
Jennings Bryan himself. Bryan was
much stronger with the Democrats
of this state than Parker was;
hence Taft had a stronger man to run
against than Colonel Roosevelt did
and he was a man Of the ranks as
It were and was not nominated
from the presidential chair. That
his plurality came Within few
thousand votes of being as great as
that Of Roosevelt was most remark
able under the, circumstances.
1These conditions mentioned which
prevailed in the two campaigns GER
tatnly show that Taft was stronger
with West virginias than was Roose-
welt. ltsas
There has been nothing since to
make Colonel Roosevelt more popu-
lar than he was then. HIS admin.
istration was great. no one denies
that except many Bryan Democrats
who either voted for him or some
other candidate but. not for Parker,
Roosevelt's leading opponent. Mr.
Taft's administration has not only
carried to elimination. many of the
measures Colonel Roosevelt only
fairly started but has taken long
strides ahead of tile RUuseYeit re-
gime. There are few, except Bryan
Democrats who. did .1ot-yote for Mr.
Taft who say that ibis aaministra=
ton has not been a decided success,
considering the handleaps:. he has
had in his own party and the oppo-
far as their administrations are
concerned place them both on
an equal footing for the
sake of argument, and then
go back to the test of popularity OF
the two men in this state, That tesS
certainly does not show Colonel
Roosevelt the more popular. To the
contrary. 1t does show that Mr.. Taft
was stronger in West Virginia when
he was not president than Colonel
Roosevelt was when. he was prest.
dent, and now that Mr.. Taft is pres
ident he possesses one of the great
elements of strength Roosevelt had
when he carried this state by only
a few thousand more votes that Mr..
Taft did. l..s7.
THERE'S no, logic IN the assertion
that Mr.. Taft can not carry this
state at the presidential election and
that Colonel Roosevelt can carry it,
except that the latter could do SO,
and the proof of the pndding is that
those who say President Taft can
not carry the state know better and
they say he can not merely because
they have personal ambitions to adj
vance. -
Either Taft or Roosevelt can
carry West Virginia and well they
know 1t. They ara chumps too ii
they honestly believe that Mt. Taft
can not carry 1t.
Alyy Robinson. of wallace. was a