Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-07
HITCHCOCK WILL
PLEAD FOR TAFT
SECRETARY COMING TO THE
PACIFIC COAST
Sails Under Sealed Orders from Presi-
dent RooseveIt-Other News of
Interest from National
Capital
Special Correspondence of The Herald.

Snecial CORRESPONDENCE of The Herald.
WASHINGTON, July First AS
sistant Postmaster General Hitchcock
who is becoming known as the po-
litical pathfinder" for the adminlstra-
ton, is leaving in two or three DAYS
for an extended western tour. His trip
this time will really begin In ONO ana
will go as far west as the Pacific coast
The postoffice department official is now
at Oyster Bay, where he is receiving
final instructions from the president. IL
is believed by some that Mr. Hltcn-
cock is being sent to make caretul
analysis of the Taft sentiment, while
others are Of the opinion that he Is
under secret orders from President
Roosevelt himself to ascertain just how
deep and earnest is the third term idea
So far as Mr.. Hitchcock is concerned
there is no hope of getting any lnior
nation from him. He protests agalns
| the newspapers of the country deS1S
mating these frequent trips as polltlca
tours. 1t is a fact, nevertheless, tna'
there is a good deal more politics II
| these flying journeys than there Is
| postoffice business On his recent toul
of the southern states, for instance, ne
rounded u7 the chairmen of the Repub-
lican committees, the patronage refer
ees," and got ir touch with Republicans
generally. Tho newspapers, without
regard to political complexion, insist
that he saw these men not altogether
on behalf of the postal service, but
more largely on strictly party polltlcal
business. Therefore, Mr.. Hitchcock
forthcoming western trip is exciting
considerable speculation.
Western forts and army posts are to
/, eneft as the result of the approval by
the war department of recommends
tions for new buildings made by Quar-
termaster General Humphrey. This is
the first instaliment of a large build
ing program Secretary Taft has IN
view. The forts at which these build
ings are to be erected, and the cost en-
tained, are: Fort Dayard, N. M
s39, $50; Fort Lincoln, N. d.. $12,9oO;
Fort Mackenzie, Wyo., $46,6OO, and For,
yellowstone. Wyo., $4,000; Presidio OF
Monterey, Cal, $S,795, and Fort Wright
Wash, $13,S50 In addition to these
amounts largo number of smaller ap-
propriations have been made for store
houses, stables and paint shops.
Lovers of the big trees of the west
are highly pleased with the action ol
Secretary Garfield in withdrawing
from all forms of entry certain lands In
Oregon. These lands surround Mutt
nomah Falls and include the S1sklyou
big trees. 1t is intended to create ma
tional parks for the protection both ol
the falls and of the trees. However
If the interior department has with
drawn lands in Oregon, 1t is throwing
| open to settlement a much greater tract
in Alaska. This tract, which is about
| 2, 900, 900 acres in extent, was Withdrawn
on June so, 1908, for the proposed Hor-
ton Bay National Forest While II
will become subject to settlement on
September 80 and to entry on OCTOBER
81, this year, 1t scarcely Is propaple
that there will be wild rush on the
part of agriculturists. The land is
situated on the north shore of Horton
sound. north of st. Michaels, and about
fftv miles south of the Arctic circle,
So far as can be learned, it is an ideal
place for the cultivation of icicles and
chilblains.
According to the plans of the navy
department, the cruiser Charleston Will
be present at the Fourth of July cele-
bration at Portland, Ore, and Will tnen
proceed to Astoria to anticipate IN the
Festivities there on July IA, when Vice
President Fairbanks will be present
and deliver an address. There has been
a decided shakeup IN the havai estab-
lishment, and two Dig battleships, the
Indiana and the Iowa, have been taken
out of commission and have gone to
join the Texas. 1t is reported that
three Of the older cruisers also will be
placed in temporary retirement and the
crews thus released placed on the bat
tleships being turned out, number OF
the officers and men going to man the
new Nebraska, the only battleship on
the Pacific coast. A scarcitY of officers
and men in the navy at ,he present
time is worrying the department. BY
reason of this scarcity the essels are
badly hampered and it is feared unless
there is a change for the better in the
number of enlistments that several
other vessels will have to be retired.
A new plan for connecting the Mis-
sissippi with the South Atlantic is now
attracting attention. Lewis H. Haupt,
a we'll known engineer. would construct
ship canal reaching from Cairo, ILL.,,
to Brunswick, Ga. He asserts that this
route is only 1908 miles long and that
1t would be the shortest and most prac-
ticable connection obtainabie between