The Topeka state journal., 1908-06-24
Senator Longs Surprising
3 Statement About Taft.
Places Him at the Head of All
Presidential Candidates.
REVIEWS HIS WORK.
Selected by Pres dent Mckinley
for Duty in the Philippines.
Several Times Refused Posi-
tiOn en- Supreme Bench.

Belleville. June Ex-senator Long
noon made the statement that he be-
neved Secretary Taft is the greatest
candidate any political party ever had
at any time. In this country.
II measure my words" he said,
''and I repeat the statement. believe
Mr.. Taft to be better fitted for the per-
formance of executive work than any
candidate for president any party ever
had"
This statement was bit startling to
his hearers. as some of them admitted
afterwards, when they considered
Washington, Jackson, Lincoln, McKin-
ley and Roosevelt; but when they
came to think of it, and when Senator
Long had given some interesting his
tory OF the great presidential candi-
date, they were prepared to accept
the statement and to believe that Sem
ator Long was speaking by the card,
as he knew something about the kind
OF man the standard-bearer is.
LET us consider for moment this
man." said Senator Long. LAS a very
young man, and after holding some
minor offices. such as assistant prose-
cutting attorney, collector of internal
revenue, ETC., he was appointed judge
by the then Governor Foraker. Next
came his appointment to be solicitor
general of the department of justice.
In this position, still young, he had to
cope with the best lawyers of the
country and discharged his duties with
great credit to himself. So well did
he do so that President Harrison
made him circuit judge of the United
States.
"Now, indeed was Mr.. Taft started
on what he and his friends believed
to be his life career, and one that led
straight to the supreme court of the
United States While holding this po-
sition he handed down some of the
greatest decisions in the Jurisprudence
of this country. These decisions were
affirmed by the supreme court of the
United States and are milestones in
our legal procedure.
"The great President Mckinley.
than whom there never was a more
farsighted man in his selection of as
sistants, wanted a man to go to the
Philippine Islands and take charge of
that complicated situation. We had
got the islands from Spain after the
war with Spain, and We could not let
go II we had wished to do so. Here
was a great work, one of the greatest
works any American ever could do.
Mckinley called Judge Taft
to Washington and told him what he
wanted him to do. Judge Taft demur-
red at first, and then accepted. In
doing so he gave up what was his life
career, the bench, and went to an
alien country, among an alien people.
to lay the foundations of government
and teach these strange people how to
rule themselves. 1t was an unpleas-
ant task but in accepting Judge Taft
was actuated by that sense of duty
that ever has characterized his actions.
What Taft did in the Philippine
islands is matter of history. He was
the frst governor, the head of the
commission. He settled the Difficult
ties. chief among which was the friar
land controversy. He was kind to these
people. He taught them new things.
He made them respect him, the gov
ernment of the United States, and
themselves. To him and to him alone
is due the credit of our Philippines
policy. This was made the paramount
issue in 1904e 1t stood the assaults of
the Democratic party, led by Mr.. Bry-
an. From it Mr.. Taft emerged a world
figure.
while on the work of the Philip
pine islands Mr.. Taft again had an
opportunity to take up his work as a
Judge, this time on the supreme court
of the United States, but he turned
1t down, because he felt his duty lay
in the islands. Twice since then he
has had the chance and twice since
has refused. Even wnen considering
the presidency, and as late as March