The Washington times., 1908-11-04
Genial Disposition Has Ever
Been a Dominant Char
acteriStic.

~ AltAtln I1oNAIu ldit HAS PEI lAllCt
himself jauntiIy on the top rung OF the
ladder OF his own political life, anu rlay
Today look back 10 those days at yaie
when he threw the sophmOre neavy-
weight wrestler and connded TO his as
sociates that some or these days he
was going 10 be President OF the United
States
Judge Taft is hfty-one years old. and
thirty OF these years have been given
TO persistent and unremitting study OF
hc law. He began it at Yale, ana
through the years Of his life as a rows
paper reporter, officer of the State gov
erument OF Ohio, Federal judge, and a
dozen and one other offices, which lac
nIIed with distinction, he has never
ceased TO dig and 10 ind new things to
study in the profession which has placed
him in line Of succession to the PTesi-
dency.
/ The WhOI3 world knows Judge Taft
first, Tor ais accomplishments in various
International crises, and second, for his
size. Neither has ever disturbed his
mental pOise and the good nature that
/ flows from the heart and the happy
smile of the President elect is only "a
faint indication of the power and
strength that has enabled Judge Taft
make all with whom he has TO deal his
I friend.
Cannot Keep an Enemy.
! It has been said of Judge TAFT that he
cannot keep an enemy-hIs genial, com
manding good nature brushes away all
( the clouds. and those who would buck
up against him in the hone Of bring
ing about his defeat find themselves
/ bOwiug to his superior gentleness Of
mind, boyish fraukness, and manifest
wish TO keep the sun shining in his own
and other hearts. Taft's good nature
was his guiding star through college.
and has led him TO rhe Presidency.
/ Judge TAFT was born IN Cincinnati, IN
l 1857 and received lis early education
/ In the public schools of shat city. When
/ il came 10 the selection OF a college he
| chose Yale, and was graduated from the
/ university. second I'm his class, in 1873
! He was the most popular man at Yale
and left nothing Undore to show his
/ cIassmen that just because he was big
/ IN body, there was no reason why ne
! couldn't get around with the rest 0i
| them. He was noted for his agility, was
/ a master in the ring, "a good dancer
and a leader in all the activities Of his
class. 1t has been thirty years since
/ Taft was graduated from Yale, but the
affection In which nc is held by the
( class OF IS is as strong today and as
/ genuine as Il was when they were gath
/ cred within the walls of old Ell
/ Following his graduation from Yale
/ Taft returned to Cincinnati and took
/ up newspaper work in order to continue
/ his law studies. He was graduated from
f the Cincinnati Law School In $50 and
I the following year was appointed as
J sistant prosecuting attorney, When
/ this important office was given him
1 Taft was twenty-three years old. H
/ soon made his ability felt however,
( and the following year he was made
{ collector Of internal revenue q Clncin-
/ natl. After serving in the latter office
{ one year Taft again heard the call OF
4 the law and resumed his legal prac-
tice.
Married Helen Heron. p.
/ Darling in and out Of the pages OF
his musty old law books. young Taft
caught the tantaIizing smile Of little
/ old Dan Cupid, and after spending three
/ years blinking his eyes 10 ge. the vision
+ out Of his mind he saw Il vas no use
and capitulated. His marriage 20 Miss
Helen Heron, daughter Of John w.
/ Heron, Of Cincinnati, occurred In 1886. /
/ The success of the young lawyer
/ brought him 70 the notice OF Governor
/ Foraker, and that executive appointed
/ Taft judge Of the superior court OF
Gin .nnau to succeed Judson Harmon.
+ One year In the Office added TO his fame
/ throughout the State. and when the
uneXplred term OF Mr.. Harmon had
/ been concluded. Taft was elected TO
succeed himself.
Judge Tafts first Federal offce came
to him through the hands of President
Harrison, by whom he was named So
licitOr general of the United States in
1880 Two years later President Har-
/ risOn appointed him United States cir
cult judge for the sixth Judicial district.
I He became professor and dean OF the
. law denartment of the Cincinnati Law
School IN 1885 and four years later was
appointed president of the Philippine
Commission by President Mckinley.
year later he became the first civil
governor Of the Philippines. This APP
pOintment was the most significant that
had yet come TO Judge Taft, for the
Philippines were then IN state OF in
surrectiOn, its people did not know the
United States, and Americans knew
practically nothing OF the t1liplnOs.
Required Man of Tact
That the office of governor required a
man of infinite tact and diplomacy there
was no doubt. The wisdom OF President
MckinIeys choice of Judge Taft was
not only QeLl0uslEdleu " aAlllu the 1Ol-
lowing few months, but has been mani |
| fest ever since in the loyalty and abso- /
lutte confidence which is shown to Judge |
Taft by the people Of the islands. They |
know him. love him, and trust him |
with the faith Of children, and any
question of difference-which has been
/ illustrated many times since-that is
given into his hands for adjustment isl
as good as settled, 50 far as the Fill
/ pinOs are concerned.
/ one of the most involved questions
which confronted GOvernCi. Taft in the
| Philippines was the trouble over the
/ irIar lands. There was but one thing
! TO be dOne-the President and the gov
ernOr declded-and that was a confer
ence with the Vatican. So in the year
following his appointment TO the Philip
pines, Governor Taft was sent as the
personal representative of the President
and the people OF the Philippines TO con-
fer with Pope Leo XIII. The success of
that conference and the cordial spirit in
/ which the late Pope held Governor Taft
ever after is a matter of history
/ The appointment of Governor Taft as
/ Secretary of War by President ROOse-
I welt was only the natural sequence of
NanHa HHa~H