The sun., 1908-05-15
MR.. TAFT As SEEN ACROSS THE
WATER.


some peculiarly dlHCut or complex pIOOieH
arises he IA at once deputed TO solve Il, Work
on the Panama Canal, for instance, IL dis
Organized and threatens 70 stop through
the friction Of multiplicity Of boards and
the resignation Of one engineer In CHIEF aiter
another. Mr.. Taft visits the Isthmus, looks
into thnEs, decides that the army engineers
are the men 10 'dlg the ditch and all Is
peace and progress Cuba. again. conducts
itself by the usual Spanish American route
to the very brink OF revolution, Mr.. Taft
steps in examines, bumors, concilates,
takes over the whole business OF government
and almost makes the outside world question
the gravity Of the situation by the ease with
which he adjusts II. The American. and
japanese papers and the people who read
them scowl at one another over the immi-
grafton dlflculty. Mr.. Taft. en- route for the
Philippines calls in at Toxic, has an audience
with the Mikado, and straightway the ru-
mors Of trouble are dissolved 10 douche OF
sanity. An ugly controversy OF personal
charges and recrimlnations breaks out be-
tween two American diplomats, IL is
matter altogether outside Mr.. Tafts depart
ment. yet II goes 10 him for settlement and
he settles II. go over and see TAFT about
IT, Ia formula 80 often on the Presidents
lips that II has passed into the slang OF the
day, and the War Secretary's nickname,
General Utility Bill" gives both the popular
and the Official measure Of his capacities.
He has q peculiar gift OF lubricating sa-
gacity. He radlates jollity and conciliation'
All men instnctively like and trust this huge,
good humored giant, whose mere physical
immensity impresses one with a sort OF guar
Gntee OF invinoibility. lie crashes through
problems and tangles with the all conquerlng
certainty OF a smiling. patient, supremely
human steam roller. ! have met no one.
even In America. more wholly destitute OF
fussness and AheCtation. Nothing seems
TO furry him or TO break through his reserves
OF genial placldity. Though scarcely less
badgered than Mr.. Roosevelt himself, he
never explodes. lie has the eyenness OF
temper the CHEEKY self-continenoe, which
II would be positively dangerous for a man
Of his colossal bulk not to have, There Is
a hearty and most winning naturaness In his
intercourse with people lie has all OF the
average Americans indifference to eGternals
and appearance snapshot Of Mr. TAFT,
seated at his oflcial desk, would make. an
admirable study Of democracy in undress.
His mind, | should Judge is a healthy and
vigorous rather than a piable instrument.
II works with ponderous, probing thorough
any original contribution to the philosophy
Of politics any more than one would expect
him to bubble forth in epiRrams lie is not
a man Of wide reading or Of diversified intel
lectual interests and has as little Of Mr..
Roosevets manysidedness as Of his flashing
alertness or his somewhat volcanic tempera-
ment. But his qualities, II Of the minor order
Of merit, are strong. genuine and servceable.
He has had far more than the ordinary can
didates experience Of men and Affairs and
high responsibilities, aud Mr. Taft, like Cob
den, Is one OF those men on whom no expert
ence Il wasted His administrative apt-
tudes are unquestionabe he has that kind
Of mpersonal dspntanglinG mind, OF per
spective and judicial balance, which when
united with an engaging personality and
dependable character makes It's pOssessor
court Of final appeal for private friends aud
public colleagues.
Mr. Taft s one Of the most palpaby honest
men have ever encountered. HE is honest
even In his politics. Indeed, it is hardly TOO
much to say that his politics are comprised
In saying straight out precisely what be
thinks. lie is almost a. incapable as Lord
Rosebery himself. though from widely diner
ent causes. OF the distortions Of partisanship,
That perhaps II one Of the reasons why the
professional politicians do not relish him.
he il wholly scOrnful Of the time serving
manpu,res, the intimate deals and propita-
tlons they expect a Presidential candidate TO
practise.
There is no quibbng about Mr TAFT Like
MIR Roosevelt, he il the best OF politicians,
because he never plays politics. Like Mr..
Roosevelt. he will prove candidate all the
moro formidable because he never troubles
about the votes lie suffers, however, from
certain disadvantages. With practically the
whole OF his active life divided between the
court house in Cincinnati. the Philippines and
Washington, he has had little chance Of be-
coming personally known to the bulk OF his
countrymen. Hitherto they have had to
Judge him at a distance. But with every
week that passes he II becoming better known
and though little Of an orator, better liked.
The labor men cherish an old grudge against
him because as a Judge in Ohio certain OF
his decisions helped to perpetuate the abuse
OF government by injunct on" The negroes.
who hold the balance Of power in more than
one State, are incenscd against him becguse
as Secretary Of War he agreed to- though he
did not himself propose, the disbandment
of an entire negro regiment. some Of whose
members were suspected OF having shot up
a Southern townlet. The high protectionists
do not like him because he has come out
sauarey for tarih revision and incessantlv
advocates reduction Of duties on Philip
pine imports into the United states. The
conservatives suspect him because he sub
scribes unreservedly TO the Roosevelt policies
and because any Administration over which
he presided would be indistnguishable in its
general aims however much il might differ
in temper and methods. from the present
regime And the politicians, need scarcely
add nstinctively distrust a man OF Mr. TAFT 5
independence and will only accept and sup
port him as a Presidential candidate to avoid
the yet greater catastrophe of party defeat
From an article bp A. Maurics LoT IN The Nae
honoi ReriCT
Secretary Taft still continues to maintain
his long lead in the race for the Republican
Presidential nomination, with no other COM
petitor near enough to be dangerous. His
opponents are now reluctantly forced to
admit that his nomination appears probable.
but they indulge In gloomy predictions when
they contemplate Mr. Taft as the candidate,
which Of course Is not an entirely dispassion-
ate view. II il hopeless, they assert, to
imagine that Mr.. Taft can be elected, because
he has arrayed against him the negroes and |
labor. two elements sufficient to defeat any
candidate II they vote solidly for his opponent.
On paper It ia seen that the Democrats are
Justified in believing that victory next No
vember is not impossible, and some Repub-
llcans are warranted In fearing that Mr. ]
Taft's nomination is perIlous, TO say the
least but this is offset by the finn conviction !
of President Roosevelt and his friends that. !
indignant although the negroes may be. their |
ipdignation will not carry them to the PN-