Taft, Bryan had lively campaign

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Monday, July 14, 2008

One hundred years ago, in 1908, Republican William Howard Taft and Democrat William Jennings Bryan campaigned vigorously in an effort to succeed popular President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt who chose not to seek reelection.

Bryan, an Illinois native, was a distinguished Democratic orator. He was similar to today’s candidate, Barack Obama, a U.S. senator representing Illinois. One of the most popular speakers in American history, Bryan was noted for a deep, commanding voice.

Seeking the presidency for the third time, Bryan was one of the most prominent leaders of Populism in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Populism, according to many political scientists, included a political philosophy urging social and political system changes and a rhetorical style. In the early 1900s, many populists supported, in their words, “the people versus the elites.”

Taft, who hailed from Ohio, served Teddy Roosevelt as secretary of war. Roosevelt wholeheartedly supported Taft for the Republican nomination.

The presidential campaign of 1908 revolved around Roosevelt's record. The reform Republicans boasted of Roosevelt’s achievements, including establishment of the Interstate Commerce Commission and five new national parks. Roosevelt never forgot the time he spent as a young rancher at Medora in western North Dakota.

Taft, during the fall campaign, made a train stop in Fergus Falls.

The Democrats, headed by Bryan, had a hard time portraying themselves as the progressive party. Bryan did the best he could and argued that he was a more logical successor to Roosevelt than Taft. However, Bryan committed a major blunder during the campaign by calling for government ownership of the railroads. Such a move was regarded as socialism.

Taft, 51, won a convincing victory. His presidency was characterized by trust-busting, strengthening the Interstate Commerce Commission, expanding the civil service, improving the U.S. postal system and promoting world peace — several years prior to the start of World War I.

Taft inspired a baseball tradition, ironically by accident.

During a major league game in Washington, D.C., the six-foot-two, 300-pound president grew more and more uncomfortable in his wooden chair while watching the Washington Senators play the Philadelphia Athletics. By the middle of the seventh inning he could bear it no longer and stood up to stretch his aching legs.

Everyone else in the stadium, thinking the president was about to leave, rose to show their respect. A few minutes later Taft returned to his seat. The crowd followed suit, and the seventh-inning stretch was born.

In 1912 Teddy Roosevelt decided to run for president as a third party candidate. His decision split the Republican vote and Democrat Woodrow Wilson was elected president.

In 1921, when Chief Justice Edward Douglass White died, President Warren G. Harding nominated Taft to take his place, thereby fulfilling Taft's lifelong ambition to become Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He remains the only person to have led both the Executive and Judicial branches of the United States government.

Taft died in 1930 and became the first president to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The only other president buried there is John F. Kennedy.

Tom Hintgen’s column runs on Mondays.