The Republican candidate had none of the qualifications of an orator; he was rather a teacher. He did not cater to the desires of his audience; he struck at the abuses most prevalent in the section where he spoke. It was his business to point out weaknesses; to find remedies for them; to educate, not sway, his audiences. His mind was constructive; his training had been along the lines of constructive political thought; he had proven his ability by his organization of a civil government for the Philippines and by his solution of the vexed question of Cuba. So it was argued that the best test of his ability and guaranty of efficiency was the work he had already done. The campaign was lacking in life and enthusiasm simply because there were no clearly defined issues. The candidates went through the usual performances of "swinging around the political circuit." Mr. Taft was accorded a warm welcome on his trip, for the people wished to get acquainted with President Roosevelt's choice as much as to hear him discuss the Republican policies. Mr. Bryan, who conducted a great speaking campaign, confined his attention to advocating the bank guaranty plan and to attacking the evils of private monopoly. Political enthusiasm was at a low ebb. Few people took matters seriously and the campaign was aptly characterized as the "Era of No Feeling." The vote cast for presidential electors was primarily an expression of popular confidence in the Roosevelt administration. For nearly half a century the situation in the nation had been becoming more and more a source of anxiety to the thinking men of the land. Our economic development had taken place so rapidly that the great aggregations of capital and the great corporations had gotten beyond control and had shown dangerous tendencies toward lawlessness and political corruption. The feeling that the great corporations were not only beyond the control of law but even controlled the government in the interests of a few, led to a belief that the government was passing out of the hands of the people, and that the function of our republican government was being arrested. The radical and the agitator were getting the ear of the nation, for the faith of the nation was shaken. Then came President Roosevelt to take up a task of greatest difficulty, and for nearly eight years, amidst the applause of the plain people, he administered the affairs of the nation firmly, honestly, and with efficiency. The Republican convention in Chicago by its nomination of Mr. Taft had put the stamp of its approval upon the Roosevelt administration, and turned to appeal to the voters. [Illustration: Crowd surrounding a large house.] Copyright, 1908, by Young & Carl, Cincinnati, Ohio. Mr. Taft formally accepting the Republican nomination for the Presidency, on the veranda of the residence of his brother, Mr. Charles P. Taft, of Cincinnati, Ohio.