The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-03-31
IS TAFT SIMPLY
 THE HANDY MAN.?
A DEMOCRATIC PAPER ESTEEMS HIM TOO HIGHLY TO CALL HIM THAT-SoME SKETCHES OF HIS WORK.
From the Baltimore Sun.

From the Baltimore Sun.
 .,The trouble with Secretary Tart,
 says the Providence Journal, discussing
 that excellent gentlemans availapiiity for tbe republican presidential nomina- flo, next wear "is his failure to identify himself thus far with the reforms the peone demand. He is the hahdy man ol the administration, competent LOT any
 emergency .
 If President Roosevelt measures up e' tho standard of sincere ana ehicieh'
 fa. ,ar and Secretary Taft stands py ni,, 1oyalIv and helps him to carry out rafo,ms why should the secretary pe donied recognition as one in iuli synipa
 thv with the people? Our New hhsiallu cnntemporary's comment on th'a P
 eeems to be neither just nor ioSira,' ~ " 10 nossible however. that in his Wliiiiis heSs s s to serve the executive m the capaGl's
 mandy man" Mir. Taft minmizes ms own ;n,nortnnce and ability, and his lndlVidu- aiitv is sWamped in that of his chlei.
 When a man of force and tact IS neeoeo in Cuba the President sends iait w HSi' a man having these qualincations iS heeu
 ed in ,ue Philippines the mission owes unon raft When there is need or hrst-
 'a"n upo' nannaion sneech Mr. Taft Is as- aianea in dutv as a spellbinder. Faith- ful willing and capable. Mr. Iait IS, lif
 deed a "handy man" of whom any freS- ident might be proud and to Whor, MI Roosevelt, in particular, owes dept or gratitude. . ,-
 Discriminating observers recognize m Mr Taft A man whose achievements as an odu,,nistrator. ability as jurist and devotion to the public interests entitie him to greater measure Of pralse ti'- II
 the phrase "handy man would convey.
 Mir Taft is fortunate in possessing the confidence and esteem not only or HIS own party, but of his political oppohents' sone of the highest attributes Whicn haze been paid to him have eminated
 from democratic sources. There IS no man in the Presidents cabinet whose nublic services have been equal III nm nortance to those of Mir. Taft. To char aoterjze him as the handy man or the administration implies certain dlspar- aoement of an official who has genuine constructive ability. The phrase could with equal appropriateness and justice be applied to Secretary Root, who was "handy'' when the President needed a spokesman in q campaign In New fork last fall who was handy when the President wanted medium through which to express his views on the righ and obligations of the states; who was "handv'' when it was considered advis- able to send an envoy to South America. Yet it has occdrred to no one to char acterize Secretary Root as the mandy man. of the administration.
 We are afraid our Providence contem- porary. in clubbing Secretary Taft the Presidents "handy man. is not inspired bv friendship for the secretary of war. That term. as uset by the Journal, suS-
 eests q man without initiative or convic- tion mere agent who executes orders faithfully and promptly. There is a sug- gestion that between constructive statesman of the highest order of ability and man who merely does what he Is told to do. This is not the popular opin- ion. It is probably not the opinion oi the President, who is under the obliga- tlons to his secretary of war for loyal and | intelligent service. Our New England 1 contemporary is not giving MT. Taft the 1 square deal when it characterlzes him as | the handy man" of the administration ! He is more than that. He is tower oi , strength and pillar of influence. As fol Identification with the popular dema nc ! for reforms. he is head and shoulders 1 above the real handy men in the Sen | ate. of whom Senator LaFollette said re gently that at least forty could be re l lied upon at all times to vote agains 1 pu.ic interests. Some of them are can