The Alaska citizen., 1912-07-22


 equal justice William II. Taft might have been likened to St Nicholas, that rotund embodiment Of Christ mas cheer and eood-natured patron of iuletide stockings. Never in all this world were two men more entirely unlike, and the fate that brought them together in friendship IS no more freekish than the fate that now arrays them in deadly enmity. Huge indeed. is the grap- pie of this president and ex-presi- dent. for the whole world listens and great political party is being torn to pieces by the struggle.
 There are those who deprecate the bitter personalities of the con troversy. holding it to be shame full in the extreme. but every honest man must admit that open disagree ment is preferable to snug hypo Crisy. Mir Taft as acknowledged head of the forces of reaction. stands for certain definite policies and Mir. Roosevelt. who has come to be the leader of the forces of Pro gressive Republicanism, is committed to certain other policies In addi ton to this. it is the contention of tho pr,pracGiyaS that Mir Taft has repudiated the platform on which he was elected. and openly allied himself with those interests that were supposed to have been the object of his attack in 1908 These fundamental differences de mand open discussion and cannot be subdued to the needs of good manners and social rules.
 Looking back, it seems most strange that the present strife could not have been foreseen and ex- pected. for striking and irreconcil- and temperament made 1t inevlta- ble that the friendship between Mir Taft and Mir Roosevelt must break after the formers elevation to the presidency.
 And it is of these differences that a certain pity is bred for President Taft, for. like those unfortunates we meet in the page of lOVe-lorn novels, he is more sinned against than shining" Of a certainty, there is pathos in the sight of this fat kindly. sedentary soul leaping madly to the swish of the scourge, and called upon to fight with unscrupu lous desperation for an office that he did not desire in the first place, into which he was flung and for which he was more unfitted than any other that had ever occupied the high position
 From reports he is a Wretchedly unhappy man. To quote the IT. reyerent Washington comment, Taft Is the prize baby of Cincinnati, who was never spanked until he was 52. He doesn't know what to make of it."
 There is a lot of truth in this. also some unfairness While it is quite apparent that Mir. Taft re- sents adverse criticism, and Writhes under it. his feeling is also in spired by a sense of injustice, for he is honestly of the belief that he has done his best, and is deserving of praise rather than blame. Prize baby" is an apt descriptive, for Mir. Taft has never been called upon to work for a living, but has gone through life as 'leaner,' hay ing things done for him by others, Utterly ignorant of the world of work and the needs of workers, his offenses against the people have been the result of ignorance rather than reconciliation.
 Quite likely, too, he feels that he is no different now than in 1908. and since the voters of the country acclaimed him then, they are guilty of perverse ingratitude in rending now. This is true, for William H. Taft stands today just where he stood in 1908.
 This ls true. Theodore Roosevelt dragged MT. Taft from his beloved chair, arrayed him In Rough Rid er's garb, filled his mouth with tor rid Reclamation. and generally made the people believe that Taft was Roosevelt. There is also no doubt in the world that MT. Roosevelt de ceiyed himself
 Alfred Henry Lewis, in private conversation, accounted for this amazing mistake by the explanation: "Taft's a big round mirror. with reflection as his sole function. When Roosevelt was in front of him he reflected Roosevelt, and when Teddy danced away to Africa, he reflected Cannon, Aldrich and Crane,
 No one has ever insisted that Theodore Roosevelt was good judge of men. The very self-con ftdence, the impetuosities of conceit that gave him such appeal to the napulav fancy nravaDt him fr0vr