Page:Famous Living Americans, with Portraits.djvu/484

 WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT 461 men who are really the great men of any legislative body are those who, having views of their own, defend them and sup- port them, even at the risk of rousing a popular clamor against themselves. ' ' It is interesting to note, also, in view of his experience in the presidency, the following quotation from the same lecture : ^^Look back through the history of the United States and recount the number of instances of men who filled important oflSces and whose greatness is conceded today, and tell me one who was not the subject of the severest censure for what he had done, whose motives were not questioned, whose character was not attacked, and who, if subjected to a recall at certain times in his oflSdal career when criticism had impaired his popularity, would not have been sent into private life with only a part of his term completed. ' ' After retiring from the turmoil of the presidency Mr. Taf t accepted the Kent professorship of law in his alma mater, a position he is filling with eminent ability and usefulness. May we not prophesy that in his case the compensations of peace are greater than the rewards of warf We have endeavored here to sketch the Taf t his friends love to contemplate. Big of bone, he also is big of heart. When his conscience tells him he is in the right, he has the moral courage of his convictions. A friend of the people, and their advocate, he freely tells them when he thinks they hold wrong views or insist on actions that do not square with law and justice and right. He believes in the square deal as much as any man in our public life and will insist as strenuously on the square deal being given. He does not have any faith in ^ ^ hair- trigger" reformers, and frankly says so. He makes no ap- peal to the passions and prejudices of men — a thing all too common in recent years. He has faith in himself and con- fidence in the ultimate good sense and sound judgment of the American people, whose friend he always has been. Confident that the future will vindicate his acts, he has ever gone along the path he believed straight. Criticisms and vindictive at- tacks by those whose pet plans have gone awry have not mo- lested him or taken away any of that sweet character and