Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 October 1908 — IS TAFT AN AUTOMATON? [ARTICLE]

IS TAFT AN AUTOMATON?

Weeks ago It was given out that about the middle off September President Roosevelt would publish a letter extolling the merits of Mr. Taft. When the letter appeared, It w-as discovered that the president was still for Taft This was expected. Mr. Roosevelt had hardly used a quarter of a million federal officeholders to nominate Taft for the mere pleasure of forsaking him. So he says that he is still for him. And then he proceeds to tell what he thinks Mr. Taft will do if elected. On this subject Mr. Bryan calls attention to the fact that Mr. Taft is still alive and in good health and able to speak for himself. And Mr. Bryan wants to know what Mr. Taft thinks he will do and asks that he make his position clear. It is needless to say that Mr. Taft has not made his position clear on sny issue—that he has dodged and quibbled and tried in various ways to amend the platform on which he stands and which was specially built for him. Surely Taft ought to know his own mind as well as Roosevelt knows it. but he seems not to. As Taft is the candidate, and not Roosevelt, Mr. Bryan believes., that the president’s indorsement of the Republican candidate is without force unless he will promise to stay in Washington and run things for his man in the event of his election. And Mr. Roosevelt’s way of running things is open to fatal objections. The people want a new deal—and much squarer deal than they have had at the bands of Roosevelt, Taft, Cannon, Sherman, Cortelyou & Co.