The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-07-08
TAFT MADE MESS
OF IT. WALLACE
Continued from First Page.

war department to the state department.
when Elihu Root becomes secretary of
state is accepted as evidence that Mr..
Roosevelt intends to boom Mr.. Roof
from the start.
One reason for the general belief in
the accuracy Of the report lies in the
fact, which has been known only to
ious to have Mr.. Root accept the chair
manship Of the reorganized canal COM
mission. Mr.. Root was the hundred
thousand dollar year man. about
whom the president talked mysteriously.
Mr.. Root was offered the Craftsmanship
at that salary, but declined it. He told
the president that he could make much
more money practicing law; that he
would not live on the isthmus for any
salary and besides all that, it would not
be good politics for him to accept the
place.
Now, at salary Of $4,000 a year, but
with the promise Of the presidential
will have direct charge of the construc-
tion of the canal, in which capacity he
will be great deal more in the lime
light than he possibly could be with
nothing more than the ordinary business
Of the state department to look after.
In addition he will be able to build up
a powerful machine, thru the purchase
ton of patronage, to aid him in his po-
litical ambitions.
Mr.. Wallace's Reason.
In deciding to make the transfer it is
quite possible that the president was
prompted by another motive than his
desire to exploit Mr.. Root. There is
welt was not entirely satisfied with the
way in which Secretary Taft disposed
of former Chief Engineer Wallace. 1t
is certain that some other members of
the cabinet heartily disapproved of Mr..
Taft s course and expressed their views
to the president very plainly. They sus-
pect that it was something more than
''mere lucre' that induced Mr.. Wal
lace to give up his canal work and
think Mr.. Taft should have ascertained
his real reason instead of flying into a
temper and telling Wallace that he did
not wish to receive any report from him
on the canal problem.
If Mr.. Wallace discovered natural
obstacles to the construction of the
canal which his engineering genius
could not overcome, they think Mr.. Taft
should have found it out. They be-
lieve that if Mr.. Wallace's reputation
was such as to justify his selection for
chief engineer, it entitled him to the
private Interview with Mr.. Taft which
ne requested, at which he doubtless
would have talked more freely than in
the presence Of Mr.. Cromwell, whom he
regarded as an outsider.
"a Great Mistake
The cabinet members who are making
these criticisms do not blame the presi-
dent for backing up Mr.. Taft, for they
say things then had gone SO far that
there was nothing else for him to do,
but they do not hesitate to say that
| Mr.. Taft made a mistake and, they be-
lieve, a great one.
The canal commission is not part
| of the war department. It is under the
direction of Secretary Taft, but no ons
else connected with the war department
has anything at all to say about it.
1t was placed under Mr.: Taft only be-
cause the president did not wish to
increase the responsibility of Secretary
Hay, when be was in poor health.
When the disposition of the commits
| sion was beng considered the president
| said: eff we give it to Hay he will
| not attend to it, but if we give it to
Bill Taft he will do the work. And
to "Bin'' Taft it went.
There is no reason why either the
| canal or the Philippines should be un-
| der the war department.. They have
been left there simply because Mr.. Taft
| is deeply interested in the Philippines
and also willing to look after the canal
Mr.. Root is said to be much Interested
in the canal and by dividing the work
each man would be given the division
| in which he is most interested,