The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-10-08

HE Unique Training For Public Serv-
ies-A Fair Judge In ohio-creator
of a Government For the Philippines.
A Hard Working Administrator as
President.
Only those persons who have follow
ed closely the career of William How
ard Taft have any conception Of how
crowded it has been with constructive
achievement.
Immediately after his graduation
from the Cincinnati Law school in
1880 he became assistant prosecuting
attorney of Hamilton county. One
year later he was appointed collector
Of internal revenue for the First Ohio
district. In 1885 he became assistant
county solicitor and in 1887 was ap-
pointed judge Of the superior court
resigned to enter President Cleveland's
cabinet. He was then elected to serve
4 full term on this bench, but had only
sat for two years when President Har-
rison called him to Washington to be
solicitor general Of the United States.
After three years in Washington he
was sent back to Ohio as one of the
Judges of the Sixth federal circuit. In
this court he served for seven years
and established a reputation for him
self as a conscientious jurist who
knew the law and administered it fear
tnoo1v ond unavailable Tts mac dt1rfnu
this service that he gave to the Sher-
man law the Interpretation which has
made 1t so effective an instrument of
destroying monopoly. The case is
known to all lawyers as the Addyston
pipe case. Judge Taft's decision in
this case was affirmed by the supreme
court, which did him the unprecedent-
ed honor of quoting his decision YER
batfm when rendering judgment.
After the Spanish-American war had
ended the United States government
found itself confronted by the problem
Of administering the Philippine Is
lands. To make a second India of
these islands was contrary to all Amer
lean ideas of freedom, and the advanc-
ed opinion of the country rebelled at
the idea of treating the Filipinos as
formerly this country had treated the
American Indians. 1t was necessary
to find a man who could make the
Filipinos believe in the unselfish inten-
lions of their American conquerors and
who could start them on their way to
civilization and self government. Judge
Taft was selected as the man best
fitted to undertake this duty. Today
be, with the rest of the world, sees the
results of the work he did. The Fill
pinos are rapidly becoming educated
and orderly, have attained to comfort
and are on the way to prosperity.
Their trade has grown enormously,
railroads are being built, communica-
ton has been established between the
Islands, their towns have been made
sanitary, and justice has been estab-
dshed No parallel feat has ever been
known in the history of the world.
Governor Taft was called from the
Philippines in 1904 to succeed Elihu
Root as secretary of war. 1t will be
remembered in this connection that the
administration of the American colo
MES has become part of the work of
the war department. Another burden
placed upon the new secretary of war
was the building of the Panama caral.
In this work also a record has been
made SURPRISING the achievement of
any other nation or of our own up to
this time. Other difficulties of the Sec
rotary of war came from the obliga-
hon of educating the Cubans into the
ways of self government.
Coming now to the work of Mr.. Taft
as president, he is found to have had
unusual situations to meet. The growth
of enormous monopolies and part mo
nopolies in business had excited the
Rntagonism of the public. Although
the Sherman law had been framed to
curb this growth of monopoly the law
had not been enforced by President
Cleveland. President Mckinley or Presi
dent Roosevelt. 1t was believed In
capable of enforcement and, although
the supreme court had declared the law
constitutional, a succession of attorneys
general had declared 1t unconstitution-
al. Meanwhile the evil growth which
this statute was intended to check had
gone beyond the point of popular toler-