The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-05-21
Cannot Win on Reputation.

Cannot Win On Reputation.
La Crosse Ieader-Press: 1t Is I'M
possible ordinarily. and anyone ought
to see this. for q party to win an
election on Reputation of It's own
record. 1t may lose, 1t is true, even
If it defends It's own course. 1t is al
most sure to do 30 II it attacks it.
The Republican party put forth Taft
as its candidate In 1908. For. his ad-
ministration 1t is responsible. 1t can
not evade that responsibility, and its
partisan opponents won't permit 1t to
be evaded, by nominating now a can
didate opposed to him. Credit or
blame for what has ben done the past
three years cannot rest with Mr.. Taft
alone. 1t must be shared with the
Republicans in congress and with the
party generally. Taft signed the
Payne bill, but a Republican congress
passed it. and a Republican constitu-
ency approved it at the time and did
not condemn 1t until later when senti-
ment against it had been manufac-
tured. Each other act of the admins
tration was sustained by the Republi-
can congressional majority.
If then, Republicans leaders who
want the presidential nomination for
themselves, a legitimate ambition, and
Republicans of lesser degree who hope
for place under rival presidential can.
didates should they succeed, a natural
enough ambition too, are able to
create public sentiment against the
present administration, such senti-
ment as might result in Taft's defeat
In the convention, the Republican
party has not thereby freed itself OF
all liability for criticism on the score
of the Taft administration and proven
the right to begin new record on a
clean sheet. The opponents Of the
Republican party, the Democrats and
socialists, will not permit that and
there is no good reason why they
should. For If the Republicans con-
fess that they Numbered In choosing
Taft, it may be argued with plausible
Ity that they may blunder again and
that If they are going back on their
own record now they may also re-
pudiate in 1915 what they shall have
done between this year and that. The
party under leadership Of any other
than Taft in this campaign would be
weakened, first, by the desertion of
the Taft men, who would feel that
they had been unfairly treated, and
further by the fact that the party had
repudiated itself and had placed itself
under suspicion as to its future course.
With any sort of showing on the part
of the Democrats defeat for the Re.
publicans would be almost impossible
to avoid
On the other hand defeat with Taft,
/ If 1t should come, would not be SO de-
moralizing. It would not be invited
by confession of failure 1t, would
not leave the party torn into factions.
1t would eliminate him as factor in
! future campaigns and would cause the
party to turn naturally to the men
who are opposing leaders now, and
there would be less reason to expect
a bolt against new man in 1916. But
defeat, we should say, is not more
than an even possibility in Taft's case.
He has the support of the small bust
ness men of the country as distinguish
ed from the big business men, who
are for Roosevelt, and he has a fol-
lowing among the quieter people, the
silent vote. which is not heard from in
primaries but often decides elections.
With natural closing up Of the ranks
and the thorough discussion which re-
moves misunderstanding the defeat
of Taft in November would be much
a harder problem than 1t seems now
I to some Of the Democratic leaders.