Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-30
Court Decisions as Political Issues.

In an interesting article contributed
to McClure's Magazine, President Taft
reviews the attempt in the last presi-
Dental campaign to make a political
issue out of his judicial decisions. 81
believe it is true" says he, that l am
the only successful candidate for the
presidency who ever had extended ju-
dicial experience" He recalls that
while Martin Van Buren, had been a
probate judge and Andrew Jackson
had served as judge of the supreme
court of North Carolina, their work
on the bench never entered into their
campaigns. Judge Parker had been
on the bench, but his judicial decisions
were not involved in his candidacy.
The supreme court ruling ON the 'in-
come tax" was one of the minor issues
in 1896, but in no way personal to the
candidates. After citing these in
stances, Mr.. Taft ventures to assert
that his experience in being called
upon to go upon the stump to explain
or defend his decisions has been truly
exceptional.
The main portion of Mr.. Taft's arti-
Gle is taken up with a recital of the
circumstances leading TO the formula
tion of the labor and injunction planks
in the platforms of the respective
parties and a concise exposition of the
facts in the various labor cases, which
he decided as judge, and the scope and
significance of those decisions. The
explanation Of the decisions is sub
stantially the same as he made during
the campaign in his political adj
dresses. Mr.. Taft is convinced that
the failure of the movement headed
by Mr.. Gompers to carry with it the
large mass of the laboring vote is due
to his attitude in squarely meeting the
issue. On this point he reason as
follows:
am, of course, not blind to the fact
that one of the chief arguments in my
favor with the wage Garner was the fear
that the election of Mr.. Bryan would make
the hard times permanent. and the hope
that the continuance of the republican
party in power would insure a return of
good times. Still 1 think it must be con-
ceded that the showing made by Mr. Com
pers upon the issue against me as an
enemy OF labor was considerably less than
he expected It to be, and that this was
due, in part, at least, TO the fact that no
one can control the vote of the intelligent
laboring man; that he does not yield to
mere sentiment or the calling of names,
but that he. himself, investigates the rea-
sons and makes up an independent mind.
President Taft is also satisfied that
he lost nothing by meeting the issue
of trial by jury in contempt cases and
taking the position that the result Of
such a change in the law would be to
put the means of evading court de-
crees into the hands of the wealthy
and INSCRIPTIONS without any CORE
spending benefit to the poor and needy
wage Garner. On this he says:
The appeal made 10 the merchant,
farmer, business man and the public at
large, including the Intelligent wage
Garner, against the weakening of the
power of the court in the interest of a
particular class was, If one can Judge
from the attitude OF the audiences sd-
dressed, as strong and vote-gettiEg an
argument as the republican party had in
the late campaign.
According to information which
came from close to Mr.. Bryan, it is
known that he rested most of his con-
hdence in the expectation that the la
Dor vote would be delivered TO him
solidly as a rebuke to Judge Taft's