The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-04

te of the Man BY One of America Greatest Journalists

r Business training on TIE BENCH
At the time when he was on the fed
eral bench his circuit extended over
Ohio, Kentucky. and Tennessee. This
covered the period from March, 1892,
until he went to the Philippines. That
was the time of the panic. A good
deal of northern capital had been in
vested in Kentucky and Tennessee,
and when the hard times came. one
corporation after another went TO
pieces.
Almost before he realized the situa-
ton the young judge found he was ex-
pected to administer the affairs of
railroads, coal mines, grocery corpor-
atoms. banks, tobacco plantations.
stock farms, and almost every kind OF
enterprise in which northern capital
could be induced to enter. Theywere
all in proceedings which obliged the
federal Judge to appoint receivers and
TO assume general direction Of multi,
tudinous business affairs.
DO you know" said the secretary,
during a casual conversation at hi!
fessional career, that when | went to
the Philippines the thing which dis
turbed me most was whether | could
possibly learn how to administer pure
ly executive affairs. | was astonished
more than anybody else wher | discov-
cred that the process of running a
government was exactly like that of
conducting big corporation. There
were hundreds and thousands of new
situations to be met, but the same
thing occurs in business life. | found
that executive experience had come to
me while I was on the bench owing to
the hard times. If it had been pros
porous period the chances are | would
have been unfamiliar with the general
executive work because there would
have been fewer receiverships and
| bankruptcies. and the federal court, as
usual, would have concerned Itself
! largely with matters of theory"
Has High Ideals Of Duty.
| Speaking of the Philippines here is
! the real story of just how Mr.. Taft
came to go to those islands.
Part of it was told to me by Mark
| Hanna, part by Secretary Root. and
the rest by Mr.. Taft himself. I think
| have written the story before. but it
is worth doing it again because it illus,
trates better than anything else
know the keynote in the career of VIII.
liam Howard Taft, note with which
the American people are certain to be
come proudly familiar during his ad
ministration il the republicans win
the election in November. This is the
subsection of himself to his ideals oil
duty. 1t began when he was boy in
college. He recognized the wisdom Of
the will of his father in insisting thai
he should not waste time on college
athletics and he devoted himself labor
iously to his studies when all the in
stincts of the man carried him out
across the green fields and over the
dancing waters of New Haven bay.
During the year which followed the
ratification of the treaty of peace be
tween the United States and SPAR
there was a constant warfare in the
islands. Aguinaldo was on the war
path and it required a great many
soldiers to hem him in.
!; Teaching a Lesson to the Natives.
Actual civil government was impos
sible, and yet President Mckinley an6
Elihu Root, the secretary of war, will
the constant assistance and advice o
John Hay, secretary Of state, began Il
plan for the time when it would b.
possible to put civilian in charge AM
give the natives, at least Of Luzon,
taste of real free government.
All three of the men held. in spit
of the advice of some distinguished
army officers, that the best way Il
= pacify the Filipinos and to render thu
use of an army unnecessary, was t.
set up form OF government independ
ent of the military and give the native
, chance to see what an honest form
: of government was like.
1t was determined to send out to tn
islands commission to be headed b.
, some unusually good man, who woul
cooperate with the military authori
= ties at first, and who at the earlies
| possible moment would become the
first civil governor of the Philippines
L. The country was canvassed and tn
, name Of one public man after anothe
was suggested. To Mark Hanna all
to Mckinley came almost at the sam
time the suggestion of Judge Tai
4 Both of them knew him, knew his il
. tegrity, knew his ideals, and believe
: that his experience on the bench wa
just what was necessary to fit him 70
the strange duty across the Pacific.
1t was finally decided to tender tn
D office to Taft, but it was scarcely b,
+ lieved he could be induced to accep
He was young, ambitious, with goo
q future before him at home, holding
life position from which he could RI
tire in his old age with full pay. Nor
over. there was good ground to believ
he was not particularly in sympath
at the outset with the proposition I
II take and hold the Philippines. 1t wa
evident that it would take strong a
= guments TO shake this man loose froI
his Ohio surroundings and transplar
him across the sea.
q Appeal of Secretary Root.
e To EIihu Root, then as now the bes