Mountain advocate., 1912-08-16
SPEECHES PUT
TO THE TEST
Wilson disappointing, Roosevelt
Fairly Within Bounds, While
Taft is Almost Radical

NEW YORK, Aug. 12-lnstead
of the long heralded call to arms to
a militant Democracy already scent
ing victory, Gov. Wilson's speech OF
acceptance is hailed here in this CEN
ter Of Presidential politics as a ped
agogical essay on present day poll
tics. as impeccable in its style as it
is indefinite and unsatisfying in
practical suggestion. Even the
members Of the notification com.
mittee, many of whom returned to
New York from Sea Grit, could not
hide their surprise at the course Of
the nominee in politely ignoring the
platform Of the party and the rank
and file of the party as well, in his
statement Of the faith that is in
him, and while it may prove to be
good politics for DIR. Wilson to have
talked over the heads OF his Demo.
cratic audience to the larger audi.
ence, made up OF the so. called new
thought" of the country, he missed
an opportunity to spur to action
those party leaders represented on
the notification committee.
Both the speech of Gov. Wilson
and the extended confession of faith
of Col, Roosevelt have proved
welcome surprise to many men here
in New York from all over the coun-
try, who had been led to believe
that the Democratic nominee and
the Bull Moose candidate would en-.
deavor to run the gamut of radical
ism in their effort to capture the
radical vote of the contry. In
point of suggestion the Colonies
confession of faith is admitted to be
fairly radical, but upon analysis
the New Socialism of Armageddon"
is found to differ but little from the
"New Nationalism of Ossawatomie,"
for much that the Colonel said in
paying tribute to the memory OF
John Brown several years ago he
repeated at Chicago to his own CON
vention. Ossawat omie did not pro-
duce any specific advocacy of the
initiative, refer endum and recall,
and the recall of judicial decisions is
a child of Armageddon, but the
spirit of the two confessions is
much the same.
One characteristic common to the
acceptance speech OF Gov. Wilson
and TO the ultimatum which Col.
Roosevelt delivered to his own con.
vention, which the business world
has been quick to detect, is the care
with which both the Governor and
the Colonel undertake to state their
ideas Of progressivism without
alarming business and the emphasis
they place upon the necessity of
preserving prosperity and OF intro
ducing no innovations either with
respect to the tariff or the trusts
that will upset the business equili-
brium of the country.
Commenting upon this caution en-
the part Ofthe two patron saints Of
progressivism, a 6nancier promin-
ent in the commercial life of the
country remarked that in compari.
son the speech Of President Taft was
almost radical, The President does
not apologize for the Sherman anti
trust law, but urges supplementary
legislation of a definite character
by which large business enterprises
can organize under the supervision
of the government without per-
uniting the government to control
the price OF their output, 1t is real
zed that both the Democratic and
the third-term nominees may have
many radical remedies up their
sleeves, in which event the business
world in turning apon the Taft ad-
ministration would be running the
risk Of rouRher handling at the
hands OF either OF his opponents.
Lexington Leader