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The Southern Israelite
Page 5
Taft
W illiam Howard Taft, 21th
I’li sident of the United
Stabs, (1909-1913), passed
■ay on March 8 in his sev-
, nty-third year. One of the
u ost distinguished records in
the annals of American his-
,,y has thus come to a close.
It iIlium H. Taft was, succes-
,»///: Solicitor-General of
thi United States; Judge of
the Sixth Circuit United
States Court; Professor and
I lean of Law at the Univers
ity of Cincinnati; President
of the Philippine Commis
sion; Governor of the Philip
pine Islands; Secretary of
li ar; President of the United
States; Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of the United
States. During the time rep-
resented by this extraordi
nary record William Howard
Taft always remained a gen
uine and true friend of the
Jewish people. The author
of this article indicates the
salient points of Taft's role
n matters of Jewish import.
—The Editor.
That the death of Ex-President
William Howard Taft removes from
the American scene one of its most
distinguished personalities is univer
sally recognized. By the passing of
the rotund, jovially smiling, even-
mpered ex-Chief Justice of the Su-
■me Court the Jews of this country
have lost a genuine friend, whose
«st in our people was not per
functory or dictated by petty political
Taft was a friend of the
lews because he had come in contact
n th their leaders and with the Jew-
masses. Undoubtedly he was the
American President who, more than
an V of his predecessors or successors
"dice, kept up a continuous rela-
tionship with questions of Jewish im-
His administration was marked
three events which loom large in
tistory of American Jewry: The
recognition of the American pass-
y the Russian Government; the
nation of the treaty between the
overnments drawn up during the
dstration of James Buchanan;
s vetoing of the Immigration
because of its provision for a
y test. These issues, which
°f paramount importance to
iean Jewry, confronted William
'ard Taft during his Presidential
tn i and provided a conclusive test
attitude toward Jewish inter-
The action he took on them
'1 him as a great President
• , a staunch supporter of minority
’ an( *> above all, as a highly
personality who recognized
r,e standard of justice.
' n ? the agitation for the abro-
' °f the Russian treaty he did
evade the issue or to hide
, ta .‘ a . k arr age of more important
ever * eS ' contra ry, he made
Tn v 01 *t to settle the question.
invited to a conference at
■Friend Of The Jews
Reviewing the I.ale Ex-President's Relations to the
Jewish Community
By ROBERT STONE
the White House Jacob H. Schitf,
Mayer Sulzberger, Louis Marshall,
Adolph Krauss, Philip Stein, Jacob
Furth, Bernard Bettman, J. Walter
Freiberg and Simon Wolf. These men
were representative of the three
most important national Jewish or
ganizations, the American Jewish
Committee, the Independent Order of
B’Nai B'rith and the Union of Amer
ican Hebrew Congregations. At that
conference the abrogation of the
treaty was discussed fully. President
Taft, in a most elaborate address,
prepared with the minutest care, pre
sented his viewpoint to the Jewish
leaders. Knowing who was who in
the American Jewish Community,
Taft was quite aware that these nine
men represented the entire Jewish
population of the United States.
It would have been possible and
quite feasible for the President to
give a politician’s promise to do all
in his power with regard to the abro
gation of the treaty, and thus to
delay his actual decision for a more
propitious, less agitated moment. But
Taft was not the sort of politician
who sacrifices principles for votes.
Besides, he was an authority on con
stitutional questions and a statesman
who did his own thinking. Accord
ingly he declared to the big Jewish
nine that he was unable to take any
steps “because we have no interna
tional right to object to any nation
excluding any of our people.” Jacob
SchifT did not hide his anger, and
told the President that the delegation
felt “deeply mortified.” Louis Mar
shall, whose “profound knowledge of
constitutional and international law”
Taft admired and respected, tried to
argue. But all in vain. President
Taft stood his ground, declaring that
the fact that the treaty had existed
so long made it impossible for him
to take any steps. Thus the confer
ence proved fruitless, notwithstand
ing the fact that President Taft sym
pathized with the Jewish point of
view. Unquestionably it was difficult
for him to decide as he did.
The executives of the American
Jewish Committee, the I.O.B.B. and
the Union of American Hebrew Con
gregations then started on a series of
conferences with members of both
Houses of Congress and prepared the
ground for the Senate and the House
to pass a resolution directing the
President to notify the Government
of Russia of the purpose of the Amer
ican Government to terminate the
treaty on the first of January, 1913.
President Taft, relieved of the con
stitutional obstacle, signed the abro
gation on December 18, 1911. “It
was an act of justice, and I am proud
to have performed it,” he commented
to a friend. During the remainder
of his term, although all kinds of
pressure was brought upon him to
renew the treaty without regard to
the Jewish question, he steadfastly
refused to do so and kept faith with
his promise to know but one class of
American citizen, regardless of coun
try of origin, race or creed.
