The Political Principles of Robert A. Taft

by Kirk,Russell

• ISBN13: 9781412809917
• ISBN10: 1412809916
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2010-05-15
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Robert A. Taft has been neglected by some historiansand political theorists and vilified by others. Vigorouslyand impartially written, this book analyzes the ideas andinfluence of a great U.S. senator of the twentieth century.Here readers will find a close and lively examination ofTaft’s convictions on freedom, justice, labor policy, socialreform, foreign affairs, and the responsibilities of politicalparties.Respected for his intelligence and integrity, RobertTaft was considered the most remarkable public man ofa turbulent political era. He was strong and candid, yetwas repeatedly denied executive power. Despite this, hewill undoubtedly be long remembered.Drawing on many contemporary sources, includingthe Taft Papers in the Library of Congress, Kirk and Mc-Clellan set Taft in historical perspective. Taft’s enduringsignificance to a normative theory of politics is made clearin this careful study, which includes extensive quotationsfrom his outstanding speeches and writings. Available inpaperback for the first time, this edition includes a newintroduction by Jeffrey Nelson, who has been closely associatedwith Russell Kirk.

Author Biography

Russell Kirk (1918-1994) was the author of The Conservative Mind, Eliot and His Age, The Roots of American Order, and twenty-six other books in several fields. He was the president of two educational foundations, editor of the quarterly University Bookman, recipient of several literary awards, and has been a visiting distinguished professor on both sides of the Atlantic. James McClellan (1937-2005) was James Bryce Visiting Fellow in American Studies at the Institute of United States Studies of the University of London and before that Senior Resident Scholar at Liberty Fund Inc. Some of his works include Joseph Story and the American Constitutional and The Federalist: A Student Edition. Jeffrey O. Nelson is senior vice president and chief marketing officer at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. He edited two book collections-Redeeming the Time, by Russell Kirk, and Perfect Sowing: Reflections of a Bookman by Henry Regnery-and is co-founder of the Russell Kirk Center.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Transaction Edition	p. ix
Introduction Note	p. xxi
A Politician of Principle	p. 1
Taft's Memory	p. 1
Ohio Politics	p. 7
The Face of the New Deal	p. 11
From Cincinnati to Washington	p. 16
Foundations of Democracy	p. 24
First Months in the Senate	p. 24
Practical Alternatives	p. 28
Debates with T. V. Smith	p. 34
A Reputation for Probity	p. 37
The Struggle for Responsible Party	p. 40
Statesmanship through Partisanship	p. 40
A Party in the Wilderness	p. 41
Taft's Understanding of Party	p. 49
The Republican Dilemma	p. 55
Liberty Under Law	p. 62
The Shadow of the Total State	p. 62
Liberty and Order	p. 67
Civil Rights and Civil Responsibilities	p. 72
Universal Military Training	p. 77
The Moral Basis of Freedom	p. 81
The Restraint of Power	p. 85
The Primacy of Justice	p. 85
Taft against the Executive Force	p. 90
The Contest with President Truman	p. 96
Congress and Foreign Affairs	p. 98
The United States and Nuremberg Justice	p. 100
The Future of Justice and Freedom	p. 105
Organized Labor and the Public Interest	p. 109
Justice, Power, and American Labor	p. 109
An Enemy of Labor?	p. 112
The Freedom of Labor and the Railroad Strike	p. 116
The Taft-Hartley Act	p. 119
Successful Defense of the Taft-Hartley Act	p. 125
An Enduring Work of Equity	p. 128
An Economy Humane and Free	p. 132
The Charitable Society and the Socialist State	p. 132
Equality of Opportunity in Education	p. 139
The Nation's Health and Socialized Medicine	p. 142
Federal Aid in Housing	p. 148
The Credo of an Humane Politician	p. 153
A Foreign Policy for Americans	p. 158
An Isolationist?	p. 158
Confronting War and Imperialism	p. 165
The Struggle against Communist Arms and Ideology	p. 174
Taft in Retrospect	p. 185
Taft and Permanence	p. 192
A Taft Chronology	p. 197
Index	p. 207
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