The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-06-11

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IHlC ABOUT
FAY O [ I ]! |! | SONS
tIExPoslTlnNE oFfT TAFT QUALITIES
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
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II WASHINGTON y June 10:-President
Roosevelt has said that II 4 ii would
help matters at all, he would cheer.
fully walk on his hands and knees
from the White House to the Capitol
to see William Howard Taft inaugu:
rated President of the United States.
Senator Foraker who would like to
prevent the consummation Of that
event, has declared that no one could
meet Taft and not love him as a
man. sS.
There must be something wonder:
fully pleasing In a mans personality
TO evoke such expressions from two
such diverse sources.
And there is. Genial. whole.souled,
happy. hearty. big "Bill'''s TAFT. as he
is known to his intimates, attracts
men to him as trresisttbly as the mag
net does the steel. Z. Isa
One OF the biggest men in the coun.
try. Taft is six feet tall and weighs
ESQ pounds. His shoulders are SO
broad. and his frame so big. that he
carries his weight without giving thu
appearance of a fat man in the ordt.
nary sense. 81
BubblinE over with good nature.
with laughter ever ready to his lips
Taft is nevertheless. the personifica.
ton OF dignity and lrmness. Con-
WINGED OF the wisdom and justice o;
a certain line of action. no one, not
even President Roosevelt himself, is
| more aggressive and coura geous in
pursuit of his object
TAFT is his own master. No greater
mistake could be made than. to as
sumo that, II elected President. he
would be under the domination OF any
man. In the mapping out OF the great
policies of the Roosevelt administra-
ton no one has been more freely con-
suited than Taft. and no one has been
more free to criticize the President
when criticism seemed just.
Roosevelt Is not lawyer. Taft is.
Smypathizing heartily with the Presi-
dents purposes. Taft has used his 1e.
gal training to shnpe Rocsevelt's
ideas into practical form. The abilI-
ties OF the one have comnlementeil
those OF the other, with the result
that q great work has been accom-
pllshed for the people.
Temperamentnlly they are almost
opnosites. 1t would be difficult to con-
ceive of Taft forming classes OF
"liars, ' "malefactors of great wealth."
Or mature faktrs." He has not the
phrnse.making capacity OF Roosevelt.
but he can be none the less, vigorous
In .lennnciation of wrong. He does
not believe that epithets are necessary
to make speech strong and incis!ve.
Where Roosevelt Is lmpetuous and
sometimes has to change front with
great suddenness. Taft's legal training
makes him deliberate. Judicial. and
once convinced. nnyielding.
No man in public lie Is more frank
and ,nnreserved in his intercourse with
newspaper men than Taft. He goes
on the theory that the public has
right to know about the administra
ton OF the War Department, and he
takes the correspondents into his con.
fidence, but he reserves the right to
decide when the proper time has ar
rived for publication OF the facts. He
plays no favorites, but when Taft
says NO" there is nnaltty about 1t
which Is generally accepted. On ono
occasion. however. a correspondent
persisted In asking leading questions
on subject upon which the Score.
tary had said that he could not speak
Tafts face lost It's smile. the kindly
gray eyes developed steely glitter
and SUDDENLY the storm broke He de-
clnred that he was not to be "bully-
ragged into answering questions
that he did not want to answer, and
gave the unhappy newspaper man such
HkingHlown before all OF his col.
leagues, rs he had probably never
had before. 1t was such a surprise
coming from Taft that for few mo-
ments no one uttered word. Then.