| Show t I WILLIAM H TAFT A MASTER WORKMAN 11 in BY DU in Ji X ABBOTT From tho Outlook April Apri 4 4 1908 1008 The Tho difficulty of Taft a as a al ca candi date ate said to m me one ono of ot h his most i In In- In ate friends and arni 1 active supporters Is that he ho takes no Interest In his hIs' own l candidacy He ITe Is wholly absorbed i in his work especially in the tho Filipinos and leaves tho the campaign to others My 13 dear der fellow I said to him you yoi ou aro arc not running for the President the thc Philippine Islands Islands But It makes o of or no lO difference I 0 to him Cuba Cuha Panama and and the Philippine Islands are rc re much moro interesting to him than tho the Na Na- tlona tonal Republican convention in his hs work Is no not merely an executives executive's ambition for foi achievement It is no not merely merch a phil phi Interest In In- problems problems Mr Ir Tafts Taft's Interest Is in men not in theo thee ries Tho The problem of labor and capital capita Is i for him promote justice be be- be tween employers loyers and employed and tho the welfare of both His interest t in Panama Is how to conserve tho the health and tho happiness of ot tho the ine men who are arc digging tho canal canal Io How to reduce tho the death loath rate rte is la of moro more consequence to him than how to increase the number of ot cubic yards ards of ot earth displaced each week The he colonial problem ho he re regards regards re- re gards gards not as a curious political question Queston ques Ques- tion ton to bo ha worked out In Iii algebraic terms it I is how to promote tho the wel el eltoro toro fore of n a distant people whose well well- cl being being- depends upon our success or of failure in colonial administration Father of or the tho Filipinos It I was this interest in men which led him to abandon his chosen judicial career creer and fling away asay tho the opening for tor certain preferment which Ja lay before him him and go to tho the Philippines to organize or organize or- or a government and attempt what had hail never before been attempted to teach tech an Oriental people to become self self You are the father of oC the Philippines said a friend to him the other day Oh no he answered answered ans ans- I r am not but Iut what I would like to be called Is the Father of ot the Filipinos It I is the Filipinos not tho that interest him It Is not the tho Islands but Iut the Islanders he wishes to develop Th The sugar Industry Inthe Inthe in inthe the islands ho does docs not wish to promote pro pro- mote because it develops social con con- that do not promise well wel forthe for tor forthe the political and In Industrial develop develop- I ment meet of the people It I is this Intensely human quality of or Mr Ir Tafts Taft's which makes men mon wish that tnt he lie might bo be the chief Justice of the tho supreme court court For Por our courts need neel humanizing They need to realize that they are dealing I with living living- wih abstract men and women not with wit i problems in i and anti political econom conom economy legal construction An And nd there I is j no man who could do moro more titan than Judge Judg Taft TaCt to humanize our courts and n no place court in which ho could do so much a as on tho supreme court bench I do to not with believe o Iele tho the that he would have o ha a agreed recd majority of ot tho fIo supreme court In holding unconstitutional th the labor law of oC New York limiting tI the hours houm hour of or labor Jabor In the bakeries or of ti the tho state To him a mans man's life is of ot moro more value than an abstract but unrealized Ibert liberty of private ato contract Free Fre From IrOni Haco or Class Prejudice It I Is this human quality In Mr r Taft that gives Ives him his hla popular sobriquet Tar likes of or Bill Di Taft He likes men and h ho all al sorts of or men e except those that are arc dishonest or disloyal Ho lIe was the most popular governor tho the Filipinos havo have ever had This wa was not wholly because ho was absolutely Just juit was wa lo loyal al to their Interest urged the earliest earlest possible substitution of civil law for military law civi and offered an a Invincible In opposition t to all al schemes of exploiting tho ho Islan islands s for tor the benefit of or unscrupulous American AmerIcan pioneers Ho was tho the personal friend of ot the Filipinos he believed In them defended them thom befriended them trusted trusted trust trust- ed Cd them and anci lanced and danced with them them This last fact I am inclined to think went as far as any perhaps as all al of the Oth others combined to make the tho Filipinos idolize him as they certainly do For Jud Judge e Taft is IR in the tho best sense ense of ot the term terra a I democrat democrat He is as free freo from race and class clas prejudices of ever every description a as any man ian I have ever over I known He Js Is as ns thoroughly a n believer In the tho motto moto A mans man's a man for tor fora fora a 3 that His Ils friendship of the Filipino is not a patronizing friendship It is that of a II big wise helpful brother I Mr Ir Taft dancing with wih tho the Filipino Indies ladles who are decidedly below the tho average American In both wel weight ht ant and hel height h while I believe e boHe Mr Taft turns