Inside History of the White House; The Complete History of the Domestic and Official Life in Washington of the Nation's Presidents and Their Families (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1908 Excerpt: ... CHAPTER L Our Twenty-seventh President WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT will be welcomed at the White House on the fourth of March, i909, as the twenty-seventh President of the United States. The nation will hail him as the one man who has received more of "specialized" training for his high office than any other Chief Executive in our history. All his life Mr. Taft has practically been preparing for the Presidency, though only a few years ago his supreme ambition was to attain a seat on the bench of the United States Supreme Court. All his life he has been a patriot, an ideal citizen, a politician, a statesman. For the last eight years he has "specialized" as arbitrator in the affairs of nations, as peacemaker in our relations with our overseas possessions, and as organizer of the great projects which this nation has undertaken in the administration of President Roosevelt. In i90i Mr. Taft first emerged from comparative obscurity, as a circuit judge, to become President of the Philippine Commission. How he was called to that post by President McKinley is an old story, yet one that will bear repetition here as showing the character of man who is now our President-elect. Mr. Taft did not want to go to the Philippines; he wanted to work his way up to the Supreme Court. But President McKinley one day said to him: "We need you in the Philippines. You will have to resign your circuit judgeship, and you may never have another chance of going on the Supreme Bench; but we need you." "All right," came Mr. Taft's answer, modestly but resolutely; "I'll go " The story of the magnificent achievements of Mr. Taft in the Philippines is well known to American readers. It is known that out of chaos he brought order, and when his task in the islands drew to a close, peace reigned where f...