THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 95, 15 January 1908, Page 6

THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY.

$ Fhom now onwards we may expect to hear a great deal about the development of the American political situation as affecting the Presidential election this year. The most notable happening since November, when it was still considered possible that Mr. _ Roofavelt would be a candidate, has

been the final dissipation of the "thirdterm." ruraourß. , All doubts on the point are now! at an end, and, as a cable message .'reported yesterday, the President has joined the army of tipsters and calculators of chances with a prophecy that Mr. Taft will carry the Republican Convention. To-day we are given a brief message containing' the declaration!? of Mr. Taft and Mr. Bryan on the important issue of rail-road-control. Since we last wrote upon the subject, Mr. Taft appears to have , hardened up' on this question.; He never sympathised with' President Roosevelt's incjinatioiis to .punish the "rich malefactors," nor with, the President's thi'eats of stringent' fail.-, road supervision. Still less did he favour even a' moderate measure of State control. ! To-day he is reported as having committed himself to a vigorous opposition of 'that Socialistic pro-; posal. Mr. Bryan, on the other hand, has not changed or modified liis views. He was advocating the national own-: crship of railways last October, and he does so still ; 1 and, just as he then tempered his convictions by the concession that the ibsue >yas not an immediate one, so to-jlay he claims that " the issue does jiot concern the present campaign." ] -- ... . For. the present it appears that the, Presidency still lies between Mr. Taftand Mr. Bryai, although the excellent record of Mr. 'Hughes, the Governor of Kew York, who.lias made no electioneering : speeches,' and who : has studiously refrained from all reference to the hpw'ever slight,, has made him a seri,ous rival to Mr. Taft. 'The chief difficulty in estimating the respective chalices "of Mr. Taft, Mr. iHughes, and Mr, Bryan is the impossibility of saying what the nation will make the final issue. Both the Republican candidates stand_ for Conservative principles, nor. is either of them keen upon any programme of what is loosely! called " social reform." Mr. Bryan, on the other hand, is desirous of making the election a fight ljetween the p'eople and the rich corporations. Although a Democrat of the purest lineage, and the heir of a party originally firm in its adherence to Preet-radq lirincipleg, he, cannot advocate the abandonment of Protection; Preetrade as a war-cry became extinct long ago. Mr. Bryan is, nevertheless, asking for a reduction of duties that will ease the lot of the workersHe desires, also, a drastic policy of "Trustbursting," and calls for an effective income tax and State regulation of trade The general line of cleavage between the Republican and' Democratic nominees is, therefore, clear evidence is wanting to show what the nation specially de-; |\sires to vote upon. That evidence seems always to. be wanting in mod-' ern Presidential elections. Beyond j I feeling that it will be an evil' day for America when Socialism begins to work upon the national life, the for: i eign friends of America cap_ offer no | useful opinion upon the relative desirableness of the rival statesmen. The New York " Independent ?f thinks that " whichever of the three it will be, we shall have for our Chief Magistrate a man of noble spirit; of whom the Republic may. well be proud."