The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-10-21
Is Opposed to the Use of Personalities and Does
Not Think They Have as Much Effect on the
Voters as Those Who Use Them Think.
NEWSPAPERS DO The BEST W0R|
People Expect Dignity from High Officials and
Will Turn Against One Who Stoops from
His Position and Loses His Poise.

UNITED Press Leased Wire Service.l !,
copyright, 1912, by the United Press.]
BEVERLY, Mass, Oct 21.-That he
is opposed to the use of personalities
In campaign was the emphatic state
ment of President Taft in an exclus-
i've interview granted the United Press
today. In view of the interest
aroused throughout the country by the
charges made by certain public men
that personalities we're responsible
for the shooting of Colonel Roosevelt,
the president was asked for his view.
He made it very plain that he be-
lieves personalities absolutely out OF
place; that they do not change single
vote, but that they serve to becloud
the real issues.
The president endorsed the modern
methods of getting the issues before
the public through extensive advertis-
ing, but admitted they were most ex-
pensive. He made 1t plain, too, that
the questioning Of the motives OF big
contributors has made the raising OF
funds for the present day fights prob
Hem.
i In conclusion the president made a
plea for dignity In office seeking, de-
claring there was no question the peo
4 pie Of the United States were as jeai
Gus of the dignity of their higher of
4 ticials today as they ever were In the
country's history.
"Mr. President he was asked, "hos
do you personally believe presidential
campaigns should be conducted?'
Presidential campaigns should DC
conducted he answered, "in such
; way as to bring out the vote OF al
many citizens as possible. The grea'
) danger to republican government, as
: see it, is the lack Of interest taker
in politics, and in the exercise OF SUI
: frage by very large number of oul
citizens.
The Press is Powerful.
'I regret to say that believe sta
> tistics would show that those wh'
I neglect this very important duty arr
: generally well-to-do, and capable o
4 exercising this sort of discrimination
e in their vote that would make for goo'
9 government Everything, therefore
e should be done to bring out this vot
/ in presidential campaign. | presum
8 that rallies, ocessions-torchligh Q
l. otherwise and other manifestation
of party zeal which attract public al
t tention are absolutely necessary t
}. arouse the attention and the interes
d of the voters. The press, of course,
) the chief instrument for keeping bt
a fore the public the controversies {
the campaign, and the necessity fo
It political activity, and the final act {
! suffrage, but other methods of adve
e tising are coming into vogue-the us
l. of the bill board and electric sign
4. and the advertising panels of tn
street cars is logical outcome of tn
j study of science of advertising an
/. publicity that SO many industrial CO.
Germs had occasion to make.
!. "The great difficulty in such car
!, paigns is the expense. A campaie
conducted in forty-eight states nece
:, sarily involves the expenditure of va
!, amounts of money. The trayelir
expenses of speakers are to be PAL
Z the advertising, whether it is by ma
: through the newspapers, by bill boar
= or otherwise, is certain to amount
u large figures, while the renting
V halls, the transportation of speaker
~ the construction of platforms, and Il
81 uniforming and equipping of clubs ;
! involve expenditure of money.
10 "At times it seems more or lie
Is easy to raise considerable sums
ao popular subscription, but in times pa
the subscriptions have been by co
~ paratively few persons of large mea
I'D and engaged in enterprises whi
or might have relations to the COVE
to ment to be affected favorably Or l
an favorably by governmental acti'
or This has given rise, when the c,
ne tributions became known, to questio
er- of motives, many of them unbound
that are likely to make the collect
all of funds of this kind exceedingly {
IN ficult.
THE question is not one eas
- solved. In Oregon and some sta
ii has been attempted to pay the