The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-10-18
THE MYS-
TERY OF
MIR. TAFT !
The Possible Successor to Roose-
ve1t in the Event Of His
Refusing to Run.
MIR. Creelman Describes the Ad-
fninistrative Achievements
Of Mr.. Taft.

Of Mr.. Taft.
William Howard Taft, Secretary 0t
War, is considered with much detail
and intimacy in his guise as possible
successor to President Roosevelt by
James Creelman in recent number
of Pearson's Magazine under the cap
tion "The Mystery of Mr.. Taft" Mr..
Creelman does not keep his readers
in suspense as to what constitutue
the mysterious traits of Mr.. Taft, but
explains in the second paragraph Of
his article that the mystery of the
Secretary of War is that "he wins
the hearts of individuals, but he does
not fire the heart of the sovereign
multitude"
Mr. Creelman describes the
many administrative achievements of
the secretary and tells of his sterling
qualities of character.
"Mediocrity won't do for Willie
the remark made by secretary Taft's
father, himself secretary of war and
attorney general under President
Grants taken as the central text
of the Creelman article. Mr.. Creel-
man declares that Mr.. Taft plainly
was destined for leadership in the
words that follow:
''The purpose of this article is nei-
ther attack or defense, but an impair
tial explanation of one of the sanest
and most. useful and courageous men
which the American continent has
given to public life since the civil
war; and the key of what is here
written may be found in DR.. Hol-
lands lines:
6 God give us men The time de-
mands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith
and willing hands;
Men " HON the lust of Office does not
kill:
Men who possesses opinions and a
will:
sI who have honor, men Who will
Tot lie;
Men who can stand before tlema-
gogue
And dam his treacherous batteries
without winking.
''To which might be added, Men
whom mere pride and judgment
does not warp
"Even in this age of busy, struggle
worn men and women it is worth
while to consider an American cit
liens who, as an American judge, en-
forced the law with equal sternness
against trusts and labor unions; Gre
ated a government for the mixed and
sullen orientals in the Philippines;
turned from successful dealings with
naked Igorrote pagans and Moham-
medan sultan personally to negotiate
with the pope in the vatican; twice
refused a longed-for seat in the 'su-
preme court of the United States
rather than abandon the work of
creating a stable, self-governing ma
tion in the Philippines; welded the
powers of secretary of state at the
same time; took cheerfuly the bur
den of supervising the national mil
itary establishment while directing
affairs in Cuba, Porto Rico and the
Philippines and advising the nations
policy in Hawaii; shaping the general
administration of the vast Panama
canal enterprise and all the while
cheerful, confident, full of the spark
of native humor and apparently with
out hot political ambition, looking up
on the Office of the chief justice of
the supreme, court as a more desira-
BILE place than that Of the president
of the United States. Not meddler,
but mender- both types being nee
essary to America in these changing,
surprising, constructive times, when
the strong, brave old national spirit
of justice and the continental consci-
ence asserts themselves again in a
body grown powerful, sometimes pur-
blind and unruly."" AZ
Is Mr.. Creelman then reviews In his
usual style of important instances
that have crowded into the life of the
man from his school days to the &C.
ceptance Of the war portfolio in Pres
ident Roosvelt's cabinet. He deals at
length upon the sincere course pur-
sued BY Secretary Taft while governor
general Of the Philippines, ,5