The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-07-09
A GREAT AMERICAN.
Recall Things Taft Has Done, and
His Way of Doing Them.


Too many people look upon one of
the few truly great Americans as mere
ly good, typical, average citizen, gen.
ial and well meaning; without unusual
Intellect or force Of character, and con-
tent TO take orders as the follower AID
understudy of a bigger, stronger man.
1t is because it is possible for even a
small number of people to accept this
misguided estimate of Taft that we call
him the best knownfunknown
How many people think to-day of
what, within a month, might have set
the country ablaze with excitement and
sent regiments and warships hurrying
to the isthmus? Just few lines in the
newspaper told how Taft had forsaken
his campaign and, at risk of health and
against the wishes OF the President
himself, had sailed TO Panama There,
in day, he settled a quarrel with Co
lombia that had grown acute People
here were not much interested. Fight
ing and burning and dead men in Amer
lean khaki along the canal zone would
have been ''big news But the spelling
of just such news is Taft's speciality.
Ask the names of the ablest American
diplomats, and the answers range from
Ben Franklin to John Hay. But a diff
ferelt reply comes from the chancellor
les Of Europe. There you hear that one
Of the most notable examples OF skillfui
statecraft in our history was the settle
ment Of the question Of the friars'
lands in the Philippines.
Even there they do not appreciate
that diplomacy fully, for Europeans do
not understand the complex prejudices
of our varying religious denominations.
Yet more than Taft's own countrymen
do they admire the statesman who, COM
ing from a coul}ry where the Protest
ants are In the majority. made himself
a welcome guest In the Vatican, and by
his tact, his mastery of lay and ecclesi-
astical law, and, above all, by his sense
of right and justice, was able, within a
week, to settle a question Of extreme
intricacy, so that never since has there
come a murnur from either Catholic or
Protestant.
Taft went to the Philippines first to
face a problem that would have taxed
the genius of a Washington or a Lin
coin. Here at home men do not talk
much OF the work he did there. But
the savage peoples, half devil and half
child" call him Father" And few
months ago one speech from him made
peace replace bloody instruction that
had been planned. 1t was just Iaft's
way. More news spoiled. More damage
to his fame from the unthinking. More
quiet, unfaili1g efficiency.
So it was in Cuba, so in japan, SO
everywhere that the passage Of the
Secretary Of Peace" has left q trail
of peace, good will and good work Al
ways the pure joy of service" never
the thought Of ACKNOWLEDGMENT. AL
ways the big-brained. big-bodied, big
hearted, human, manly man, doing the
days work for the love of the work
|
ing for. And always the things that
are worth doing done so quietly, SO
speedily and so thoroughly that few rec
ognize the magnitude of the achieve
ment.
| Thrice called to take the place on the
Supreme bench that always was his
life's ambition. And thrice refusing
because the work he had at hand was
not done AS judge, as department
chief, as envoy extraordinary in the
islands of the sea, always the story has
run the same-master OF men, yet man
among men: dominating ard forceful
as he Is human and lovable; intolera1t
of all wrong, yet sympathetic with all
weakness great diplomat, great admin.
istrator and great, broad-gauge Ameri-
can
All these he has been in the past
Great President-that-is-to Is our hope
and belief in his future.-Philadelph
North American.