The sun., 1908-06-19

been broken and not long ago President
| Roosevelt was quoted as saying:
Il would walk on my hands and knees
from the White House to the Capitol to make
Bill Taft President"
When Taft was named by President
Harrison for the Circuit bench his former
classmates gave him q dinner at the Union
Club in this city and various law. firms
guaranteed him high sums II he would come
to them as partner instead Of taking the
$1,000 Judgeship. He replied: There are
bigger things In the world than money"
For most Of the time he spent on the
| Circuit bench Taft was the Presiding Judge.
When in 1894 Debs and his American Rail-
way Union. 250OO0 strong. were trying to
stop every railway train In the country
that hauled Pullman car Debs sent his
lieutenant Phelan to Cincinnati to call out
the railroad men there, and Phelan used
he attacked the Southern Railway, which
was In the hands Of the court, Judge Taft
himself having appointed its receiver.
Phelan tried to tie up the Southern and he
management. Instead Of desistlng. how
ever. he addressed his men again the very
| next night urging them on and declaring
that he didn't care II he was violating in
functions. OF course the Court had to
prosecute him for contempt. Judge Taft
had discharged other strikers on promises
] Of good behavior, but with the obstinate
| leader the case was different. His trial
| was prompt and lasted a week, as has been
said, @over powder magazine so wrought
up were the turbulent elements in the
strikers ranks.
It was declared that the strikers had
threatened, even sworn, that In the event
Of an adverse decision the Judge should
never leave the court room alive. At the
close Of the trial Judge Taft said that he
would deliver Judgment at noon Of the
fourth day following Friends urged him
to postpone his decision, or failing that
Al h~lxr a,-I ~ ri lab fAf Nn
promised day Judge Taft entered the court
room and read his decision, sentencing
Phelan to Jail for six months. Then ad-
dressing the crowd In attendance, he said
go with the conviction that il there Is any
power in the army of the United States to
run those trains those trains shall be run
He banged his fat fist on the bench and
then arose and left the room, and those who
skunk away. The Debs concern collapsed
not long afterward.
1t was Judge Taft's decision later in the
Addyston Pipe and Steel Company case
that revived and sustained the Sherman
law. and his decision in this case became
and remains the law Of the land, for In affirm
ing his decision the United States Supreme
Court incorporated his decision inits opinion.
The same court based its judgment in the
famous Northern Securities case on this
same decision and the Northern Securities
decision comes up in almost all the so-called
antitrust cases now arising.
1t was from the bench Of the Circuit
that President Mckinley called Judge Taft
in 1900 when he needed his services In the
Philippines, first as president OF the Philip.
pine Commission and then as first Civil
Governor Of the islands.
Coy: Taft returned from the Philippines
In 1904 and succeeded Elihu Root as Secre-
tary Of War. It was said Of him that in
his successful administration Of the islands
he had left a trail Of glad hands from one
' he has "a ' been in the War Va ID Department he
has made two trips to the Philippines. he
has gone to Rome to see the Pope in re-
ference to Philippine matters. he has
visited Cuba and settled threatened
insurrection, he has made a flying trip
to Panama to see about the work Of build
ing the Isthmian Canal. and he has en-
circled the globe, to say nothing Of visiting
various Western States to make political
went into his own State and advised people
to vote against the organization in his own
party. Between times he has sat on the
lid in Washington in the absence OF Preei-
dent Roosevelt.
Secretary Taft has weighed as much
as 2so pounds. He is now down to about
2a0 through systematic exercising and
regulation Of diet. He enjoys the table,
and It s said that his rigorous diet makes
when he sits down to meals. Aside from,
morning exercise in his room he rides
horseback a good deal. his mount having
the appearance Of a draught horse. II
takes two men to help him mount. ono
holding the saddle and the other leaning
against the horses fanks.
When in college he was a great wrestl b
who was oiassmate. When Bowen was
in Washington some time ago he challenged
the Secretary to CO. but Mr.. Taft begged
of on the ground that II he fell on his
adversary he would be tried for man
slaughter.
Fast Orange wants MFR. Taft Next Week.
EAST ORANGE, N. j., June 18-EfYorts
are to be made by the Taft Club of East