The Washington herald., 1909-03-05

Francis 3. LOOMS, ana ne lspoItSr
charges against LOomis 10 the State De-
partment The investigation fell 20 Nj
Taft. who went about the work with his
characteristic thOrOUghnesS, only 70 DIS
cover that the charges were not JUSTIFIED.
The report he made drove Herbert "
Bowen from the diplomatic service II
cost Mr.. Taft heavily 10 make that de-
cision. he struck the blow because he
believed It was right-even though the
blow struck a friend.
There was no searching for career
| IN the case Of President Taft. From the
/ first. by tradition. training, and temPeTa-
ment. he was marked for the Law, and
/ the public experience Of his father and
| the fine record OF his grandfather turned
him naturally to the consideration Of gov
/ ernment and public affairs. 50 soon as
( ne graduated ne began 10 take an active
part in the business Of electing good and
/ responsible men to Office He started 70
/ learn politics from the ground up. He
entered into ward politics and worked
al the city polls. Republicanism was his
+ by birth and tradition lie made il his
I own, also. by personal conviction.
I When he returned TO Cincinnati, with
I the ink still wet on his Yale diploma
/ young Taft had &c go to work at once
/ in order 10 help pay the expenses Of his
| course al the Cincinnati law School, for
while his family was Of excellent position
/ in Cincinnati. his father was far from
being a man OF wealth.
In Newspaper work.
! So il was that William Howard Taft
/ became newspaper man. He began as
a reporter on the Times-Star. owned by
( his half-brother. Charles P. Taft, and
/ his work in covering the courts was so
well done that it attracted the attention
OF 8furat Halstead. who engaged him at
q substantial raise in salary 10 report
! the courts for the Cincinnati CONNER
/ cial-Gazette. During the time OF his
! newspaper work he not only continued his
/ law studies assiduOuSly. but kept up his
4 interest in practical politics. and his
contact with the practical politicians and
ward heelers showed him 20 be imbued
with that sert OF courage that goes in
/ 10 win.
! He was a watcher Of a polling place
in these early days when It was reported
to him by another watcher that a tough
I citizen who was hanging around was
attempting 70 intimidate some Of the
voters
Which oneg' asked Taft
The man was pointed out and Taft
/ started for him. The practical poll
tician was big stone mason who did
not appreciate the practical value OF a
scholar in politics. He demanded 10 know
what Taft was doing around the polls
Taft's answer was TO send his right
to the stOEsmason's Jaw, with the result
that the bully went down and out
Now. then" said Mr. Taft 70 his
friend, Tets find out what the trouble
is"
But there was no more trouble; one
smash in the Jaw had settled IL
Good in n Fight.
/ One must not get the idea that Taft. as
a young man, was pugnaciOus or bully.
but he was always ready 10 fight in a
good cause; especially for somebody else.
For instance. there was his encounter
with man named Rose, who ran a
blaCkmailing newspaper in Cincinnati.
/ Rose printed a scurrilous article about
Taft's father. Judge Alphonso Taft. an
article that was SC palpably false that
the judge and his friends only laughed
al IL
But "Old Biz thought il was not a
laughing matter. He started for Rose
office. and on the street he met him.
rs your name Rose?" asked Taft
Rose admitted that he was. and started
/ "a say something, hut before he got half
way through "Old Bill picked him up
bodily and flung him down with a crash
on the pavement He didn't even need 70
hit him IL simply put one knee in the
/ small OF the blackmailer's back and rub
bed his face into the pa-ing stone untn
Rose howled with pain and rage
III let you up II you'll get out OF town
} tonight. said Taft
Rose managed TO get out a smothered
promise, and ne was allowed to rise.
Nov" said Taft. III come down here
tomorrow night again. and if you're still
here. this IS only a starter
, But that was all The blackmailer had
, enough. and Cincinnati was freed Of him
, forever
So passed the two years during which
William Howard Taft was going through
the law school He received his degree IL
1880. dividing first honors Of the class with
another industrious student He was ad-
n1itted 70 the bar. and began the practice
! Of Law with his fathers old firm but hC
continued his interest in politics, and
, made himself a marked man by his oppo
siti0n 70 gang rule Even then he saw
that the only practical method Of defeat
. Ing the gang was by organization
r And he started warfare on the bose.
with C0unter-organizatiou of young
j man who were pledged 10 see that onll
! clean and able men we're nominated fOl
Office.
First Public Berth.
When he had been practicing law fol
s service He was appointed assistant
prosecuting attorney Of Hamilton Coun
". and MS activities in that Office may
best be described in the words Of Jo'
Moses one Of his court bailiffs- H
3 says:
He wanted TO get every criminal int
, the penitentiary-"
In the next year President Arthur
seeking a way out of a factional figh'
2 in Cincinnati, found the way out by ap
2 pointing Mr.. Taft collector Of interna
revenue there. The Job carried goOC
6 salary. much more than Taft had evel
2 earned before in his life. The Office col
D lected more than S10O00, 900 annually OF
: whisky and tobacco, and Il was here
I that Taft got that business training
, which stood him IN such good stead il
& after years. when he was called upon q
: perform important judicial duties in con
: nection with the supervision Of larS'
/ business enterprises. including railroads
/, But the Office. for some reason. was no
attractive 10 him. and after ten months
r service he resigned. going back TO th'
s practice OF law
It was plain, however. 10 many wh,
knew William Howard Taft that . mar
Of his qualifications was needed in tb'
, public service Of Cincinnati. and he wa.
{ soon brought into office again as sssistan
q county solicitor a job which he held fOl
Q two years. He left this position at th'
instance of the governor Of Ohio. JOSEPH
: 3. Foraker. JudsOn Harmon, judge Of tn
, Superior Court of Cincinnati had TO