The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-07
TAFT TALKS At
PORTLAND, ORE.
Secretary Apparently We'll
Pleased With Himself and
His Future Prospects.
BIG AUDIENCE OF WEBFEET
CANDIDATE GETS A WARM WEI,
COME.

day in Portland as the guest of Theo-
dore B. Wilcox. president of the Ore
gon Development League. This is Mr..
Tafts first visit to the Pacific north
west, and his stay in Portland TODAY
was made the occasion Of several pleas
ant attentions to the distinguished
statesman and his party, including
breakfast at the home of Mr.. Wilcox.
on arrival here this morning. a sight
seeing tour of the city in automobiles.
trip to the Vancouver, Wash, bar
racks, where Secretary Taft was the
guest of General Greedy
Returning to Portland. Secretary
Tart was the guest of Mr.. Wilcox at
luncheon at the Portland hotel. fftv
or the most prominent professional and
business men OF Oregon also being the
guests OF Mr.. Wilcox on this occasion.
Speech of Welcome.
1t did not require any effort TO re-
Iease the enthusiasm which prevailed
at the luncheon, and when Mr.. Wilcox
introduced as the first speaker of the
AFTERNOON the Hon. George H. VIII
nams. former attorney general under
president Grant, there was a spOn-l
taneous burst of applause as the aged.
out sun hearty pioneer of Oregon arose
10 extend welcome to the secretary Of
war. General Williams explained that
he had known intimately fourteen
presidents of the United States. and
had known the father of Secretary Taft
IN business and social way in HIS life
time, and he hoped Blowing TO Mr.
Ta1D to know fifteen. Mr.. Williams
SAID he did not propose to deliver a
polltlcaI speech, but as Secretary Taft
Iater SAID, he was close thar if he
been made on the floor of q national
convention Mr.. Taft at least would
nave been placed in nomination. Few
speakers IN oregon can hold an audi-
ence as can General Williams. who is
"a years of age, and the conclusion of
ms remarks was greeted with Dro
longed handclapping.
Former United States Senator Gear
OF oregon also spoke Interestingly, and
promised Mr. Taft that if he should
return TO Oregon in another capacity.
his welcome would be none the les
cordial than it was today
Response of MIR. Taft.
Mr.; Taft apparently was in unusually
me hunor, and delivered an address
[eplete with wit and logic. His free
ueIiNe y, ms ease Of manner captured
lengthy.
Mr.. Taft said that he was firmly
convinced that the time had come
When the country was tired of a DIe-
mora OF millionaires, and of their in
} nuence upon governmental and nubIic
aHalrs, and that it had been demon
strated and could further be shown
that the business of the nation should
De run on the principle of a square deal
10 everyone and special privileges 10
none, be he rich or poor. That he
SAID, had been the principle of tbe
present administration, and it would ha
with the Republican administration 10
come. He expressed confidence i'm tho
ABILITY OF the people to rise IN and
regulate whatever abuses might exist
ana said that the people had done This
sion offered.
The government and the peonIe arc
IN control" he said, they are deaf
10 the criticisms and Vaccinations of |
powerful and arrogant combinations of |
capital and they are equally deaf tn !
the threats that are so freely uttered
py powerful demagogues."
Ionight Secretary Taft. speaking
uhder the auspices Of the Oregon De-
Veiopment league, addressed Over. < OOo |
people at the armory. 1t was The A.
time that the vast majority Of his an
dlences had ever heard him, and his
ADDRESS was listened to with unusual
interest, and frequently interrupted nv
the applause Of the people. His adj
dress, in part, was as follows:
Address at Armory.
Mr. Taft gave a minute resume Of the
history Of the attempts to buiId a
canal across the isthmus and of the
progress upon the present work since
II was begun by the Roosevelt admin
lstrauon. He said that he thought If
was safe TO count upon an average ex-
caYatlon and disposal of material in
CuleDTa cut next year of TO- 000, 900 to
12OOOOoO cubic yards.
1T is by no means certain" he
said, that the time taken to make
the excavation for the Culebra cut
VIII mean the time necessary for the
Completion Of the canal
There is the Gatun dam to be CON
structed, and there are the Gatun
locks, and 1t is quite likely that the
enormous structure necessary to be
made Tor the six locks at Gatun and
the enormous dam will take Longer
than the excavation at Culebra.
1t is quite certain that every other
piece or construction TO be carried on
can be completed in less time. but 7
think It is moderate estimate TO saw
that the canal viii be completed i'm
SCECA years rum TIE beginning of the
next fiscal year. That is. our canal
win be completed about the first oil
July, 1915.
The men actually at work number
about $4,000. The number on the paw
rolls are a great many more We don't
get full work out of them. There are
about 1900 Americans and about 4. 600 |
Europeans, and all the rest are West
Indian negroes. Spaniards and Greeks !
are our best unskilled labor. We have
no American unskilled labor. The eff |
fieiency of the West Indian negro is |
4 bout one-third that Of white labor !
<he coming of white labor apparently |
by competition has increased the ef- |
ficiency of the black men, so that on |
the whole the labor situation on the /
isthmus is satisfactory 1t does not /
seem necessary for US to employ either
japanese or Chinese labor. The work /
is expensive, of course. Labor every /
where is expensive NOW, and in the /
tropics it is doubly so. The question /
that I fancy the American people have
most at heart is the time i'm which the
canal can be built, and not its cost