The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-03-03
PRESIDENT TAFT.

PRESIDENT TAFT.
Tomorrow at noon President William Howard
Taft will retire from Office after four years of
service, beloved and respected and yet with few
regretting his retirement One of the most
popular men to hold the Office in modern times
ard yet one of the most unpopular presidents he
will reenter private life, carrying with him the
good wishes of millions, many of whom voted
without hesitation to retire him.
President Tafts public life presents an anomaly
without recent parallel A success in every office
which he gained by appointment he has made
a complete failure OF the only Office to which
chosen by the sufrages of his follew citizens.
As judge, governor of the Philippines, cabinet
officer and special envoy abroad he fulfilled all
hopes and expectations. As president he disap-
pointed all but his enemies While a candidate
fer the presidency he was hailed as the best pre-
pared man for the place that ever aspired to the
office and from the standpoint of experience this
was true, but his subsequent career showed that
experience training in Office and the judicial tenn
permanent are powerless to help chief cxecu.
tive lacking in the one great essential-synl,
patty with the principles of democracy and the
IS
date Mr.. Bryan was refused the presidency be
cause he was ahead of the time; Mr. Taft was
elected and proved a failure because he was
behind the times The one Is preacher the
other balance wheel The people will never
elect of the former to the presidency and they
mako a mistake and do an injustice to them
selves and to the man when they elect one Of
the latter.
Mr.. Taft made his campaign as progressive
and as the candidate of radical From the
first, discerning people could sec the incoguity
and even the unobserving were puzzled by the
enthusiasm with which Western progressiyes and
Eastern conservatives united to ensure his cleo
ton. His opponents freely predicted at the time
that one of these elements was doomed to disaP.
pointment. In the light of the past 1t is easy to
see now why it should have been the former
and 1t is a source Of wonder that so few shout
lave predicted the split in the party which
ensued
President Taft has been the victim of cir.
cumstanoes less than or his own failings.
Placed in office to carry out policies with which
he was not in sympathy. whatever he may have
thought and whatever others may have
thought placed between two fires at a time
when it was necessary To make choice of side
he attempted to reconcile the opponents This
failing he Joined forces with those to whom he
attracted by temperament Had he been
more Of politician. had he been less honest
with himself. had stubbornness not been added
to weakness he might have survived but beina
tcmperamentally III opposition to the forces des
tined for triumph. being honest in his reactiohism
and knowing nothing Of political diplomacy, he
found it next to impossible to attempt to play
one against the other and impossible to succeed
when he tried.
! Now after a few months of struggling between
irreconcilabe clements within the party anC
nearly four years of frank battling against tht
element destined from the first to prevail Mr.
Taft is forced by the voters of the country tc
give up the fight That these same voters have
decided at the same time against his inter-party
toes, crying "a pox on both your houses" anC
have turned over the Feina of government to The
traditional enemies of both is doubtless balm
rather than salt TO his wounds. He has tht
satisfaction of knowing that while his course ha:
been repudiated 50 has that of his treacherou,
, friend and that If he has been found wantint
TIE man who made him and unmade him has
profted no better In the weighing.