402 
LARGE PUBLIC QUESTIONS. 
[Editor’s Note.—U nder this heading we intend to 
have discussed questions which particularly interest 
country people. We do not agree with all that our 
correspondents say, but we shall give men and women 
who possess the courage of conviction an opportunity to 
say what they think about certain things which interest 
country people]. 
THE NEXT PRESIDENT. 
We Lave made no effort to poll a “straw 
vote,” but have called for volunteer opin¬ 
ions and arguments, without any influence 
one way or the other. Thus far we have 
heard from 32 different States, and the 
opinions represent over 5,000 voters. Out 
of every 100 Republican opinions the pref¬ 
erences are divided about as follows: 
Roosevelt .60 
La Follette .17 
Taft .15 
Hughes . 8 
The following arguments or reasons are 
fair samples. Next week we shall print 
similar notes on the Democratic candidates: 
For Robert M. La Follette. 
My choice for President is Robert M. La 
Follette, because I consider him an honest 
man and. because his past record shows him 
to be more strongly and more persistently 
in favor of the class of legislation which 
the common people in general and farmers 
in particular very much need at the pres¬ 
ent time than any other candidate. I 
consider him preeminently the farmers’ 
candidate and “the man of the hour.” My 
second choice would be Roosevelt, and my 
third choice would be Wilson. I am tied to 
no party. C. w. n. 
Massachusetts. 
I favor Robert La Follette for next Presi¬ 
dent for the following reasons: His rec¬ 
ord in Wisconsin shows he is a fighter and 
worker in the .interest of the people. His 
programme is progressive. He favors a 
stringent corrupt practice act, which I 
think is badly needed. He opposed the one¬ 
sided reciprocity bill. w. e. m. 
Minnesota. 
We are all for La Follette. (I say we, 
because I speak for about 20 of my neigh¬ 
bors and friends.) The reason is that 
“ Senator La Follette is for direct nomina¬ 
tion and election, for parcels post, the 
initiative, referendum and recall. He is 
opposed to Canadian reciprocity, to ship 
subsidy and the Aldrich currency plan. 
The State of Wisconsin will be solid for 
the Senator and it would be a great bless¬ 
ing to the country if Senator La Follette 
should be elected President. J. G. 
Wisconsin. 
For Wm. H. Taft. 
I favor President Taft’s re-election for 
these reasons: He has done much to com¬ 
mend and but little to discredit his pres¬ 
ent administration; hence, in a political 
sense, he merits re-election—nothing less 
would be a “square deal.” To withhold it 
would be little less than punishing a pub¬ 
lic servant for faithful service. Because 
he is a wise progressive; his policies are 
constructive and not destructive. Because, 
like Abraham Lincoln, he is big-hearted 
and honest. Because I prefer a statesman 
and patriot for President rather than a 
politician. Because he has sound and 
definite views upon all of the great ques¬ 
tions of national interest, and has the per¬ 
severance of a Bonaparte to achieve results, 
and has shown himself to be a conscientious 
President, caring more for a wise admin¬ 
istration than for his own popularity. Be¬ 
cause he has a good head and a good heart 
that work together for the best interests 
of all the people in our great Republic. 
Vermont. L. w. p. 
Taft is a great big, honest man, clean 
and capable but slow. He has not received 
fair credit for the great things which he 
has quietly done, but has been greatly 
blamed for a few mistakes. A trained law¬ 
yer and judge, he went to the White House 
prepared to weigh evidence and make slow 
and solid decisions. He followed a man of 
snap judgments who decided things off 
hand, and the people grew impatient at 
the slow and thorough student who could 
not do things with a flourish and hurrah ! 
Mr. Taft’s work with the Post Office De¬ 
partment alone entitles him to a re-elec¬ 
tion. lie is an honest man, and if the Re¬ 
publican party will give him a progressive 
platform, he will live up to its pledges in 
a sane and sober manner. J. H. p. 
New Jersey. 
I am for Wm. II. Taft for President for 
the following reasons: Because he has 
tried to fulfil the pledges of the Republi¬ 
can platform on which he was elected. 
Because it is his inherent right as an 
American citizen to be accorded a renomi¬ 
nation to office, having committed no flag¬ 
rant act against any class of citizens 
which disinherits him from such right. 
Because he stands for the revision of our 
tariff through a non-partisan commission, 
which is the most, intelligent method of 
tariff revision ever offered by any man or 
party. Because by his courteous and in¬ 
sistent demand for international peace he 
has placed his name in history as a far¬ 
sighted humanitarian. Because of his non¬ 
partisan appointments to Cabinet and judi¬ 
cial positions he has shown a broad-minded, 
non-partisan statesmanship not equaled 
since the day of Abraham Lincoln. Be¬ 
cause he advocated the reciprocity agree¬ 
ment with Canada which, had it been suc¬ 
cessful, would open an increased market 
for our manufactured goods and tear down 
the expensive barrier of over 3,000 miles of 
imaginary boundary lines. Because of his 
THE RURAL NfeW-YORKER 
April 18, 
firmness in the rights of his exalted posi¬ 
tion and his dignified dismissal of those 
guilty of insubordination. Because of his 
manly defense of those fundamental in¬ 
stitutions of our Government, the courts 
and our constitution. Because of his gen¬ 
tlemanly manner in his treatment of those 
who would overthrow him on the pretense 
of defending the people’s right. Because of 
his ability as a diplomat, as a judge, as a 
genial affable American citizen, entitled to 
the receipt of well-merited praise and con¬ 
tinuance in office. J. L. c. 
