The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-10-16

who are discouraged by the rela-
lively unexciting character Of ma
tlonal politics this year.. and who
are inclined to fear that We never
viii have another good rousing
presidential campaign, should con-
sider recent history.
The. presidential show OF 1908
was Just such apd9zle from the dra-
matte and spectacular standpoint
% the preeePt one seems to be;
but how noh) did 1912 redeem the
reputation Of the American politi-
Giant for staging . first class show!
T Several salient characteristics OF
our, nattsnal political game were
illustrated In the 1912 campaign.
One of them 1s that q hot campaign
10 not made hot by burning issues.
but rather by burning personal
animosities. Burning issues are no
longer introduced into presidential
campaigns-a fact> Of which the
present one should afford all the
proof that anyone requires. The
really caloriic questions are duck
ed by both parties by mutual con-
sent, and. II they are brought for
ward at all, it is by some third
party which is in no danger OF
electing its ticket and having to
meet them. The somewhat mere
tricious glow which is given by the
politicians to the discussion of cur
rent problems might be compared
to fox-fire. which you see in the
woods on summer nights. That is,
1t is q faint illumination given OF
by dead and rotten matter, and is
capable OF deceiving none but the
uninitiate.
Platforms Alike
So it was in 1912. 1t is true that
Mr.. Roosevelt ran on q social JUS
tice" platform which contained
many planks of radical sound, if
somewhat vague meaning. Il Is
also true that many Of the men
who voted for him were sincere
liberals who believed in that plat
form. But the thing which made
the campaign interesting. which
split the Republican party wide
open. elected Woodrow Wilson. and
stirred the country to its. depths,
was a temperamentalsdifference be-
tween Mr., Taft and Mr.. Roosevelt.
From the viewpoint Of political
expediency, Roosevelt was undoubt-
eddy right. The temper of the coun-
try was relatively radical in 1912.
It had four years of conservative
government and 1t wanted a change.
The way to elect president was
to be at least ostensibly radical.
And Roosevelt was as radical by
temperament as Taft was conserv-
alive. In the specific measures
which they we're prepared to ad-
vocate they did not differ substan-
TALLY. A current Democratic car
toon shows them as a couple of
street Drawers hauled up before a
justice Of the peace, who is trying
in vain to find out what they are
fighting about.
Nobody could answer that ques-
ton with clarity, but how they did
scrap! Mr.. Roosevelt leaped into
the ring with both fists going. His
talent for personal invective was
never displayed to better advan-
tage. Mr.. Taft, distressed and out
ragged by such unrnanneriy tactics,
at first stuck in a dignified manner
to his favorite subject Of the con-
stitution of the United States. But
finally, realizing that one cannot
be a perfect gentleman and a CON-
petent politician at the same time,
ne turned ponderously upon his
opponent with the inspiring re-
mark that even a rat will fight
when cornsred. He gave a good
account of himself, too, and the
result would not have been so GER
tain had not an excited mental d.
fective pumped a bullet through
the colonel's shoulder at the cru