tho ho scales at only three hundred pounds has been the theme thenie of some same wondering amusement on the part of or those hose who have e only onh seen Mr Taft on the ho platform or caricatures of him in the he press pres I In fact he lie is far from the he corpulent and elephantine person he IC is sometimes described as os being As 5 to the tho Mutter Matter of ot Physique Tho Boston Doston American which cannot bo 10 suspected of having ha an any fondness for or him in a recent semi-humorous semi description hit hi off orf of hi his ph physical personality per per- Ye very well Mr Ir Taft is tho the kind of man you ou would rould expect to fn find In the presidents president's I of ot a a. bank bani if It you went in to start 1 I I an account His appearance would I give you you in tho bank bank You would say to yourself This man willI will I I f not let Jet the tho bank fall If It he can possibly wl I help it H. I tal S S s I I They The have talked a great deal el about Mr Taft as a fat man Ho lie Is not a fat man Ho o has a good a broad chest an and ho he stands straight Below that chest there Is a But it I Isn't Int a kind of a round semi emi stomach that comes from dissipation or self self- indulgence It I is duo due to tho the fact tact sel- sel that and 11 Mr Taft aC has has ha a powerful constitution not given that con constitution exercise I agree ngee with wih tho the American that it would I bo be better beter for fOl Mr lr Taft Tar and better I for tor the nation If It ho would take talie beter more moro exorcise But ho perhaps takes more than tho the average a reporter r seeing him on the platform would Imagine One thinks of or a n man alan of or his bul build us 08 a believer be be- be liever in leyer the Arab AroI proverb Never yolk walk when you can ride never foyer stand stan when you c can n Pit alt Mr lr novel Taft raf is not an Arab There Is nothing of or the Oriental love Jove of oC ease easo In his up make-up Ho lie likes to wll walk up and down as he talks t to you ou In InIs mia bis office and a is 15 so Is l light ht on his feet teet as he lie walks that you can readily understand that he may bo be a notably good dancer despite despie his hiM avoirdupois av av- av- av He lie will wI put his hands in his pockets much as n the President does oes and and beginning his walk at the fireplace will wi walk valk to the time windows of oC his then down Its It full length or at right an angles les down clown the side of ot his desk to the opposite wall wal and then rl right ht about face and back a again aln to the point of oC departure and so on con con- Li nu o Taft n a Master Workman Mr Mi 11 Tafts Taft's intensity is 19 expressed b by his ly at activity He is 19 a n quieter worker than Edwin M. M 1 Stanton was wa but ho la Is lanot not riot a less active worker cr He lie Is not notis as is quick in hi his motions either physically cally caly ally or 01 intellectually a as tho the President but he is not less a master work work- man nan Tho The day a ho was to start for Cuba uia he lie was at his desk esl finishing up some ome last details His assistant gave him urn warning Train starts In half haJ an hour All Al right was tho the reply Presently a n second warning Only fifteen lUteen minutes left leCt sir All Al rl right ht Finally youve only Fot got three minutes minutes min mm- utes ites sir sh All Al right came back hack as serenely as before And in two minutes minutes min mm- utes tee tho the alert secretary of war came out ut of ot of the omco door smiling calm Imperturbable unhurried unhurried So the stor tory story comes to mo me anti I can well believe belove be bo- love lieve love It I. I The l legend gend seems probable a If I Mr lr Tafta Tafts Tans Intensity is expressed j In his actions lii his bonhomie and his hi sense of or justice ore are both expressed in his face tace There are some men whom I II I you ou like but are not quite sure suro youcan you I can cn trust and there ther are aro some men youcan you ou I Irn Ican rn can trust but do not quite quie like Indeed Indeed In In- deed I am Inclined to think that stalwart stalWart stal stal- wart principle and J kindly good nature an and not very often ofen commingled in equal proportions f In tho same me persons person's But In this respect tho the faces of 1 Mr Taft Tar and Bishop Brooks are alike A child would IJ be lie as read ready to go o up to the tho ono one as to the other and put his little hand confidently in his big hand and go wherever he ho le led the wa way That this quality of or active and unshakable able integrity Is JR manifest In Mr Ir Tafta Tafts Tars Tar's taco face was apparent to tho writer wrier inthe in inthe the thc American from whom 1 I have al already al- al ready quoted If It I tho the boat were sinking sink ing and he lie le could swim and you OU couldn't couldn't could could- nt nt you'd oud hand him your OU OOOO- OOOO If It you ou ha had saying it-saying It It- It saying Give this to m my wife wire and shed she'd get Jet It if he lived U ed to get ashore Ij Ills U Helps Ills His York Work Mr Tafts Taft's Tafts good oo nature his indifference ence to self his apparently Infinite patience enables him to get alon along with wih men however cold or acerb or crotchet crotchety crotch crotch- et ety provided eLy provided