Evening star., 1909-04-12
Bailey and Taft.

Mr.. Bailey set forth some views in the
Senate on Saturday which are at wide
variance with popular sentiment on the
subject of President Taft and his equip
ment for his office. The country generally
has decreed the new executive unusually
fortunate in his opportunities to qualify
for his great post. His time on the bench
gave him both an insight into the higher
points of the law and a training for I'M
partial investigation of matters, while his
time as an executive in the Philippines
and later in the War Department de-
veloped decision and management.
Not so, says the Texas senator. He was
referring to a rumor-which had no foun-
dation-that the President had threatened
Congress with veto i'm case the census
bill was not made to conform to views
expressed by Mr.. Roosevelt on the sub
ject:
IF the President so early in his ad-
ministration has undertaken to coerce
Congress by threats, l predict that we
will have worse time than was had
during the past seven years The present
President is worse fitted by the experience
Re has had to hold that high Office than
any man who has ever been President.
He went from the federal bench, where
in the very nature of things men learn to
De IyfdHHlcdl. 10 tH6 GUllIppIHcS, WuCIC lie
held sway without restraint of law. Then
he went to the War Department. where
he had absolute control, at least, with
very little restriction of law. over the
building of the great canal to the south
of US.
II repeat that no man ever went to a
worse school to learn to be President OF
the United States. 1 hope he has been
strong enough to keep free from the In
nuence of that school, but that hope will
be quickly dispelled IL he Is sending mes
sages to Congress today threatening Con-
gress with a veto il we dare to do what
we think ought to be done and not what
he wants us to do.
Mr.. Bailey has said too much, or too
little Why, 'in the very nature Of things
should man on the federal bench learn
to be tyrannical? What is there in the
federal bench that breeds and incites to
tyranny? Or is the bench generally, fed
eral and state, corrupting in that way to
those who sit as judges? Mr.. Bailey
should elaborate his views, both because
of his standing in the Senate and his
standing at the bar. He is one of the
leading lawyers of Texas.
AS to Judge Tafts service in the Phil
ippines, may that be described as with
out restraint of law? 1t was conspicu-
ously successful, and without the slight
est suggestion of tyranny. So pleased.
SO delighted, were the Filipinos with his
administration of affairs that when his
promotion was announced and the time
arrived for his departure to assume the
duties of the War Department they held
a monster mass meeting and expressed
the highest admiration Of him. If he
had acquired the tyrannical spirit there
they had not felt it. He looked good to
them.
In the War Department he certainly
was not without restraint of law" He
was very successful there, as he had
been in other places. and his record in
that Office helped to secure Him his nomi-
nation and election to the presidency. II
the tyrant had appeared in any Of his
performances as Secretary Of War he
would have suffered in the campaign of
last year. Such material would have
been of great value to a candidate of
Mr.. Bryan's powers.
Mr.. Bailey's remarks are not persua-
sive. but have value as respects the
sensitiveness Of lawmakers on the sub
ject of their duties. They do not. and
should not. like executive threats. And
yet there are politicians and newspapers
clamorous for a presidential tariff bill
accompanied by threat from the White
House that the Senate must guide by it
or lose its labors.