The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-04-20
VIII, rAFr 1tuN AGAIN:


Mr.. Taft told the bankers in WASH
ineton last Saturday night that ne III
tended to spend three years more
here and when the bankers cried oul
seven wears, you mean,' Mr.. Iait
smi,ingly said. THAT sounds good TO
me; shut when / remember that 'He
sentiment voted in the District of CO.
1umbia. does not cut any figure In ma
| tional AFFAIRS my head is not sweiiea
! with vour approval" y little later on
the same night, Mr.. Taft made another
| speech to the Psi Epsilon Association
and III fencing the statement of MI
| Herbert Il. Bridgman, the president OF
the association, that he could tell Mr..
| Taft how lie might get twenty-five
terms as President, Mr.. Taft is said
10 have remarked:
"Brother Brldgman has said that he
| can tell me how to get Twenty-Five
terms. i am much obliged to him but
ones quite enough for me. All me
| philosophy Psi L teaches Will enable
| me to get through one. but the con-
/ temptation of ono term more, let alone
4
This has set all the gossips going
| and our old friend and counselor and
guide. Henry Wattcrson, whom we
| never follow except when he is right
is leading the pack, lie says, "Fie,
! Fie." TO the President. or words to
that effect, says that he is his friend
and in every personal aspect very
much your friend" and declares that
"Nr. Taft has shown himself too thin
of skin God made him for Chief JUS
tice of tbs supreme Cortland an
ideal Chief Justice he would have
made--instead of Chief Magistrate,
Then he insists that The is a gentle
man and an honest man; and all that
sort OF thing, winding up with an in
vitation for him to come out to Ken
tncky and go a-fshins and take a
drink.
The chief trouble with Mr.. Taft is
that he is a Republican; only that and
! nothing more. Doubtless he regrets it
as much as anybody else, because he
| has had moro trouble with his party
| than he has had with the opposition,
and he must know now. as we have
known for many years, what miser-
able old hulk it is of loud professions
and empty deeds. The next President
ought to be Democrat, we have not
the least doubt of that: but If there
must be another Republican President,
and ii is not at all certain that there
will not be, we should prefer to have
the best that party can offer and there
is no other Republican so well fitted
| for the office as Mr. Taft. Even Henry
| Watterson admits that he has two
| great qualifications for the place--"he
is gentleman and an honest man
| These are attributes which ought not
to disqualify a Democrat.
In describing the office Of President,
Mr.. Watterson says:
"To a sensitive man it must be at
| times almost unendurable. 1t takes
! a tough hide. tough hide. to stand
| the meannesses and treacheries, the
| half-lyng and the lying outright the
| misconception, misconstruction and
| oublc-dealing to which every hour
| of the day and every day in the year
| the President of the United States is
| subjected
"Marse Henry ought TO be able to
/ speak on this subject with authority.
| as he has subjected MI. Tart TO more
| misconceptions and misconstructons
/ He says now that he is an honest man;
| but 1t has only been a short time since
| he was holding him uu to the reproba-
4 ton Of the public as the associate OF
!. thieves and the tool of criminals. HaN-
ing got crosswise in the Balinger-
Pinchot business, our file leader has
kept UP a constant fusillade upon the
President preferring TO take the side
of an utterly discredlted Government
clerk and q mischief making conser-
accept the assurance of the gentle
: man and honest man" whom he now
acrlaims. that IN the exercise of his
Executive authority, ana after he hao
examined in judicial way the evi-
dence in the case, that there was nc
6 merit in the charges against Ballinger
u that this is true, the testimony Of the
That this is true, the testimony OF the
Q has established as they have unani-
. mously agreed that there was nothine
CRIMINAL in Balllngers conduct. w,
a are inclined TO the opinion that this
= gentleman and honest man. WHOM
( God made for Chief Justice of tn,