The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-01-07

Until William II. Taft was called
from the bench by President Mckinley
to enter public life as an executive,
his career had been the quiet one of a
Judge. Upon the bench a man is freed
from most of the competition and
many jealousies and rivalries which
other men must meet and overcome
if they are to win a successful ca
reer In the midst of this sheltered
existence, so to speak, Judge Taft re-
ceived a call to become Governor Gen.
eral of the Philippine islands. When
he accepted the call he knew that no
longer would he escape being target
for public attacks often sincere, often
inspired by animosity.
! And then il was that he adopted an |
imported rule of conduct. One of the |
old friends Of Governor General Taft's |
father had been an intimate friend of
William H. Seward. In conversation |
with the Civil War Secretary of State,
at a time when Mr.. Seward had been
severely attacked politically, his friend
asked him why he did not reply Mr..
Seward answered:
Early in my political life 1 made It
a rule never to reply to personal criti-
cism, never to defend myself from po-
litical attack. That rule l have fol-
lowed faithfully. / never complain
and never explain, and feel that my
adherence to this rule has made me
what / am"
This authenticated anecdote Of Lin
coins right-hand man Governor Cen
eral Taft had heard from his own
father. Right at the start of his career
in public life he perceived the wisdom
of such a rule of conduct, and straight
way adopted it as his own, and took it
= with him to the Philippines. There
he remained silent when opponents
aimed their darts at him. Through
out all the heated criticisms that were
aimed at him when the republic of
Panama was being established and the
, Canal Zone was being secured to the
United States, Mr.. Taft, then in the
, Cabinet, remained silent. Since he
| has been President it has been i'm
: possible for any of those who have
{ pleaded with him to make some per-
) sonal statement in answer to some
| specific attack upon him to prevail up
q on Mr.. Taft to do so. "Never COM
d plain; never explain" has been Mr..
i Taft's rule of personal conduct ever
+ since he became public servant. And
his intimate friends say that the Pres
q ident is convinced that by faithfully
C adhering to this rule he will make nc
Il mistakes in the long run.
n Choate's Life-long Guide.
l. OF all the ministers or ambassadors
from the United States to Great Bri
d tain who preceded him none attained
e throughout that nation greater reputa
/ ton and personal popularity than did
l. Joseph H. Choate. This was due in
IS part to the charm which the people Of
J Great Britain found In Mr.. Choate's
n oratory and in his willingness to SPEAK
If to the English people on questions moi
e related to diplomacy or politics. Some
e of the scholarly men of Great Britain
l. thought they detected in Mr.. Choate's
10 speeches evidence that he was stu
!" dent not only of the life, but also o.
G the speeches and writings of Edmund
+ Burke Incidentally, those particular
IF men would have been highly gratified
K no doubt, had they known of the ad
" vice Mr.. Choate's great relative Rufus
IS Choate, gave to him at the time wheI
he was beginning the practice of law
N After young Choate had been ad
a mitted to the bar and had made III
~ his mind that there would be better op
II portunity for him as a lawyer in New
York city than in Boston, his cousin
. Rufus Choate, gave him letter of in
Il PRODUCTION to William M. Evarts, who
at that time, was beginning to be rec
p. ognized as one Of the greatest lawyers
i, at the American bar. This letter LEI
to Mr.. Choate's association with Mr.
Evarrs, first as a c'erk in the latter
" Office and speedily as junior partner
m After the connection with Mr.. Evart
ye had been made this young man sa
" down and wrote of his success to hi
At famous relative. Thereupon, Rufus
N Choate wrote to his relative, who's
n, brilliancy of intellect Mr.. Evarts haC
" recognized, letter in which he CAV,
r. Joseph Choate some counsel. The let
10 ter concluded with this statement:
lie Remember always that the fou
In great Englishmen were Shakespeare
u Milton, Bacon and Burke. And o
w. these four, Burke was not the least
I. i n. Il..-I-.. ..A..A.. NIL.