The '08 debate - 1908! On CD!

[dhermann1]

I read a review this week in the Wall Street Journal of a CD released by Archeophone of speeches from the 1908 presidential election. They are from original wax cylinder recordings made by William Howard Taft, the Republican nominee, and William Jennings Bryan, the Democrat. It arrived yesteday.
http://www.archeophone.com/index.php
Really cool to listen to oratory of a century ago.

 

[DerMann]

No TR, though, what?

 

[vitanola]

No TR, though, what?

The Roosevelt recordings were made for the Bull-Moose third party campaign of 1912.


I am glad to see that the Taft/Bryan material is available in such a fine re-issue.

The 1908 Presidential recordings covered quite a great extent, and one never finds the whole group together. most record purchasers bought a single cylinder by their favorite candidate.

 

[dhermann1]

TR

TR was president for 2 terms, from 1901 thru 1908. He retired and annointed Taft as his successor. Four years later he was so unhappy with Taft that he decided to start his own party, popularly known as the Bull Moose Party, and ran against Taft and Woodrow Wilson in 1912. By dividing the Republican vote Roosevelt paved the way for the Democrat Wilson to get in. Taft later became a very successfuil chief justice of the Supreme Court. Taft weighed about 300 pounds, and there are famous pictures of his bathtub being installed at the White House.
There are recordings by TR from the 1912 campaign that sound just the way you imagine he must have sounded.

 

[DerMann]

I don't know what I was thinking, you're right. My mistake :eusa_doh: :eusa_doh:

 

[dhermann1]

I frequently don't know what I was thinking. Often. On a regular basis.

 

[LocktownDog]

Nearly a year ago, when I was already getting tired of this whole election cycle, I was tinkering around with a Taft photo and made up a 1908 election bumper sticker for my truck. I'm a graphic designer and printer by trade ... and was horribly bored that day. You wouldn't believe how many comments I've gotten on that darn sticker these past few months. I should have made up a large run of them and sold them for a couple bucks each, but figured I was the only one who actually wanted one. Oh well.

I guess in another 2 years or so, I'll have to make up some Bull Moose paraphrenalia. Better grow the walrus 'stache too. Bully!

 

[dhermann1]

How about a bumper sticker for a real Democrat, Grover Cleveland?

 

[dhermann1]

TR 1912

I believe that was also the campaign where a would be assasin shot TR. A book in his jacket pocket stopped the bullet. Might have been a Bible, but I'm not sure.

 

[LocktownDog]

I believe that was also the campaign where a would be assasin shot TR. A book in his jacket pocket stopped the bullet. Might have been a Bible, but I'm not sure.

I heard it was a folded copy of his speech. Could be wrong though. Didn't he go on to speak for an hour or so after the shooting?