The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-03-25
SECRETARY TAFT
TO SAIL ON SUNDAY,

Washington, .. &C March 23.-Sec-
rotary Tart of tae War Department
win sail tomorrow on his trip to pa
mama, Porto Rico and Cuba. The
start viii be made from Charleston.
where the party VIII board the cruz
ser Columbia for the long and NOM
entous voyage. The secretary will be
accompanied by Senator Krittredge
of South Dakota, Representatives Bur
ton of Ohio and DeArmond of Misso-
uri, and Engineer John R. Freeman,
Frederick Stearns and Alfred Noble.
Panama will first be visited, where the
investigators will remain three or
four days. The test pits on the site
of Gatun locks will be sufficiently ex-
cavated upon he arrival of the party
to allow a thorough examination of
the biggest dam to be built on the
isthmus.
1t is expected that Mr.. Taft's visit
TO Panama will be the most important
event in the history of the gigantic
project. Canal affairs have been plac-
ed in charge of the war department
engineers and plans hat will affect
all future construction work on the
big ditch win likely be made as a re-
suit of h secretary's inspection
tour.
HiOn L d4Ad1lIo III party Will SO W
Havana and several days will be spent
in the Cuban capital to allow a thor
ough investigation into existing con-
dftions in the once was republic.
One of the burning issues of the day
to be considered by Secretary Taft
while in the island is that OF repeating
the d prohibiting cockfghting,
which was made by Major General
Wood when he was military governor
of Cuba. A monster petition contain
ing thousands of names, demanding
the resembling of the obnoxious meas
ure, will be presented to Mr.. Taft up
on his arrival, and it is likely that
another popular demonstration in ia
o of the. national sport will be made
The present crisis was brought on by
the arrest of a number of distinguish
ed Cuban citizens for attending a cock
fight. Planter and factory owners of
the island are said to favor the legal
ization of the sport, declaring that
with cockfighting and lotteries pro-
the laborers nave no incentive
work and thus have retarded and
injured the island industries.
Porto Rico will mex be visited by
Secretary Taft, where he will be join
by his wife. Beekman Winthrop,
governor of the island, who has been
appointed assistant secretary of the
treasury, will join the party and re-
turn to Washington with the secre-
tary.
For the next few months Secretary
Taft will probably be one OF the bust
est men of the country. Upon his re-
turn to h capital about April 10 he
will complete plans for the military
display at the Japanese exposition.
personally attending the opening on
April 26. Canal business will engage
his ~unremittent attention for several
weeks following. In June ne will
make a lecture trip through the West,
delivering addresses at Minnesota and
universities and in several wes-
tern cities. In September Mr.. Taft
will go to h Philippines and will not
return to the capital Until time for
the assembling of congress in Deem
Der.
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
it is quite a program for a
man as fat of paunch and years as
MIR. Taft.