Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1907-03-23
TAFT SAILS TOMORROW WITH
PARTY TO AGAIN INSPECT
the CANAL.
IMPORTANT Event
Plans that will Affect All Future Con.
strueelon Work will Likely D.
Made As Result Of Trip.

Washington. March 23.-Secretar,
Of War Taft will sail tomorrow or
his trip 10 Panama. Porto Rico and
Cuba. The start will be made from
Charleston, where the party will
board the cruiser Columbia for the
long and momentous voyage. The
secretary will be accompanied BY
Senator kittredge Of South Dakota
Representative Burton OF Ohio, and
De Almond OF Missouri, and Engi'
neers John X. Freeman. Frederick
Stearns and Alfred Noble. Panama
will first be visited, where the inves'
tlgators win remain three or four
days. The test pits On the site OF
the Gatun locks will be sufficiently
excavated upon the arrival OF the
party to allow a thorough examina-
ton OF the biggest dam TO be built
ON the isthmus.
1t is expected that Mr. Taft's visit
TO Panama will be the most import
ant event in the history Of the gigan'
tic project. Canal affairs have now
been placed In charge OF war depart.
ment engineers and plans that will
affect all future construction work
on the big ditch viii likely be made
as a result of the secretary's inspec-
tion tour.
From Panama the party will go to
Havana and several days will be
spent in the Cuban capital to allow
a thorough investigation into exist
ing conditions in the once-was repub
lie. One OF tie burning issues OF the
day to be considered by Secretary
Taft while in the island Is tnat of re-
pealing the order prohibiting cock
fighting. which was made by Major
General Wood when he was military
governor of Cuba. A monster peti
tion containing thousands OF names.
demanding the resembling Of the OBJ
noxious measure, will be presented
to Mr.. Taft upon his arrival. and it is
likely that another popular demon
stration in favor of the national
sport will be made. The present
crisis was brought on by the arrest
of a number of distinguished Cuban
citizens for attending cock fight.
Planters and factory owners of the
island are said to favor the legaliza.
tion of the sport, declaring that with
cock-fighting and lotteries prohibited
the laborers have no incentive to
work and thus have retarded and in.
jured the island industries.
Porto Rico will next be visited by
Secretary Taft. where he will be
joined by his wife. Beckman Win.
throp, governor of the island, who
has been appointed assistant secre-
tary Of the treasury. will join the
party and return to Washington with
the secretary.
For the next few months Secretary
Taft will probably be one of the bus
lest men in the country. Upon his
return to the capital about April 10
he will complete plans for the mill
tary display at the Jamestown expo
sition, personally attending the open
ing on April &C. Canal business will
engage his unremittent attention for
several weeks following In June he
will make a lecture tour through the
west, delivering addresses at Mime
sofa and Iowa universities and in
several western cities. In September
Mr.. Taft will go to the Philippines,
and will not return to the capital un.
til time for the assembling Of con.
gress in December.
Meanwhile. the secretary is nursing
a presidential ,boom that is slowly
growing to fair proportions, and it is
not impossible that next year he will
be one of the principal figures in a
heated political campaign. All in all,
1t is quite strenuous program for a
man as fat Of paunch and years as
Mr.. Taft.
Southerner May Be G. A. r. Chief.
Washington Grand army men are