The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-04-01

was purely Judicial lie was u born
leader OF men, however. and these
shrewd observers know that fact. They
were aware that when Taft was at
Yale he was adored by his class and
subsequently dominated the entire I'M
dergraduate body by the force OF his
Individual character.
He was put into a trying position
at Manila. lie went there as the en-
bodiment of the civil government, and
for while he was cordially disliked
ard distrusted by every officer and
soldier in the islands. They insisted
that he was 'coddling" the little
brown men to an undue degree. and
that the result would surely be Sc
ries of revolutions.
But Taft was right and the soldiers
were wrong. He saw that certain
class of Fllipinos, while not fit fog
self-government, could be captivated
by certain participation in the govern
ment to which they had not been ac-
customed from Spanish rule.
1oNtfHihcnt Stanic ioNiiN.
The civil government TAFT estab-
llshed in the Philippines is stable to-
day, and the islands are as free from
revolt as they have not been in cent
ury. 1t was not the judge wha did
this, but the executive. and yet It was
an executive who worked strictly ac-
cording TO logical lines and in a judi
cial frame of mind from the outset.
When he was through with his tour
or duty in the Philippines Mr. Taft
came to Washington as secretary of
war. He would never have accepted
such a place. | am sure. If il had not
been because of his intense desire 20
continue his work for the benefit of
the Filiplnos themselves. He felt that
as secretary he. could do more for
them than as governor. and il Is char
acterlstic of the Taft type Of man
that he looked upon promotion to "a
cabinet position not as a political as
Sc, for the future but as contributing
to the fulfilment of cherished work
for the benefit of others.
This brings me down to a feature
ct the character of the secretary OF
war, which is so pronounced that Il
seems strange It should have been
given so little prominence in most OF
the biographies. This is the mans
conscience, or perhaps one might call
Il his imaginative sense of duty lie
is not a stern man. His famous laugh
digproves that Neither is he inncX.-
bic.
Let his sense of right be aroused
let this imagination OF duty TO be per
formed BE- properly stimulated. and
wild horses cannot drag william How
ard Taft away Srom the paths IN which
he thinks his footsteps should larry.
This is no good natured fat man who
car be jollied and cajolcd and laughed
into doing a foolish thing. On m
contrary neither his smile aor his bulk
plays any part in the official actions
.o5 The secretary of war.
There were those who though, thai
Secretary Taft was unduly severe IN
his castigation Of a distinguished en-
.ginccr who abandoned his job in tlo
building Of the Panama canal. That
Abandonment. however. was one thmg
which the secretary could not brook.
He could not understand how an off
cial duty could IN any way be inhuonc-
ed by private gain. TO accept a great
public trust ami then to give it up
suddenly because there was a cnancc
of personal financial Advancement at
homo was nothing less than crime Ia
this man with imaginative conscience.
Cause 'of Ohio Trouble.
The acute political trouble in Ohio
was precipltated entirely because OF
IN, fact that the secretary Of war re-
fused TO be q party TO a bargain which
he did not consider the proper one to
b. made. He would not yield TO The
opportunities OF those who besought
him TO make an agreement that son
ator Foraker should 90 back TO the
senate as the price OF his keeping h!-
ndnuS on the pitsIuti t+"i HShN 4H Cit-
An opportunity was given to the secit-
tary of state 10 make a sccrr. agree
ment OF this kind, but it was declined
OF the ground that such compact was
not an honorable one ald that he
could appeal to the people for the
presidential nomination only on his
own merits and without the slighioos'
reference 10 the political ambitious OF
others.
The executive capacity which Oh"
Ohio Judge has developed must neces
sariy be, as / have said, his principal
claim upon the presidency before the
people, 1t IS certainly true that few
men have been called upon since tho
foundation Of our system OF govern
N 49,