The Springfield herald., 1902-07-04
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT HIGHLY
\ PRAISES WOOD, TAFT AND ROOT

should be akin 10 our own; TO teach
the people, after four centuries of mis-
rule, that there Were such things as
governmental righteousness and hon
esty and fair play for all men ON their
merits as men. He did all that.
He has come back here. and has
been attacked forsooth. by people who
are not merely unworthy of having
their names coupled with his. but who
are incapable of understanding the mo
tives that have spurred him on 10
bring honor TO this Republic.
And, Taft. Judge Taft, Governor
Taft, who has been the head of the
Philippine Commission. and who has
gone back there. Taft. the most bril-
liant graduate of his year at Yale. the
youngest Yale man upon whom that
institution ever conferred the degree
of LII D.: a man who, having won
high positions at the bar and then
served as solicitor general. with all his
tastes impelling him TO a judicial ca
rcer, and who was appointed 10 the
United States bench and was asked
TO give up the position TO go to the 9th
er side of the world to take up an in
finitely difficult and Infinitely danger
GUS problem. and 10 do his best TO
solve it. He has done his best. He
came back here the other day. The
man has always had the honorable am
bition to get on the Supreme Court.
and he knew that l had always hoped
lie would be put upon the Supreme
Court. and when there was question
OF vacancy arising, i said TO him:
Governor. l think | ought 10 tell you
that if a vacancy comes in the Supreme
Court. while it would give you an op
!. 81,
would like 10 have. think l ought TO
tell you that if such a vacancy should
occur l do not see how | could posi-
bly, give i: to you, for need you where
you are.
He said to nae: Mr.. President, it has
always been my dream 10 be in the
Supreme Court, but If you should oder
me justiceship now. and at the same
time Congress should take off entirely
my salary as governor. I should 90
straight back to the Philippines, nev
ertheless, for those people need me. and
expect me back, and believe l won't de
sert them
We are to be congratulated. we
American. that we have fellow Amer
lean like Taft.
And now, Elihu Root who. unlike
myself. Mr.. President Eliot. but like
most of you present. comesof the old New
England stock. whose great Grandfath-
er stood beside Leonard Woods great
grandfather on the Concord bridge.
Elihu Root. who had worked his way
up from being a poor and unknown
country boy in New York to a position
where in a year or two he had the
leadership of the bar of the. great city
within his grasp. gave it up and made
the very great pecuniary sacrifice i'm
piled in giving it up and accepted the
position under President MKinley of
secretary of war. a position which for
the last three years and at present
amounts to being not only secretary of
war but the secretary for the islands.
the secretary for the colonies at the
same time: he has done the most ex-
hanstive and important work of any
man in the administration. more so
than the work of the President, be-
cause circumstances have been such
that with n man of Roots wonderful
ability. industry and conscientiousness,
the President could not help but de-
volve upon him work that made his
task one under which almost any other
man know would have staggered. He
has done that and done it absolutely
disinterestedly.
"He has done all that with the GER
tainty of attack. with the certainty of
misunderstanding. with the certainty
of being hampered by ignorance and
worse than ignorance: that he could
not do the best that was in him, only
the best that conditions would allow
of. 1t was all Abraham Lincoln could
do. incidentally he has done all. Taft
has done it. Wood has done it. These
three men have rendered that service.
/ can do nothing for them l can show
my appreciation of them in no way
save the wholly insufficient one of
standing up for them and for their
works. and that l will do