Omaha daily bee., 1908-02-19

which Quality Him for
the Presidency,
10 Ynrk hntlnnk-

the Presidency.
New York Outlook
! Mr.. Taft has the advantage--or disadvant-
age. as the reader may choose to regard it
Of being ty reason of his position and past
career, the natural representative Of the
present administration. and the almost
necessary heir to the enthusiasm both OF
appreciation and Of criticism, which It has
excited. His public views are known by his
public acts; and though his speeches have
been frank, his actions have often spoken
louder than words
Ever since his appointment as civil gov
ernor of the Philippines by President Nc
Kinley in 1871, he has been an active member
Of the administration. He is therefore
held justly responsible for its policies. and
justly shares TIE creditor discredit-whlch
is given to them. AS governor Of the Philip
pines he pacifed the islands, organized a
civil government, and successfully trans
ferred the archipelago from a purely milf
tary rule to a quasi elf-government. He
conducted the negotiations with the Roman
Catholic church and solved the complicated
frlar problem with results apparently
equally satisfactory to the friars, the church
and the people.
Transferred to the War department. he
still maintained his interest in his wards
and continued his care of them, while ex-
tending his activities into new fields. Under
his administration the controversies arising
out of the attempt to employ private COM
petng contractors at Panama were solved
by the simple expedient of putting the work
under the immediate direction of army
engineers. His visit to Cuba quelled an in
cipient revolution, and has left the island
in at least temporary peace and the enjoy
ment Of a before unknown prosperity.
Rumors of war with Japan, which were dis
quieting the nation, ceased almost immedi-
ately after his visit to Japan and presently
came the report that the Jajanese govern
ment was taking ection to check the migra-
tion of Japanese coolies to our shores.
Rumors of an impending revolution in the
Philippines following upon the election of
a radical assembly came from well-informed
correspondents in the islands. His visit was
made the occasion of remarkable ovation
and was followed by conservative and quiet
ing action by the assembly-the appropria-
ton of 100000 to public education and the
appointment of diplomatic natives to repre-
sent Philippine interests in America.
One of the chief legal advisers of the
president he is known to have approved
both the constitutiohality and the wis
dom of the law giving the Interstate
Commerce commission authority to regd-
late railway rates, but is also believed to
have counseled providing in the law for
an appeal from it's decisions to the courts.
Threatened with the opposition OF organ
| ized labor because of injunction orders
| issued when he was on the bench, he has
replied with a condemnation of violence
as vigorous as any ever uttered by his
chief, and has affirmed, on the one hand,
that the power to issue injunctions should
be maintained, and, on the other that
certain specified limitations should be put
upon that power, the better to safeguaI d
the rights of citizens from the possible
despotic exercise of judicial authority 1t
may safely be assumed that he favors
the maintenance of moderate army and
an efficient and capable navy, since he
has uttered no protest against either, and
that he favors the preservation of our for
est and mining lands and the improvement
of our waterways for the public benefit.
l He has declared himself to be in favor OF
protective tariff, but also in favor of
a substantial modification of the sched-
ules. In short, by his public addresses,
but still more by his public acts, he Is
committed abroad to the continued gov
ernment of our dependencies by the fed
eral authority until self-government can
be organized on basis of public educa-
tion, and at home to that development
of the spirit of nationalism and that in
creased application to new conditions of
the constitutional powers Of the federal
government to which the outlook has VEN
tured to give the name Of the new federal
! ism.
No evidence has been offered in support
of the oft-repeated charge that Mr. Roose-
velt is using the federal patronage to
| secure Mr.. Taft's nomination, though
there is no doubt that he desires it. No one
| who knows Mr.. Taft will credit \the Oft
repeated charge that he is an echo of Mr.
| Roosevelt, though the two are warm per-
sonal friends In their general views of
the fundamental principles to be applied
in interpreting the constitution and OF the
! tendency in which the national life should
be directed at this time in the nations
| history they are agreed, though how far
Mr.. Taft is indebted to Mr.. Roosevelt
and how far Mr.. Roosevelt is indebted to
Mr. Taft for these views they themselves
could not tell.