El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-09-15

ODAY William Howard Taft, the
twenty-seventh president of the
United States. celebrates The
fifty-third anniversary of MS birth. The
fifty-three years that have inter-
vened since first he opened his eyes
upon the light of day have been event
full ones. With the except:o1 of his
remarkable predecessor, there never
has been a more picturesque career
leading to the white h0uee than that
of Mr.. Taft's. His childhood was spent
much like that of the Jr.lnary Ameli-
can boy His entire manhood has been
spent in the service Of his country in
one capacity or en0,ner. The lasi ten
years of this ser lice mas made him the
| greatest official gl)oe trotter of all
history, and he probably has sci
standard of official travelling that will
remain the record for MANY years 10
come. When he received his first ap-
pointment as president of the Philip
pines commission and started on the
journey to his new post of duty, he be-
gan career which in ten years has led
him to travel nearly 100000 miles. His
first round trip to the Philippines was
completed by his return to America in
1901, coming home because of illness
and to testify before the committees
of the senate and house
settles Friar Lands.
In 1902 he returned to the PHILIPPINES
by way of Rome, where he settled the
Friar Lands DISPUTE with the pope and
the college of cardinals. In 1904 he
came back to America to accept the pO-
sitton of secretary of war, having prac-
tically two decentralization of the
globe to his credit He had no more
than settled in his chair in the war de-
partment until affairs al Panama called
him there, where he Strengthened out
things with the PaIfamanian govern
ment and with the canal commission. In
1905 he carried his famous party to the
Orient and the Philippines, and played
prince Cupid for Miss Alice Roosevelt
and Nicholas LOngworth, for Miss Mig
non Critten and Swagar Sherley and,
perhaps, for others. In 1906 Cuba be-
came rather obstreperous and he made
his first trip to the Island republic and
10 Porto Rico The next year he began
his second circumnavigation of the
globe, going to the Philippines by way
of the Pacific and returning through
Asia and Europe and across the Allan
tic. In 1909, as president elect, he
made his second trip to Panama, so
his forthcoming trip there will be the
third visit he has made to the canal
zone. All of his travel has served to
give him the equalsof-nearly two cir
cumnavigatfons= the globe every year
sincel-he left the woolsack for service
iE the executive branch of the govern
ment.
In Harness Early.
When Mr.. Taft was % he was ap-
pointed collector of internal revenue at
Cincinnati with a salary of about $500
a month. He resigned this position to
reenter his fathers law office. He
had come out of school with high hon
Ors, having been salutatorian of his
class and having been elected class or
atOr because of his gOodfellowship. Mr.. |
Taft is perhaps the only president of !
the United States who ever had practi- |
cal training in a newspaper office. He !
was at one time law reporter on his !
brothers paper. and at another time !
held a similar position on the paper ed |
tied by the late Murat Halstead-
1t is a peculiar coincidence that the |
man who is a possible opponent of Mr. !
Taft for the presidency in 1912 should /
have created the vacancy which led Mr. |
Taft 10 the bencH and from there to |
the presidency. Judson Harmon had |
been judge of the superior court of Gin |
cinnati and resigned the position. Jo- |