The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1910-08-19

his man, then Theodore Roosevelt
has made the supreme blunder OF
Ibis life. one that has undone all the
good he ever accomplished. and we
can trust him no longer.
This is important to keep in mind,
because those frenzied newspaper
correspondents, who told us how
Roosevelt Immediately upon his re-
turn would denounce the Taft adj
ministration. are now sure that Mr..
Roosevelt will say the words on his
western tour, they predicted he
would say when he landed.
They acknowledge that they possess
no facts to Justify this conclusion.
Mr.. Taft's record of progressive
Legislation secured at the hands OF
his first congress out-Rooseyelts
Roosevelt in the matter of inter-
state commerce regulation and con-
servation. The same columns that
contain the prediction of a split, ex-
press the opinion that Nicholas
ILongworth's rejection of Cannon TOT
speaker was inspired at conference
with the president, and Cannon Is
IRoosevelt's arch-enemy. The an
nouncement that Senators Aldrich
and Hale, also antagonists OF the
Roosevelt policies. will retire on ae-
count of i'll health Immediately fol-
lowing a session at which they were
forced to support measures they
formerly opposed. does not fit into
the theory of a breach between Tart
and Roosevelt. II looks as If, in
stead of being courted by President
Taft. all the old leaders, who OPP
posed Roosevelt, are being forced
out Of congress, gently to be sure,
but none the less inevitably for
that is the way of William ii. Taft.
II is to be expected that the aver
age man of average intelligence,
hedged in by the circumscribed
horizon OF private life, should think
he understands the situation better
and has a wider vision than the
man of more than average intelli-
gence. who views the situation from
the high eminence of the white
house. Consequently. President Taft
is blind to the extent of the insur-
gent movement, and cannot appre-
ciate the unrest that is stirring the
country-so the average man seems
to think
The latest manifestation of mid
summer idiocy is the Washington
story that the president, who holds
in the hollow of his hand" all the
postofice, revenue and treasury APP
pointments of every congressional
district in New York. has made a
deal with so small politician as
Tim Sullivan to humillate the most
powerful personality in the country
in exchange for Tins support in the
New York delegation in 1912. The
average man knows that such a deal
would be fatal to every chance ol
the president to secure New York'i
support in the Republican natlona
convention, and we ought, at least
give the president of the United
States credit for having averag,
sense.
When Mr.. Roosevelt cast his
mantle upon Mr.. Taft, he must have
had some reason for his choice. and
the career of the president is enough
to Justify the most sanguine expecta-
tons of his predecessor.
When the dispute arose between
the native Filipinos and the vatican,
regarding the disposition of friar
lands in the Philippines, trouble
similar to that which has put Spain
on the verge of civil war. William
II. Taft was selected for the delicate
task of settling the difficulty, which
he did to the satisfaction Of every
body. When a governor was needed
for the new insular possessions of
the United States, an officer for
whose guidance the history OF the
world offered no presidents. Presi-
dent william Mckinley swept the
whole nation with an eye single for
a man. who could handle the situa-
ton in such a way as to bring peace
in the Philippine archipelago and
reflect credit on the nation and the
administration; for the commonest
kind of failure. naturally TO be ex-
pected under the untried circum-
stances with an alien race, would
have brought dlscredit on the gov
eminent and made McKinley's mani
fest destiny" the joke of the CEN
fury.
| He chose William II. Taft, and so
well was the work ACCOMPLISHED
that the Philippines today are more
peaceful than the state of Ohio has
been since Taft left home. In the
discharge of his duties concerning
the Panama canal as secretary of
war and in his diplomatic mission
around the world Mr. Taft displayed
the same executive ability and COM
polling charm.
He possesses all the magnetism of
Mckinley with the decisiveness of
Roosevelt.
In his campaign for election he
advocated a postal savings bank.
and we have II; he advocated a pro-
tective tariff based on the difference