The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-05-26
FRON OTHER PENS
PRESIDENTS PERSONAL CHARM.

Every gathering the president meets,
every audience that hears him speak,
every crowd that sees him. gives him
new assurance that his personal APP
very strong. The nearer the people
get to him the better they like him.
He gains popularity wherever he goes.
He is his own best advocate.
In truth. there is little serious fault
finding aimed at President Taft's char
acter or intentions. The worst COM
plants against him are negative-that
he falls to do certain things, or that he
is wanting in some element of force,
some power for getting results. Few
of his opponents claim that he is aim
ing at anything wrong. He is not ac-
cused of lacking patriotism or personal
uprightneSs, in any sense
There are many reasons for believ-
ing that henceforth the president will
gain ground. He has probably passed
through the worst period of his term.
AS his policies and his undertakings
work out their natural results. his
prestige will grow and his popularity
will increase. As for the man him
self, William H. Taft is still what hs
was as a candidate for the great office
which he helds-an extremely winning
and likeable rsonaIity.-Cleveland
Leader.
FOLLOWS.
The United States supreme court has
answered the once anxiouSly discussed
question whether the constitution fol-
lows the flag in the affirmative. An
official in the Philippine coast guard
service, having been convicted of fall
styling the public accounts to the
amount of $500, was sentenced under
an old Spanish statute to Is years i'm
prisonment with chain on his ankle
and wrist. The case was carried to
the Philippine supreme court, where
the "cadena temporal" as it is known,
was sustained. An appeal to the fed
eral supreme court, however, has re-
suited in the insular court being re-
versed on the constitutional ground
that such a punishment was cruel and
unusual.
This incident arouses some curiosity
regarding whatever other old Spanish
statutes are in force in the Philip
pines. Spanish laws in overseas pos
sessions never erred in humanity
Since we are carrying sweetness and
light to the little brown men, it might
be as well to overhaul those survivals
of Spanish misrule and bring them into
accord with that spirit of humanity
embodied in the constitution only ex-
Oriental ndencies.-Pittsburg Dis
patch.
AN UNMANNERLY COLLAPSE.
1t would be hard to say where the
case against Secretary Ba1linger broke
down most conspicuously, whether
when Mr.. Pinchot failed to produce a
scintilla of evidence to prove the
astounding things he promised to
prove upon the witness stand or in
the long cross-examination of Secre-
tary Ballinger, which is now drawing
| to a close. No doubt many waited
for that cross-examination before
making I'D their minds but with all
the latitude that counsel for Mr.. CLAWS
has enjoyed and with all the savage
ness he has exhibited he has accom-
plished nothing. He has not shaken
Mr.. Ballinger's testimony or obtained
from him any damaging admissions or
surprises.
| But the. failure Of the cross-exam min
alton is not the worst of it for the
prosecution" so-cAlled. If its case
has been conducted in more gentle
manly and fair-minded way that fall
ure would not have left an impression
so injurious to the secretary's accusers.
It is not surprising that the cross-ex-
animation has got on the nerves of the
senators and representatives who have
/ been compelled to listen to it It has
got on the nerves even of those who
have only read about it in the public
prints.-New York Tribune.