New York. 
Enthusiastic for Roosevelt. 
Here is a bunch for Roosevelt—mine and 
my neighbors—and here are our reasons: 
He looks to us to be the only man in 
sight who can by any possibility be elected 
on the Republican ticket; and past experi¬ 
ence does not give us much to hope for 
from the Democrats. His former adminis¬ 
tration accomplished more good for the 
people than any other that has come under 
our observation. We believe it is good 
business to hire a man again when he has 
done us good work once. He has told us 
squarely what he proposes to do if he gets 
the job. The output of the machine which 
the political press is dumping on us is hav¬ 
ing the opposite of the intended effect. He 
is free from obligations to the politicians, 
and we believe he has the will and the 
power to carry out his declared policies to 
the best interests of his constituency—the 
people. b. a. p. 
New York. 
I would say unhesitatingly that my 
choice is for Theodore Roosevelt. I shall 
probably give my support to the nominee 
of the Chicago convention, if there is no 
trickery used, yet I think Roosevelt is the 
man for the times. I admire his courage 
in standing by the right, in spite of bosses 
and unscrupulous politicians, the class so 
bitterly opposed to him now. I believe he 
would use his influence for a “square deal” 
to rich and poor. As a veteran of the Civil 
War, I feel grateful to him, as I should 
suppose all veterans and their friends would 
feel for the active part he took in securing 
for them the age pension. My first vote 
was cast in 1856 for J. C. Fremont, and I 
have voted for every Republican nominee 
since. This represents the feeling of many 
in my section. Still, like many States, we 
bow to the mandate of the bosses, little 
and big, and may send a Taft delegation 
from this State. h. m. b. 
Connecticut. 
My choice and that of a majority of my 
neighbors is Theodore Roosevelt, because 
he has been tried and found true to his 
constituents. He is opposed to plutocracy. 
He believes the American people competent 
to decide upon constitutional rights. He 
believes in referendum and recall of court 
decisions that conflict with established law, 
based on the constitution of the United 
States. He believes in conservation of Gov¬ 
ernment timber, ores and water powers. 
He believes in laws that govern as well as 
protect, and that no individual elected to 
office is greater than the party or people 
that conferred that office. He has de¬ 
clared himself as a candidate to head the 
progressive wing of the Republican party, 
which stands for equal rights to all Ameri¬ 
can citizens, and a square deal for Ameri¬ 
can industries. I believe him to be the 
most capable man for President. H. F. D. 
Ohio. 
For Charles E. Hughes. 
I am in favor of the nomination of Mr. 
Justice Charles E. Hughes. In my opinion 
one of the two prominent Republican can¬ 
didates cannot be nominated, and the other 
cannot be elected; but even if one can be 
elected, he would have the support of a 
divided party and also to quite an extent, 
a divided opposition, and the two together 
mean a divided people. I believe no Re¬ 
publican living to-day could be elected as 
easily as Mr. Hughes, and if elected, no 
living man. Republican or Democrat, would 
have the confidence of the entire people to 
the extent that Mr. Hughes would have it. 
I might say that I find this same feeling 
existing with several to whom I have 
talked, who happen to be Roosevelt ad¬ 
mirers. but who as things are, prefer Mr. 
Hughes. w. L. m. 
My sympathies are with Roosevelt, as 
he has always seemed to me to best rep¬ 
resent the interests of the common people, 
and he further seems to have the ability 
to carry out his plans ini spite of the most 
violent opposition, at least he has always 
had that ability, though it is a question in 
my mind whether his somewhat recent loss 
of popularity might not seriously handicap 
him if he should be re-elected. As I see it 
he wishes to come as close as possible to 
a pure democracy in government, while Mr. 
Taft believes this to be impracticable, and 
prefers a representative democracy with 
the accent placed on “representative.” 
Each plan has its defects of course, but, 
with Roosevelt, I would rather trust my 
welfare to the whole people than to any 
representative part of them. As to Mr. 
Taft, his administration, it seems to me, 
may be summed up in the one word—weak. 
I should really feel that another four years 
of such a man in the White House would 
be a calamity to the country, and I have 
the utmost admiration for Mr. Taft so far 
as his personal worth and integrity are 
concerned. In fact his personality is 
more agreeable to me than that of Mr. 
Roosevelt. Conditions being as they are, I 
am inclined to think that the wisest course 
the Republican party could pursue would 
be to turn to such a man as Mr. Hughes, 
but whoever heard of a political party wor¬ 
shiping at the shrine of Minerva? So far 
as I have been able to get any expression 
from farmers, the majority favor Roose¬ 
velt, and they have by no means forgotten 
or forgiven Taft’s reciprocity fight. The 
town and county political machine, how¬ 
ever, is bitterly opposed to Roosevelt, and 
our delegates will support Taft at the con¬ 
vention. M. B. D. 
New York. 
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R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and a 
“square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
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