The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-04-23
SECRETARY TAFT BACK
 AFTER MONTHS ABSENCE
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 T also heard the applications of the steam shovelers and the construction locomotive engineers and construction train conductors, with reference to their terms of employment, including awegs. I have forwarded a report on this matter to the president. What has happened in respect to this l do not know. w ewere very busy during the five days we spent in Panama
 T left the engineers and MT. Rogers, general counsel of the isthmian canal commission, on the isthmus-the en- gineers for the purpose of making fur ther report upon certain technical ques- tions which I referred to them, and MT. Rogers for the purpose of pushing some condemnation litigation to acquire title to land which it now, in the prog ress of the work, becomes necessary for us to take over.
 "Mr. Stevens is very much out of health and needs a long rest. He has brought to an efficient state a great organization which is doing the work and making the dirt fly And he has done his utmost to transfer this organ ization, in it's efficient condition, to the control of Colonel Goethals and his as soeiates.
 After leaving Colon we spent four days in Havana conferring with Gov ernor Magoon, Colonel Crowder and | yarious prominent people.
 General Barry and Governor Ma goon both reported that the order in the island is excellent, and while there is still a good deal of suppressed polit- ical feeling and excitement, think there is every ground for hope that the | plan adopted of taking a census and holding a preliminary election, and then a general election six months lat CT, will result in he selection of pres ident and a congress who will be able to maintain themselves and give a sta ble rule to the island.
 "The delay in taking a census and holding a preliminary election is taken by the people of the island, not as an I indication that the American govern ment wishes to remain permanently, l but, on the contrary, as an earnest of it's desire to secure stable govern ment before it leaves, so that there shall be no excuse for second inter- vention, with all the consequences that might be likely to flow from such an intervention. Cuba will have the lar gest sugar crop in her history, and the | fOh fe af fta ch n e ever had. There has been a long drouth, and that, taken with the insur- rection, has interfered somewhat with the sugar planting, but all are quite hopeful that this defect will soon be re. paired
 We spent four days in the Porto 1 Rico island and had there to consider at the instance of Bishop Jones of Por- to Rico, some subjects which are still pending, of property between the gov ernment and the church and also some military questions as to the abandon ment of certain posts in the interior and the abandonment to the civil gov l ernment of some property in San Juan now used as a hospital for the army
 'on every side we found evidences of nose encouraging prosperity and al. so the strongest indications of the love and respect which the people feel foi Governor and Mrs. Winthrop and oi the great sorrow they have in losing them.
 "The two political questions that arc
 made the subject of frequent discus. sion, for lack of something else in tn, present happy condition Of the people are the question of citizenship and thu
 question whether the executive counci
 shall be elective.
 q have only a very indefinite l knowledge of what has taken place ir
 this country since my departure, ant
 therefore, have nothing to say on thu
 subject of politics"