Omaha daily bee., 1905-07-01
TAFT STARTS FOR MANILA
sssrstary'S Party Leaves Washington in
Two Special Cars,
WILL Be ABSENT THREE MONTHS
Four Days VIII BE spent in San
Francisco, n Week at Manila and
Ten Days in Visiting
Islands.

WASHINGTON June 3O.-Willam H.
Taft, secretary of war, accompanied by
distinguished party, including members Of
both houses of congress, army officials, the
daughter of the president, Miss Alice
Roosevelt, and others, began their journey
to the Philippine islands at 80 o'clock this
afternoon. The party embarked in two spe-
cal cars on the regular Chicago train
over the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. At the
station TO say goodby were the French am
bassador and Madame Jusserand, Mr.. Taxa
hira, the Japanese minister; Assistant
Secretary of War oliver, General and Mrs
Chaffee and numerous other friends of the
party.
short stop in Chicago.
Although Secretary Taft expects to have
a relief from the arduous duties of the past
few months during his absence the trip is
one of official inspection and many matters
of administration will be considered. At
Chicago tomorrow night he will meet and
confer with John f. Stevens who was ap-
pointed today to succeed Chief Engineer
Wallace of the Panama Canal commits
sion. He will also confer with w. A.
Darling, with whom negotiations are pend
ing to take the place of Mr.. Stevens, who
was to have been a member of the Philip
pine island party, and remain in the island
In charge of the construction of railroads,
aided by government subsidy. Should pres
ent negotiations prove satisfactory Mr..
Darling may accompany the secretary.
A stay of four days will be made in San
Francisco, which is to be reached July a..
An important consideration in the Philip
pine islands, to which Secretary Taft will
give his attention, is the perfection of
title to many acres of the friar lands which
| is still considered cloudy and by reason of
which the purchase price of the lands of
the whole Dominican order is being with
held.
Will Visit Toxic.
An interesting feature of the trip will be
the call of the secretary on the emperor of
Japan at Toxic. The Japanese minister
here has assured the secretary that his
government is desirous of extending every
courtesy possible. The secretary's response
to this was that he we'll understood that
the palace would be vacated by the i'm
| perial family on account of the summer
| season at the time of his visit to Toxic
and that his call would simply be the
formal card call" of respect.
Three months are to be consumed in the
| trip. including a stay of one week in Ma
nila and trip around the islands occupy
| ing ten days.
swords for Army Omcers.
"If they (our army officers) carry any
| swords they ought to carry a sword that
they can cut and thrust with" was q
! comment which President Roosevelt made
| in a letter to the authorities of the wal
department some months ago. Today a
voluminous report which discusses every
| phase of the sword problem was received
| by Secretary Taft.
The sentiment of the army, the report
states, is largely against the use of any
sword by officers in the field. Experience
! in the Philippine Islands has led to the
replacement Of the sword by the revolvers
A lesson drawn from the Russo japanese
war as to the use of the sword, however
| leads the committee to state that the
sword is not "the weapon of the past
In the night attacks made in the Man
churian campaign, the bayonet and sworC
have been the weapons used and the com
mittee say the losses due to cold steel
in this war probably never will be actually
| known.
The board recommends the continuanc,
of instruction in swordsmanship at thu
military and naval academies and a com
piltation of a manual on sword fencinl
for the use of the army. The recommen
dations of the committee are that the sabe
adopted for the army shall be both
thrusting and a cutting weapon. 1t il
urged that there should be two types o
sabers. the blade for dsmounted officer
and men being twenty-seven inches ant
that for mounted officers and men thirty
two inches in length
BOnaparte Takes Charge of Navy.
Paul Morton today relinquished the dutie
of secretary OF the navy. Tomorrow morn
ing Charles ]. Bonaparte of Baltimore will
take tho oath of Office as Mr.. Morton
successor and assume the duties devolvinI
upon the civilian head of the navy. MI
Morton spent the day at the navy depart
ment In the afternoon Mr.. Bonapart
called upon him and met the chiefs of tn
bureaus who had assembled in the secre
tary's Office.
The chiefs bade good by to the retiring
secretary. Mr.. Bonaparte remained unit
closing time, Mr.. Morton informing him a
to matters pending in the department an
formally turning over the affairs of tn
navy to him.
Mr.. Morton left tonight for New York t
take up his permanent residence. MI
Bonaparte announced that H. C. Gaus.
who has been confidential clerk to Nj
Morton, would be his private secretary.