The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1908-10-21

1 island In the Ohio river q large man
with kindly blue eyes and q heavy
|jdeterniined chin, threw back his big
shoulders, reeled In his bass fishing
lime and called out to the rest OF the
party. Boys. I'm going home"
+ Politicians. national committee rep
REPRESENTATIVES. Cabinet officers and the
star commander of a great natonal
lparty in the field had been coming
land going. group of keen-eyed
men picked from the forces of the
great newspapers and hews-gatherinB
III associations of the country We're
camping on his trail. The wheels Of
II ing faster and faster had: been de-
II mandtnE more and more of his sorely
III needed rest-tIme. The campaign was
| about to open Then william How
lard Taft wound up his dsh-llne, kick
ed over the bait box. and started--
whittier? To thS place where. as 2
'l good plain American, he hoped TO
II gain the final inspiration for the
Il greatest struggle of a long and
H stranucus public scarecr-thesIaSt bat
Il tie. which. the Republican party conf
4 IDENTIFY believes win seat him in the
Il White House. the President OF the
i Gnited States. Home" mea7t Gin
I cinnats. o+
The act was both fitting and sig
! nificant. In Cincinnati flfty years
| ago ne wa born. There n ihe su-
Iburb of Mt. Auburn. he passed hts
hoyhood years at public and high
school. In Cincinnati he began his
life study. entered the bar. and held
This first public office Of prosecuting
attorney of the county. In cincinnati
4 he. first assembled. the, bench. and II
1 was as a Cincinnati Justice. that he
/ rendered those far-reachTng decisions
ithat led to his. selection by President
Mckinley for the Philippine -tOmn1fs-
E!or.
| Their" arc stronger ties even than
these. 1t vas in Cincinnati that Will
| liam Howard Taft met couTtcd and
married Helen Heron. There the
young couple built the house that
I was to be their first home and i'
which their children were born.
Since the poth has led in many
dirGctions-to the Philippine. Islands,
to Rome. to Panama. Cuba. Porto
Rico and around the world by the
way OF Janan and Siberia n
| Public Office has been 30 sinecure
to- william Howard Taft. He has
worked hard. in all climates and
reasons and has had aFittle time to.
for breath on the threshold of the
greatest honor this. nation or. any ma
| ton, can offer him. he Yields to the
IlDuIc-pun. turns his BIER on the ap-
Ipr6aching %htrl-w wind ana goes. to the
old home. to- (SipcinttaI&i 10, sec long
| FAMILIAR scenes. to have the warm
| greeting of his nctRhborS. to draw a.
deep breath of Inspiration OF the init
| mate atmosphere before he, begins
| the last great battle that may make
MN the proud and free head OF the
proudest sovereign people on the
face o: the earth:
! Mrs. Taft, the Helen Heron that.
r.Ya.y kko- a
hostess That *, is with him. and there
win 'b6 Cot Few short weeks; a touch
OF the old home-llRc air When the
rear tight opens: he viii go to 1t
with a lighter heart:
The touch of kindly, open hands, the
on ven remembered faces and the
or boyhooa's recollection. sonth's re-
And the old me'ties unfoFgot mid
all:"
There have been leaders of great
popular movements who have been
II is difficult to take. the name OF
William Howard Taft from this cat
egory. Not that his paths have been
mySteriously opened for him. But
\ looking backward one. sees how Curl
! ously every step in his public life
| mas neon, .nOt IN u BGneEui. out "A SPS-
! ciflc sense, one of preparation His
experience on tho Ohio Bench was
! fitting him for the particular work
| of Manila. his study of problems OF
! the Island Possessions was to-hc an
especial qualification for cabinet port
folia. His enormous labors as sec
rotary OF war were inevitably mould
ing his present candidacy. One may
call it destiny If he will: 1t was GER
tatnly not accident. There was never
anything accidental about his ca
recr.. He has gone ahead for the
reason locomotive docs-because 1t
has steam up and stays on the track.
The truck. for Mr.. Taft, has always
been the line. of present duty.
All his life long he has had steam
up. Some one once called him Gas
an English statesman once dubbed)
"a steam engine In trousers" His
capacity for continuous labor has be-
come a proverb in Washington Of
hcialdom. Two meals. day and
twelve hours work-with no pause
for luncheon-has become his habit.
Auh he has thriYcd on 1t. Each time
he has the big. serious. -laborious.
hopeless tasks to do. 1t was however.
the useful thing. and 1t Is this fact
that made the work one after his
heart For with his chronic opttm-
ism he has always combined the pas
sion for service. He has sound be-
belief in himsOlf-nOt cock-surcness
but the faith that springs from hon
cSty of motive and the clear outlook