Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-06-15
TAFT'S VISIT.

The itinerary of Secy. Taft in
cluded three stops in Wisconsin,
Milwaukee, GAINESVILLE and Madison,
and the papers have all been talk
ing about him. He did not visit Lam
caster probably because the Com
mercial club did not invite him
but we're going to tell Herald read
ers something about him anyway:
William Howard Taft is not big,
fat, loggY lubber, as his avoirdu
pois might lead the unknOwing to
suspect. He is big man. He was
big as young fellow, and when
they had class rushes at Yale he
used to toss men of the opposing
forces over his shoulders like fork
fuls of hay and always moved a
clean swath before him. He has
been doing that every since, not in
spirit of pugnacity but of hearty
good fellowship and good-natured
championship of what he regards as
prominently right. AS he is des-
tined Providence permitting, to fill
a still larger sphere in the affairs of
this country, 1t cannot be out of
place to give some answers to what
has Taft ever done?" that is contln-
ually being tossed at others by the
uninfOrmed.
William Howard Taft was born at
Cincinnati fifty years ago the 18th
of the coming September, his father
being Alphonso Taft, Attorney
General of the United States for a
short time under President Grant.
He graduated second in his class Of
12I at Yale when 81 years of age,
was saluuatorian and class orator.
Graduated from the Cincinnati law
school two years later and admitted
to the Ohio bar in 1880; did news
paper court work for a year or two,
and became assistant prosecuting
attorney for Hamilton county in
1882; was collector of internal reve-
nue. for a>~year at Cincinnati; re-
signed and went to practicing law
for three or four years, and
became judge of the superior
court. He resigned to become
Solicitor General for the United
States, and was appointed United
States Circuit Judge, which position
he held until 1900, when President
Mckinley sent him to the Philip
pines to bring order out of chaos
there and establish justice for all
concerned. He remained there
nearly four years, meeting ev-
cry requirement of the situation,
until brought home to become Secre-
tary of War, which Office he took
Feb. 1st 1904, and which he still
holds.
Secretary Taft's inclination has
been to the judicial side of public
service. His ambition has been to
have a seat on the supreme bench
of his country, and yet he has twice,
and possibly three times, put covet
ed position to one side in order to
perform a public service which
seemed to lie in the path of patriotic
duty. One of these was to adjust
with his holiness, the Pope, issues
relating to the land of the friars in
the Philippines which the best in
terests of the islands required to
have returned to the use of the peO-
pie. This service was performed
with delicacy and with so much sue
cess that what was looked upon as
an unsolvable problem was adjusted
to the satisfaction of all parties con-
cerned and with justice to all
William Howard Taft is not
politician in the ordinary accepta-
ton of that term. He is not ma
chinebuilder or political manipul-
ator, but he has the faculty, pos
sessed in such splendid measure by
President Roosevelt, of appealing to
the people and having them heed
and act upon that appeal. 1t was
by this method that he whipped
Geo. B. Cox, Cincinnati's unrivaled
boss, out of his boots, and he will
perform a like service for Joseph
Benson Foraker if he stand in his
way.
He is protectiOnist, but believes
in revising the tariff schedules
downward rather than upward.
He is honest. sincere, brave, and is
going to loom large on the political
horizon of this country.