The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-03-10
A GREAT AMERICAN IS NO MORE.

William Howard Taft probably the biggest American of his generation to devote practically an entire life, and long one, to the public service most of the time in high office. His career re- sembled that of so many European statesmen who deliberately chose in their youth the public service as a theatre for their lifetime activities. Yet, is pointed out in Associated Press biography he active aspirant for office but once and then he lost. He actively campaigned for his partys renominaton for the Presidency in 1912 and, while he won the nomination. he lost the election to President Wilson by an overwhelming majority. Offices came to him because of his ability integrity sense of honor and a personality that made him available
 MT. Taft was an ideal public servant. He was industrious, painstaking and patriotic and desired to serve we'll In his lifetime he States Attorney, Ohio State Superior Court Judge, Solici- tor General of the United States, Judge of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals, Governor of the Philippines, Secretary of War President and Chief Justice of the United States. In addition to that he served on war committes, President of the American Bar Association, Kent lecturer of law at Yale, and active in many public matters. Among his activities speeches and letters advocating the ratification of the Versailles Treaty with its League of Nations and letters in opposition to the Prohibition Amendment.
 Mir. Taft was not a leader in the sense that characterized the careers of Wilson, Roosevelt or Cleveland He did not possess initiative in the same degree did these other Presidents of the last half century. He lacked the imagination and vision of Roosevelt Wilson. He met problems they and applied a clear mind and rigid honesty and the light of his experience to their solution
 In spite of the wide official experience of MT. Taft he neither office-seeker nor practical politician He would not under any circumstance dissemble to aid himself along the road to victory. He undoubtedly enjoyed the honor of high office, and glad when his countrymen called him, on account of his merit and their confidence in him, to service. The Taft attitude well expressed by himself. He said on one occasion in his study in the White House:
 To be a successful atter-day politician
 1t must be a hypocrite I do
 not understand how of practical
 politicians" come to my office and tell
 just what they feel at heart. and then
 get up the floor of Congress and prate
 about something exactly to the contrary.
 That sort of thing is not for me.
 I detest hypocricy cant and subterfuge.
 If I have got to think every time say a
 thing, what effect it is going to have on
 the public mind if I have got to refrain
 from doing justice to a square and honest
 man because what I say may have in-
 furious effect upon my own fortunes, had
 rather not be President
 Mr Taft a great American who rendered his country invaluable service A strength and integrity of character and undiluted patriotism him forward to greater and greater achieve ments He finished his course with name and record untarnished. He has a permanently fixed place among Americas mmortas, and near the top.