The New York herald., 1921-07-01

familiarize himself with the work Of
the court.
High Administration officials empha-
sized the former President was the one
outstanding hgure among those who
might have been considered for the
place.
Mr. Taft is the first man in the ma
lions history to be chosen for the high
est Office in both the executive and Ju-
dicial branches of the Government For
more than thirty years prior 10 his re-
tirement from the Presidency In 1918
he had been almost constantly in pub
lie service.
Throughout all of his public career a
hope that he might some day become
Chief Justice is said by Mr.. Taft's close
friends TO have been the aspiration
uvSrcs. his heart. II is said that ne
always has feit himself better fitted py
temperament to serve In the judiciary
than In the executive branch OF ths
Government, and that when in 1910 for-
tune brought him the opportunity 10
appoint the late Edward Douglass Whlte
as Chief Justice he would gladly nave
changed places with the man he selected
P11 YT7N- s1szaeeszE
II also is told of Mr.. Taft that he
iesitated several times at what ne con-
.idered the parting of pathways that
cad in the opposite directions OF the
Presidency and the Chief Justicesnlp'
When he was Secretary OF War unaer
Roosevelt he is said TO have had the
choice Of remaining in the Caplnet or
1f taking a vacancy on the supretne
bench. an alternative which caused hitn
many hours of anxious consideration
Roosevelt is understood to nave coun-
sailed against acceptance of the Jusllce-
hot h
,gould become a logical successor TO the
presidency.
AS President It became Tafts duty
not only 10 choose a Chief Justice put
10 make Ave other appointments 20 ths
highest court. OF the men he selected
only two. Justices Vandevanter ana fie-
ney. remain to serve with nm on INC
bench.
citizen of Ohio. Mr.. Taft now is
selected Chief Justice as cltlzeh %
!. Connecticut Soon after he left tne
white House h,s made New Haven ms
legal residence, accepting a position ne
still holds as professor Of constitutional
law at Yale University. from wnlcn ne
was graduate ted in 1876. Mr.. Ialt pre-
pared for the practice of law at ths IN IN
cinnati Law School, where ne was sla"-
uated two years later.
Pointed to Legal Career
All of Mr.. Taft's earlier traditions
pointed to a legal career. His grand
father, Peter Taft, had been Judge IN
Vermont and his father, Alphonso TART
left the bench to serve as attorney
General in the Cabinet OF President
Grant. At the ags of % the future
President became Assistant Prosecuting
Attorney at Hamilton, Ohio. ans after
that for thirty-two years he receivee
succession of public offices, which lelt
him little time for ths practice of his
profession.
Twice he has served on the bench.
having been a Judge of the Superior
Court of Ohio and a Judge of the Fed
eral Circuit Court in ths same state.
The list of his other public services in
clude the positions of Collector OF In
ternal Revenue, Solicitor-General of the
United States, Civil Governor of the
Philippine Islands, Secretary of War'and
President.
During the world war the former
President performed several public
duties. including the task of helping
organize the War Labor Board At the
signing of the armistice he assumed a
new prominence as leader in the
movement for a world peace concert
and later brought down on his head
some of the bitterest criticism of his
career by advocating ratification of the
League of Nations. Republican Sem
ators wers particularly severe in their
public denunciation of his course.
= In the last Presidential campaign Mr..
Taft stood with his party. however. in
It's opposition to acceptance of the
League in its present form. After the
election he was called to Marion by Mr..
Harding for talk about the efforts of
the incoming Administration to organize
an acceptable world association for
peace.
Mr. Taft is in his sixty-fourth year,
and is said by his friends to be in
robust health, despite the fact that he
has lost considerable weight since he
left the Presidency.