been a very close personal friend. As Governor of the Philippines, and as
Secretary of War, he had made a splendid record and was considered to be
one of the most loyal and able of the President's official family.
Accordingly, he was selected by Mr. Roosevelt as his successor. In his
campaign for election, and in his inaugural address, Mr. Taft repeatedly
gave assurance to the voters that it was his intention to carry out the
Roosevelt policies. There is practically no one, even those who disapprove
most heartily of Mr. Taft's record in the Presidency, who thinks that he
was anything but sincere and honest in making these promises to the
voters.

HOW IT WORKED OUT

Now, without discussing for a moment Mr. Taft's administration as
President from the standpoint of its true value to the country, or the
actual quality of his statesmanship, there is no question in the mind of
anyone that he signally failed to carry out the Roosevelt policies. In
fact, he became the titular leader of that faction of the Republican
party, before the end of his administration, most violently opposed to the
Roosevelt policies. He has subscribed to and preached a totally different
political doctrine from that of his former friend and chief ever since.
This course of action may have been right; it may have been wrong; it may
have been wise, or it may have been unwise. It may have been fully
justified, or it may not have been justified. These are not questions
which interest us here.

The point is that Mr. Roosevelt, in all good faith, and believing in the
wisdom of his choice, selected Mr. Taft to carry out his policies in the
government, and that Mr. Taft, no doubt with the best of intentions,
failed to carry out those policies. The result was a split in the
Republican party, the election of a Democratic President and Congress, and
other far-reaching consequences, the full meaning of which we have not yet
begun to see. They may be good; they may be unfortunate. That is not the
question at issue. The question is, could Mr. Roosevelt, if he had had a
scientific understanding of human nature, have foretold Mr. Taft's course
of action?

INDICATIONS OF DIFFERENCES IN CHARACTER, IDEAS, IDEALS, AND ACTIONS

The Roosevelt policies were aggressive and bold, cutting across
traditions, flinging down the gauntlet, and throwing defiance into the
faces of powerful political and business interests. They assumed for the
executive office at least all of the