The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1912-03-14
Taft is stroneer.


Taft is Stronger.
While Theodore Roosevelt was
president and had all the prestige
that high office carries, he carried
West Virginia by only 5000 or e.
600 votes more than William III.
Taft did four years later when ~
was not president and did not enjoy,
the presidential prestige. 4
An examination of the pluralities
of the two men in this state would
not show Colonel Roosevelt the more
popular or stronger with the peo-
Eple. When Mr.. Roosevelt ran, his
opponent was Judge Alton B. Par
ker who was in bad standing with
the larger part of the Democratic
party in this state, especially the
thousands upon thousands of Bryan
advocates. AS a safe, and sane
candidate he failed to get the undi-
vided 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 III. 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
1t 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.
These conditions mentioned which
prevailed in the two campaigns Ger
tainly show that Taft was stronger
with West Virginias than was Roose-
welt. '
There has been nothing since to
make Colonel Roosevelt more popu-
lar than he was then. His admin
istration was great. No one ldenies
that except many Bryan democrats
who either voted. for. him !or some
! other candidate but notsfoS Parker,
Roosevelt's leading opponent. Mr..
Taft's ADMINISTRATION has not only
carried to. elimination many of the
measures Colonel Roosevelt only
I fairly started but has taken long
strides ahead of the Roosevelt re-
gime. There are few except Bryan
democrats who did not vote for Mr..
Taft who say that his administra-
ton has not been decided success,
considering the handicaps he has
had in his own party and the oppo-
far as their administrations are
concerned place them both on
ian equal footing for the
sake OF argument, and then
so back to the test of popularity OF
the two men in this state. That test
certainly does not show Colonel
Roosevelt the more popular. To the
contrary it does show that Mr.. Taft
was stronger in West Virginia when
he was not president than Colonel
/ Roosevelt was when he was presi-
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
Ia few thousand more votes that Mr..
Taft did.
There is no logic in the assertion
tthatstMr.j 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 pudding 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 ad-
vance.
Either Taft or Roosevelt can
carry West Virginia and we'll they
know IT. They are chumps too II
they honestly believe that Mr.. Taft
can not carry it.
The hand organ says no political
machine would boss Mr.. Leggett III
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