Year: 1875

-


: His Past Record, and HIs Present Pa
: sitioa-1Is Views on the SchO0
: Question


r The prominence that has recent
? been given the name of Judge Taft i
! connection with the Republican nom
inatiol for Governor of Ohio, vii


render some account of the man, an
some statement Of his views on cues
/ tions likely to enter the next canvass
| of iBtsrest to the readers of the Her
aid. Well as Judge taft is known il
Hamilton county, lofty as is his rep
. utation IN the southeastern part o
the State, and especially in Cincin


natl, high as is his standing amonl
the ls,gyers of the State, he has no
been prominent in Ohio politics, an


his name IS, therefore, less familiar L


the mass of the voting population
than those of many others who arr


inferior to him in ability, and in n,


respect more devoted to the mainten


ance ofRspnblican principles.


JUDGE TAFr's LIFE.


Judge Taft was graduated at Yal,
College in the class of 1898. Comm.


West shortly after he settled at Gin


cinnati, and here he has resided eve


since. be soon began the practice o


law, and it was not long before he had


a large and lucrative business. Ht


took afa active interest in the affair


of thsfity, and whatever concerned
/ its pf0spefftY and growth found il


him hearty and jealous advocate


He was public-spirited, not for the


sake of political advancement, for he


uniformity declined to avail hImseli


of opportunities of preferment. Only


once, believe, did he make an excep-


tion to the rule he appeared to have


laid down for himself. In 1856 he was


called upon by the newly-Organized


Republican party to make the fight


for Congress against Mr.. George III.


PendletOn. He entered the contest,


made good fight, received q hand
sOme vote for those days, and was


beaten by small majority.


He had Joined the Republican par


ty when 1t was first organized, and


had defended its principles at all


times and in ali places, and of course
when the war broke out he was found
on the side of the Union. A man


with his profound conviction of right,


his inborn sense of the value of liber.


ty, and his deep-seated and abiding
love of the national government,
could be found nowhere else. He was
one of those of whom it can be truly
said, he never wavered, never lost
faith. With voice and with pen he
labored for the success of the North
with tireless energy aud unceasing
hope.


1t may as well be said here. as any,
where else, that as his Republieanism
was before the war, and during the
war, so it has been ever since. He
has never voted any other than a
Republican ticket since the first Re-
publican ticket was nominated. The
Liberal movement of 1872, which
led away so many men of prominence
in Cincinnati, had never any charms
for him. He was opposed to it in its
lncipiency, opposed to it while the
Cincinnati Convention was yet to be
held, and before any nomination had
been made, and was opposed to it after
Mr.. Greeley had been put up. That
year he spoke for Mr.. Grant and the
Republican party with an honest
direetness and candOr that gave his
words large influence aud weight. In
a word, no more consistent, devoted.
honest, unseIfish Republican can be
found in the State, search it through
and through, than Judge Taft.


In 1856 Judge Hoadley retired from
the bench of the Superior Court, and
Judge Taft was appointed by Gov.
Cox to fill the vacancy. In April he
was nominated by the Republicans
to fill out the unexpired term, and was
elected by large majority. In 1869
he was nominated by the Republicans
for another term, the nomination was
indorsed by the Democracy, and, for
the first time in the history of the city,
a Judge was elected to the Superior
Court by unanimous vote. He re-
tired in 1872, with the confidence aud
esteem of the whole city. Few men
have ever better deserved the title of
a just Judge. He was conscientious, a
hard worker, clear in his perceptions,
lucid in statement of his reasons, and
fearless in announcing them. Since
his retirement from the bench ne has
been practicing his profession.


Such in brief is the record of Judge
Taft's life. 1t is the life of, for the
most part, private citizen. 1t is as
honorable and pure as man is often
privileged to lead. No suspicion has
assailed it; no one has ever suggested
a stained, or limited az anything dis
honorable or crooked. Il has been
clean, honest, square, upright, and
noble. No unworthy practices have
marked his career as lawyer, no cor
rupt decisions, his course as q Judge,
no petty vices of selfish plottings his
conduct as a private citizen. Tenn
perate in his habits, inflexible in his
opposition to wrong and injustice, at
the same time charitable tow ard
those who have fallen into trouble
through misfortune or weakness,
sturdy in defending what he believes
to be right, genial in his ways of deal
ing with men, kind and generous in
his appreciation of young men, with
capacity to grapple with and dispose
of great subjects-such is Judge Taft
as he is regarded to-day by the citi-
Zens of Cincinnati.


HIS VIEWS ON THE SCHOOL QUESTION.


Considerable has been said about
Judge Taft's Bible decision. IF all
that has been written about that deeis-
ion had been written in the way of
honest criticism, or had been inspired
by an honest desire to find out the
truth, nobody would think of COM
planning. But there appears to he in
two or three quarters a studious at
tempt to misrepresent his views. It
has been at any time easy TO get at
the facts. All your correspondent
had to do was to ask, and he was
told. Judge TAFT said to me "I have
nothing to conceal. If the RepubIi-
can party thinks my name will be of
service to it, 1 shall not decline its use,
but the party will have to take me as
it finds me. L cannot change, for the
sake of that or any other honor, Opin-
ions maturely formed and well con-
sidered.


"Very WE'LL" 1 said, "Judge Taft,
have you any objection to giving me,
for publication in the Cleveland Her
aid, your views on the matter Of di-
vision of the school fund ?u


"Not the least, he said. He con-
tinued 81 know not how more
plainly to express myself as to the
right to divide the school fund, than
was done several times in the dis
senting opinion in the Bible case. On
pages 24-5 l said, that


THE trainers OF our last constitution were
jealous Of the ambition of sects. 1t fOrbi1s
the impOsitions of their respective forms OF
worship on each other, and forbids that any
one of them shall have any exclusive right
to, or control OF, any part of the school
fund Now, as they can not impose their
respective forms of worship upon each 9TH
er, and can not divide the school fund, e
follows, that, while they may and ought TO
unite in the common schools, they must
separate IN their worship, unless waving
their religious differences, they agree TO
unite in their worship alsO.'


"As to the making of another Con-
stitutiOR, believe it is no part of the
gubernatorial duty. But, if any one
has curiosity to know what would
do, If was Governor, and u Governor
had anything to do with making a
new Constitution, now ssy that l
would leave that provision of the
Constitution just as it is, and the
school fund should be forever in
violable-undivided and indivisible.


"Well," 1 said, "if you are not in
favor of division of the school fund,
do you favor the release Of the Cath