Taft’s relationship with the Jewish
community was a close one from his
early youth. Indulging in reminisc
ences in an address he delivered on
Haym Solomon at the Eighth Street
Temple in Washington, D. C., Taft
said: “My father was a member of
the Unitarian Church of Cincinnati,
and that church stood just opposite
Dr. Wise’s sqnagogue—just across the
street, on the corner of Eighth and
Plum. Occasionally we exchanged
ministers; we had Dr. Wise in our
pulpit, and our minister spoke in the
synagogue across the street. As a
consequence—under the influence of
my father, who was the broadest man
I ever knew—I came to feel that the
Jews were a very important part, as
they are, of the citizenship of Cincin
nati.
“And as I attended the public
schools, and was prepared for college
there, I had occasion to note that
there were some young men and wo
men with ‘stein’ at the end of their
names who were always among the
first in the class. Every one who
lives in a community like that of my
home city of Cincinnati knows that
none of the great charities, none of
the theatres, none of the societies for
art, artistic development of music
could live if it were not for the sup
port of the Jews.”
Almost the last act of Taft’s Presi
dential term was his vetoing of the
Immigration Bill. While his official
reason was his disapproval of the
literacy test, it was generally known
that he took the Jewish phase of the
measure into especial account. He
knew well what hardships the Jews
had to suffer in Russia and Poland
and what immigration to the United
States meant to them. On one occas-
sion he expressed his joy that the
Jewish immigrant could find a new
life in the United States, in the fol
lowing terms:
“Since the Christian era the Jews
have greatly suffered from racial
antipathies. Their history has been
one long story of persecution, oppres
sion and cruelty directed against
them on account of their race. Some
times the bitterness has been distinct
ly and purely religious, but more
often it has been racial. * * * It is
pathetic almost to see the Jews of
the East Side, who come from Rus
sia and elsewhere, seize and enjoy and
appreciate the opportunities that are
given in this government for educa
tion. I have been there to see the
energy and sincerity with which they
respond to every patriotic sentiment,
feeling, as they do, gratitude to the
flag under which they enjoy the edu
cational and other privileges that this
government affords. I believe, and I
am proud of the fact, that the Jews
in America enjoy an equality that
they have in only a few other coun
tries of the world.”
There were times when the ex-Pres-
ident of the genial smile would be
aroused to great anger and indigna
tion. This happened when, as Chief
Justice, he felt his deep sense of social
justice offended. On such occasions
the usually urbane Mr. Taft did not
care a rap as to who was at the re
ceiving end. Thus he was one of the
few great American public figures
who mercilessly flayed Henry Ford
when the richest man of the world
sponsored the anti-Semitic Dearborn
Independent. His comment was made
in unmistakable terms and showed
clear-thinking Americans how to re
act to the activities of the Dearborn
Independent. Chief Justice Taft said:
“Only recently has there appeared
in this country an elaborate attack
upon the Jews and a studied effort
to create an anti-Semitic feeling and
movement in the United States. This
is greatly to be deplored. When I
first heard of it I was inclined to
think the wise course was to ignore
it, and that in a short time it would
die for lack of interest and support.
I thought that answer and refutation
would dignify it, advertise it and
serve the purpose of its projector, and
I am not sure that this is not still the
correct view. But you who know bet
ter have come to the conclusion that
the matter is of sufficiently serious
import to call for discussion and ans
wer. I feel strongly the evil char
acter of the attack, and I do not hesi
tate to condemn it and give my rea
sons for so doing.
“The attack is made in a series of
articles in the Dearborn Independent.
This is the paper which Mr. Henry
Ford, the successful manufacturer of
the Ford automobile, has founded for
the avowed purpose of expressing his
views without fear or favor. * * *
How much of the articles is due to
Mr. Ford’s initiative, and how much
he has yielded to the representations
of others in consenting to its publica
tion, one cannot say. But, of course,
he is responsible for the effect of
them.
“There is not the slightest ground
for anti-Semitism among us. It is a
vicious plant. It is a noxious weed
that should be cut out. It has no place
in free America, and the men who
seek to introduce it should be con
demned by public opinion.
“I have read the articles and the
documents, called the Protocols, upon
which they purport to be based, and
after an analysis of them I find it
difficult to discuss them with pati
ence.”
It was this keen understanding of
the Jewish question and his sincere,
politically untainted attitude toward
Jewish affairs that characterized the
late ex-President’s relationship to the
Jewish community of this country.
When Taft commented on Jewish
events it was obvious to Jew and Gen
tile that there was no attempt at
flattery or partisanship. Taft was a
social thinker who analyzed and dis
sected every individual Jewish ques
tion before coming to a conclusion.
Refuting the popular stories about
(Continued on Page 14)