New-York tribune., 1908-06-19
Beside. being class orator on class day. ne was


eelutatorian on commencement day
Returning to his home with his FLUSHING nom
ors thick upon him. he entered the Law Schooi
of the University Of Cincinnati. where he COM
pIeted the two years course in lsso ana was
admitted to the bar. While pursuing MS Id"
studies and beginning work In his PROFESSION ne
reported court news for The Cincinnati Times
and afterward for The Commercial beginning
this work at S6 week and advancing to S2o-
As reporter he formed friendly relations with
lawyer who was a candidate for Prosecuting
Attorney and when the latter was elected III
1881 he made young Taft his assistant. In the
work of prosecuting criminals the youthful law
yer learned the practical work of his profession
In 1882 MIR. Taft made Collector of In
ternal Revenue for the 1st District of Ohio
There was considerable whiskey and tobacco
produced in that region, and he took in S12.-
100000 a year in taxes but he did not find
the work congenal and resigned after year
and a half and resumed the practice OF MS
profession. Murat Halstead had tried to make
editor of him but had not succeeded, as
all his inclinations toward the law In
January 1885, he made Assistant County
Solicitor for Hamilton County. One OF the
cases in which he took part was that for the
disbarment of Thomas C. Campbell who had
been charged with unprofessional conduct The
tention of Judge Foraker, and when the latter
was elected Governor he selected the young
lawyer TO fill a vacancy on the bench OF the
Superior Court in 1887 the position his
father had filled score of years before. The
succeeding year he was elected to the same
Office for term of five years, but he served
only two for President Harrison appointed
him Solicitor General for the United States In
1890 He had held in ten years following his
admission to the bar four important positions
of trust and responsibility, the duties OF each
Of which had been discharged with the ao-
mrable intelligence, thorough comprehension
and unwearying industry which have ever
marked his career.
ENTERED A WIDER FIELD.
Going to Washington at the age of thirty
three he entered upon large and important
field of public work in the office of Solicitor
General He was called on for opinions III
regard TO a wide variety of subjects as the legal
adviser of the heads Of departments and he ar
gued constitutional questions of much impor-
tance before the Supreme Court of the unlted
States on behalf Of the government. lhIee
OF the important cases in which he appeareh
in the years he held this post were
the Berng Sea case, the case inVolFlhs thc
validity of the Mckinley bill and that growing
out Of the action of Speaker Reed in counting
a quorum in the House, and he won all OF
them. In the first named case he was opposed
by Joseph H. Choate and Calderon Carhsie
and submitted a brief which fills Voiufhe oh
nearly three hundred pages.
In 1892 President Harrison offered Mr.. Tart
The position of United States Circuit judge Of
the 9Th Circuit and as the work of a judge was
more congenial to him than that Of an advocate
he accepted the post and left Washington FOR
Cincinnati The salary of the office was So'ooo
a year and some of his friends sought TO as
suade him from taking it, saying that with MS
experience in winning important cases as So
licitor General he could make much more in prl-
vate practice, but he told one of them that
there are bigger things in this world than
money and another that he could live in COM
fort on that salary in Ohio and II his am
ily and expenses should increase he could re-
sign at any time and take up private prac-
tice The new post was in line with his tastes
and suited him For eight years Judge Taft sat
on the bench of the Circuit Court Of Appeals
and heard many cases While the bench in
1896 he was made dean in the law department
of the University of Cincinnati, Of which he was
an alun1nus and held that relation for four
years
SENT TO THE PHILIPPINES.
one afternoon in March. 1900. Judge Taft was
eral Building in Cincinnati when telegram
WAS handed to him. 1t was from President Nc
Kinley and asked him to call at the White
House the following week. Judge Taft had no
idea why he was summoned, but went, and met
President Mckinley and Secretaries Long and
Root The proposal made to him to go to
the Philippines one of the second commls-
sion and to act chairman. At first he de-
INJURED, as his views had been that this coun-
try could get along without the islands I nave
thought the same" replied President Mckinley.
but now We have them and must take care Of
them. / want you go and assist in setting up
civil government as the army moves out 1t
was Secretary Day who had suggested the name
of Judge Taft when the President had described
the sort of man he wanted for the post. Judge
Taft went home and considered the subject two
| weeks and then accepted. The purpose for
which the commission appointed was for
.organizing and establishing civil government
| already commenced by the authorities and the
| work proceeded promptly after Judge Taft and
! his associates reached Manila. A code of laws
was compiled for the islands, judicial system
[ arranged and judges and law officers We're ap
! pointed in little more than year from the time
| the commission began its work. On July 4, 1901,
military rule ceased and Judge Taft became Civil
Governor retaining his place at the head of the
commission The Filipinos felt the effects
of the new system. in direct contrast TO the
Spanish misrule which it replaced, and began TO
reap the benefits Of peace prosperity justice and
progress Under Governor Taft they learned
what good faith meant, what it was to have up
right officials and secured the benefits of good
roads. good schools. ncorruptible judges and
honest public servants.
CALLED TO HIGHER POST,
Governor Taft spent four years in the Philip
mines. broken by trip home, on the return from
which he paid a visit to Rome and conferred