Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-07
TAFT OUT FOR
SQUARE DEAL
BIG SECRETARY MAKES A HIT AT
PORTLAND
COUNTRY TIRED OF PLETHORA
OF MlLLloNAIREs
Says the couhtry's Business Can Be
Transacted on Basis of Entire
Fairness to Rich and
Poor
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
PORTLAND, Ore, Sept. 6.-Secretary
of War william H. Taft and his party,
en- route to the Philippines spent the day
in Portland as the guests of Theodore b.
Wilcox, president of the Oregon Develop
ment league. This is Mr.. Taft's first
visit to the Pacific northwest, and his
stay in Portland today was made the oc-
casion of several pleasant attentions to
the statesman and his party, including
breakfast at the home of Mr.. wilcox on
his arrival here this morning, sight
seeing tour of the city In automobiles ana
a trip to the Vancouver Washington bar
racks, where Secretary Taft was the
guest of General Greedy.
Returning to Portland, Secretary Taft
was the guest of Mr.. Wilcox at lunch
con at the Portland hotel. where he met
fifty of the most prominent professional
and business men of Oregon. 1t did not
require any effort to release the enthu-
siasm which prevailed and when Mr..
Wilcox introduced as the first speaker of
the afternoon the Hon. George ii. VIII
liams there was spontaneous burst or
applause as the aged but still hearty
pioneer of Oregon arose to extend wei
come to the secretary of war.
General Wi.liams explained that he had
known personally fourteen presidents of
the United States, and had known the
father of Secretary Taft in business
and social way in his lifetime, and he
hoped Blowing to Mr.. Taft to know fif-
teen.
Mr.. Williams said he did not propose to
deliver political speech but, as Secre-
tary Taft later said, "he was close thar,
if he wasn't tahr," and If his remarks
had been made on the floor of a national
convention Mr.. Taft, at least, would have
been placed in nomination.
Taft PIeases Hearers
Mr.. Taft appeared in unusually fine hu-
NOR and delivered an address replete with
wit and logic His free delivery and his
ease of manner captivated his audience.
Mr.. Taft said that he was firmly con-
vinced that the time had come when the
country was tired of plethora or mil
lionaires, and of their influence upon gov
ernmental and public affairs, and that 1t
had been demonstrated and could 1urtner
be shown that the business of the nation
should be run on the principle of square
deal to every one and special privileges
to no one, be he rich or poor. That' ne
said, had been the principle OF the pres
ent administration, and 1t would pe Win
-tbe Republican administration to come.
He expressed confidence in the ability OF
ever abuses might exist, and said that
me people had done this before and
would do it again If occasion offered.
"The government and the people are
in control" he said; they are deaf to
the criticisms and Vaccinations OF power
full and arrogant combinations of capital
and they are equally deaf to the threats
that are so freely uttered ny Po"eil"i
demagogues."
Tonight Secretary Taft, speaking under
the auspices of the Oregon Development
league, addressed over five thousand per-
sons at the armory.
Mr. Taft gave minute resume OF the
history of the attempts to build canal
across the isthmus and OF the progress
upon the present work since 1t was pc
gun by the Roosevelt administration. He
said that he thought 1t was safe to count
ilpon an average excavation and as
nosal OF material In Culebra curt next
x,ear of ten million to twelve million cubic
yards. go,
sthat the time taken to make the ex-
cavation for the Culebra cut Will mean
the time necessary for the complexion
of the canal.
s+rncted and there are the Gatun locks
and II is likely that the enormous struc-
fire necessary to be made for the SIX
locks at Gatun and the enormous dam
will take longer than the excavation at
Cu'ebra
To Complete Canal in Seven Years
"It is quite certain that every other
,,,ece, az construction to be carried on can
he completed in less time, but think
it is moderate estimate to say that
the canal will be completed In seven
wears from the beginning OF the next
fiscal year. That is, our canal Will be-
completed about the 1st of July, 1915
"The men actually at work number
about 25,OOO. The number on the payroll
are a great many more. we don't get
full work out of them. There are about
four thousand Americans and about four
Thousand Europeans, and all the rest are
West Indian negroes. SpaniardS ana
Cracks are our best unskilled labor. We
have no American unskilled labor. Inc
efNciencv of the West Indian negro Is
about ora third that OF white LABOR. Inc
coming of white labor apparently py
competition has increased the efnclency
of the black men so that on the Whoie
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,
NJ course. Labor everywhere is expensive
now and in the tropics 1t is douDly so.
The question that fancy the American
people have most at neart is the time In
whicn the canal can be built and not
its cost, provided that the money which
is expended is not wasted but is honestly
applied to the work.
.It has added very much, think' TO
the confidence that the country has In
the honesty and sincerity or those by
whom the work is being done, that 1t
is carried on by army engineers. The
president has infused the same vim into
the canal work that he does into any
thing of which he is control