ed thc they arc honest lie He II can get ct along with wih some ome men said the President to me recent recently that I i cant can't get Jet along with wih W We 1 were to together to- to gether In Harrisons Harrison's ons on's I Iwas Iwas was civil f e service commissioner Taft TaC was solicitor general I got ot on Harrison's Harrisons Harrisons Harrison's Har liar rison's nerves and whenever I came Into ate tho room he set hl his fingers drumming drum drum- ruing ming on the desk before him as thou though hough h it were a piano But Taft hn had no 10 And yet he heas was as always alays I a 1 man of ot hl highest hest ideals Mr Taft has been for a number of oC years tears the consistent ad of the policy of government regulation of ot the thereat great reat interstate commerce corpora corpora- tons Ions So far as I r know he be was the first Judge jude to summon railway re receivers re- re into court on the tho charge chan e of rebating Nine years cars ago aro acting as ns United States circuit Judge In Ohio Mr dr Ir Taft TaC discovered that tho the receiver of t the Toledo St. St Louis and Kansas City Railroad company compan popularly known as the thc Clover Leaf LeaC was wn evInI ev- ev ing InI ng rebates el extensively Ju Judge c Taft TaC sent ent an auditor of or his own selection to 0 tho the receivers receiver's ers recel In Toledo Upon the he auditors auditor's report verl verifying the sus sus- Jud Judge e Taft TaC sent for the re receiver receiver re- re dyer an and insisted upon his his resignation Ion tion ton forthwith As the tho secretary says No o criminal prosecution was he begun un una a against the receiver That question queston was waa as left open and the receiver died within a few Cew days aft after r his removal It I is fortunate for their health and amI I happiness that both Mr Taft TaC and Mr Ir Hoose havo a keen leen sense of humor and can laugh at the asseverations of certain unintentionally comic papers which take themselves quite quie seriously In their statement that Taft is but butan butan butan an echo of ot his chief Taft run Not mi nn Echo Eho of ot 1 met Judge Juco Taft Tar at tho Bar association in Detroit in In where ho he ma made o an address in which in his own Judicial fashIon fashIon fash- fash Ion the principles concerning the re relation relation re- re lation of ot tho federal government o to the organizations of both labor lalor and capital tho the adoption and enforcement of which b by the present tion ton have brou brought ht upon it i so 80 much of or praise and so fO much of oC blame I shall not attempt here hero to give Ive an abstract of ot this paper a few tew sentences taken from Crom It will wi to Justify my characterization chor- chor char char- of ot it I The ly opportunity freely and 1 ly to criticise Judicial a action nUon tion is of or vastly vasty more Importance to the body politic polte than tho the Immunity of ot courts and ju judges es from unjust aspersion Men of good repute with complacence com corn and international I Ignorance acquiesced In the use uso of corporate funds to buy legislators and councilmen councilmen council council- men In the corporate Interest when the they would not wish or dare to adopt such methods In their individual b bus bus- sIness s- s iness mess I Another rea reason on for popular distrust distrust distrust dis dis- dis- dis trust of ot corporate methods Is 19 the use usa I of ot corporations of great reat amounts of capital to monopolize an and control particular industries It I is my sincere I bole belief that no such Ech control or monopoly ol oly 01 can be maintained permanently unless It is la buttressed b by positive legislation leg leg- giving an art undue advantage ad i over o er tho the public and competitors In spite of these well wol known J c evils I nothing can bo be Io clearer to a calm cairn In Intelligent in- in i thinker than that that under conditions con con- In-I In of or modern society corporations I ire arc Indispensable both to the further further- I material progress of ot this country countr and to tho the maintenance of or that we havo have I enjoyed The Thc evils must bo be remedied but ut not by bj destroying one of ot the great great- I cst st instruments for good that s social man roan has devised The Tho repeated efforts of or different state legislatures to impose restrictions upon state Inter-state commerce to secure tome some apparent advantage e to their own constituents evidence the profound wisdom of tho the farmers of the constitution Ion tion ton In vesting complete control thereof there there- of f in the national government Like corporations labor tons do great eat good and much evil evi Themore Themore The Themore more cly and and Intelligently conducted thoy they are the moro more benefit the they confer on their members Themore The Tho moro more completely they yield to tho timo dominion do dominion do- do minion of those amon among them who arc Intemperate of oC expression and lawless in their methods method the themore more evil 1 0 they do lo to themselves and society The courts court so far as the they havo have ex ex- expressed pressed presed themselves on tho the subject recognize rec see tho the right of or mon men for a a. a lawful purpose to combine to leave lea e their employment at tho the |
