, 1876-03-13
BELKNAP''s SUCCESSOR.
Judge Taft, tho Now Secretary
Of War.
His Personal Appearance, Peouliarities,
and Character.
A Stable. Steady, judicial, Solid
Old Man.



Change. and to my surprise, for they aro \ |
Quiet close-calcu!Atin7 1ot tho merchants Of this
city, found them In etate of thn wi1doss cxcite-
neut. Thero Was stamping And clapping Of
hands md aurglng to aud fro Of the hoavy men
Of Cincinnati. aud yelling aud cheering and such
: hubbub generally that bad II boon on tho CHI
ca9o Dofrd, I could hi : worn thor woro run
ping corner. and v - rod wLethcr tho atatd,
substantial lealess 8 mango here, departing
from ali their trnditt woro doing that same.
Pressing into Tho G = -thero wore 800 or 400
man OIL tho tloor-1 y that they conferred around
somebody who ". 5 ndergoing tho tortureu OF
that peculiarly 4 g can institution which for
eizncra term Il = -shake. Amidst rodonb!ed
confusion hs s hurled 10 tho Presidents
stand, and, as aoupted tho atcps, saw that
Al JUDGE TAFT,
tho nowly-appoin. ed Secretary OF War. Thong h
past C5 yeasa Of age, hs does not look mora than
20, aud vol preserved for that. Tall, and of
etaf~a1t franc, easy erect carriage, aud quiet
solf-poBsession, broad-shouldered and largo
llnbed, not too stout, but OF heavy build, weigh
Ing fnll ITO, hts {lno physique tells Of tho rugged
massachusetts stock Of which he camo. and OF
t|'s stofo OF good leslth ho developed on tho
farm among Tho Groom Mountains In Vermont
whore he was born and passed his boyhood.
fellon-sowpstncu for tho impromptu ovation OF
which lite accidental presence on Change had
boeu nndo tho occasion, and tn response per-
h4lH to tho froquoDt shouts Of lie won't spec-
ulate IN post-traIerships," and " Thero'Il be no
ntealinE when hca erouud," remarked % tho Of
feet that ho didn't clRi1a monopoly Of honesty,
I hnd opportunity 10 taEo
4 Pin PHOTOGRAPH OF uro1.
Large, atrong features, Of habituaIly nhlcEUht!o
expression; full llgh forehead. over which his
straight black halr, thin aud sllghtfy ttuEed
With gray. was smoothly brushed tocp.sct,
brigl. dark eros leary, firm under jaw, show
tieod before md against him. Expressed It, that
"Whcu Taft has tnado up ha mind though hos
slow to do It, he ia mulishY stubborn !" and
over oil quiet, Eumtnatire mir, TINT would not
is-bocotne boolsh collage Professor. and In
dlcstlug that, though q Yankoo ingralned. by
descent, oducatlon, and brecding, ho lacks iu
toto tho Yankoo nervous temperament, and ia
neither caslly aroutod nor liable to act hastily
when Stirred up. 1udeed. ~ his Whole ap-
poarapco md manner discioses, and rs every
body who knowa him will tostify, lle is Of tho
type whose self-polso could scarce ho disturbed.
aud. undoE tho greatest presHuto. would yot
proceed with hs wonted delibcration. Eu,-
phaticelly, ns waa echoed around tho room when
ha had finished h!s little epeoch
IA soIlu MAN"
aud that phrase In tho mouths OF Cinciouatt's
BolId ncn who wcro thete about him sigptiss
deal more than imponlefkbtity,- OF
aud integrity which nobody knowing him could
question:, all which Ia characteristic OF Judge
| Iatt.
