Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-03-05
THE EXIT OF MIR. TAFT.

The passing Of Mr.. Taft from the
office OF President to the realm Of pri-
vate life will cause, perhaps, as little
regret as ever attended the exit Of
any man who has occupied the high
post from which he is now retiring.
If the commonplace administration Of
Mr.. Taft could be said to have any
prominent features, the habit Of
laundering would doubtless be con-
Sidered the most conspicuous. In
this particular the retiring President
has shown a positive genius. Had
VIM. Howard Taft, by any accident Of
birth, become a hereditary monarch
Of Europe he would likely be classed
with Charles II and George III Of
England, for he combines, in a re-
markable degree, the pleasure-loving
qualities OF the II with the narrow
minded Stubbornness of the other.
Lacking utterly in ability Of leader
ship, and finding himself powerless to
direct the course Of legislation, he
used the constitutional authority of
veto to thwart and vex Congress with
out the slightest regard for tho we'll
being Of those over whose destinies
he was presiding. The veto Of the
farmers free list bill, an act de-
signed to cheaper the cost Of necessi-
ties among the nations poor, and
the recent veto of the Webb-Kenyon
bill-intended to give each State
jurisdiction over Interstate ship
ments of whiskey in dry" territory
both shining examples of a
weak Executive attempting to coerce
where he is powerless to control leg
%islation. In returning these bills to
Congress without his signature Mr..
Taft speaks glibly and volubly about
the constitution, yet he appears to be
utterly ObliviouS to the fact that he
is trining with the very provision
which the Trainers of our cOnstitu-
ton were careful to guard. 1t was
intended by these patriots that the
three branches Of governnent-the
legislative, executive and judicial
should be kept forever separate and
distinct; and any attempt on the part
OF the Executive to decide, in an off
hand fashion, constitutional uues-
tons of a debatable character, and
thus set at naught the mature DELHI
%erations Of Congress, without even
an Onnnrt1nitV m IN Wa tbn n,otf,,. al
Indicated by the Supreme Court. is
a matter hat has no warrant, either
in law or common sense.
Some one has recently said that
when the future historian under
takes to measure the ability and in
fiuence of our Chief Magistrates. he
will perhaps put Hayes down as the
weakest, with Taft as a close second.
This classification is hardly fair to
President Hayes. If President Hayes
had done nothing than remove
the Federal soldiers, who were har-
RAISING and narrowing a brave but
helpless people and plundering a once
opulent, but then poverty-stricken
in the throes OF a great sorrow.
he would be fondly remembered by
those south of the Mason and Dixon
line, but Mr.. Taft has no such noble
to his credit. He has been in
public life, in n position or another, |
during most Of his active life-irst
rs Federal Judge, next as Secretary
Of War, and then as President-and
he retires 'unhonored, unwept
and unsung." He has been weighed
in the balances and found wanting.
Mr.. Roosevelt had n grievance F.;
to avenge in foisting Mr.. Taft upon
coniding public, he ought to feel
that he has squared accounts
with the world, and felicitate himself
upon the consummate success of his
skill.