In tho afternoon, presumiug nomowtat upon
al Acquaintance dating bac1 10 tho tino when, =
! raw tyro ut tbs bar, occasfonaily y-Bemt-ccca-
| nionnlly might ba nuore ac:uTate-appearad be-
fore his Coult IN some small causo. and whs ao-
! corded as patient hearing rs though roally un-
desstood tho law. and not infrequentfy. 70 tho
| salvation Of my client, WAS hclped ous by hia
quiet suggestion, called at his aw-otlicc., 1t
| involved no temerity. however, to do 40. tinco
| hn Ii man Of Bltnple, unprotontious habits,
and as approachahlo n my one ! know. llo
waB busily eugased in arranging his buslntss.
| preparatory to going to Washington, and turn-
ing his large practice over to hih SOUS who have
been hls la1-partness., Gu my cougrasniasnF
in his writing and, looking up with qutet esac,
| said
"Is's about tho last thing expected. TO be
called to tho War Department. don't Aoow
mus. reckon msself lucky il como out Of office
| In as good plight "a I enter 1t. Dus, he addet
/ with quiet ASSURANCE. II shall Try to do what ia
rlght, npd l mean to find out what .s right. /
aon't know any othsr way OF getting along With
Tho words wcro characteristic Of the man, and
compor1 precsolY with ths estimate Of hin by
tue peop!e Of shs clty auoug whom he has
forward in character, laboriousy attentive 70 do
about 1t, hut
1EFLEx1n1r HONEST AND FIRM
il satos" | eaid : ieadins Cincinnati editor, rlo
has known judge Taft Intimately for yaars.
"He Is non-oonbative, aud Ia minor matters
would b disposcd to defer TO those with whom
jhrs. nut Whom biz biz mind is made up 10 il
| courageous IN l!s convictions. II you know
the history Of tho Observation-Disclosures cate
| which ho decided while On The Donch. you
plo ono, Headina tho Dsblo was part Of tho
| regular exercise iu tho city public schools. The
| School Board adopted rulo striking that out OF
| tho exercises. Tnnir action waa followed by
es aud MI injunction vas applied for, TO reatrstu
tho uoard from carrying iuto effoct thoir rule
excluding tho Iib!o from tho schools. Tho
queasion was simply whether theso waa an1-
thing In the laws or Constitution making tho
reading Of rho Bible IN tue schools compulsory,
| 90 that oyen tho Board conldn't exclude it. But
popular prejudico was c1citod To white i,oat,
tho mo Popery" cry was rAiaed. and Richard
Bm[th, editor of tho Hazetio, and who 10 adnrea
Taft that soma time Hlnco ho talked OF tue judge
for the Presidency, mas ono Of the petitioners
! for the injunction. Two OF The throo Judges Of
tho Superior Court united In granting tho ln-
junction.
| In viii u he not only doc!ded that tho DosEd
| might exclude tho I3ihlo from tho schools. but
affirmed TINT thero was no racoGultlou of re.
lig!on In tho tars or Constitution, nor anght
ill tho ordinance of 81 TINT made the H!ble
textbook Ia tho schools; aud tllat u WAS
m invasion OF TITO lbcEsy Of conaclcnoe
Of tho people to forco religious trair-
iug in tho Protestant faith upon tho
children Of Catholics, Jcws aud uon,nellcrots.
Such uas tho state OF foo1lug: hero and through
out tho Stats. that it required somo courage for
lin 10 do that, though subsequently tao su-
nrorno Court OF Ohio affirmed btu doclslon."
s.That dscision," continued tho Cincinnati
editor, " cost Taft tho nomination for Governor
Whom tho pout waa malo that he had ruled tho
lubio out Of tho schools. It was fatal to his
chances among the rural Republicans; and tho
no.ut waa mxdo against him because he hadn't
| taken tho raius TO concil!ate the clique of mau-
asiny politicians wlo control o, TIC Cincinnati
sou, Charley, had said he'd profcs thoir oppoai-
ton to their support. The result was thoy
! !rreproachabs man, il not generally considered
Iatts equal In btains, md. working % tho preju-
dices eseissa against TAFT on tho Bble question,
thor 6laughter0d him in tho Convention"
It il noteworthy In this regard that III
HE cE1KnuATEp CLksELAND spKEcn
ali dl y;n ~ ha Ms