The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-04-24
TAFT NIT ID CANCEL
 TRIP ID PHILIPPINES
SIGNIFICANT POINT DEVELOPS IN AN INTERVIEW IN
 WASHINGTON

His Intention Is to Sail for the Islands
 September 1--Admits This After Long
 Conference With President--Sets at
 Rest Report That He Would Give Up
 the Voyage to Take the Stump in
 Ohio-Not Prepared to Say What He
 Will Do About Foraker's Challenge.
 Washington, April Returning to Washington after months absence, Secretary Taft to-day resumed his rou- tine duties at the war department. The fact that it was cabinet day made it necessary for him to cut short the time allowed to callers and to postpone until a more convenient. moment the consul tations he desired to have with General Bell, chief of staff, and the other of- ficials of the department.
 It is doubtful if, in his Washington experience, the secretary has had to deal with more newspaper men than he saw to-day. Of course they were in- terested in his southern journey, but they were mainly desirous to learn just what the secretary intended to do in answer to the challenge which Senator Foraker had issued in regard to the contest in Ohio. The secretary, how ever, frankly told his newspaper cal- lers that he was under the disadvan- tage of a considerable absence from the country, with only scanty news of. the important political events that had occurred He did not feel under the circumstances, that it was proper for him to make any kind of statement as to his political opinions and plans. One point devtloped in the course of the talk with the newspaper men that might be regarded as significant in view of the fact that it has been re- ported he had intended to cancel his proposed Philippine trip in order to go on the stump in Ohio.
 Replying to direct. inquiry, the sec retary stated that it Is his intention to sail for the Philippines about September i, next. This stetement was made, too, after the secretary had spent nearly two hours in close conference with the President. For, after attending his first cabinet meeting in many weeks, Secre- tary Taft was invited by the President to remain at the White House for luncheon and that time was spent in 3 free disoussion not only of the secre- | tary's observance in his southern trip, but also of the political developments here in his absence and of the policies to be pursued in the future.
 What the plans are was not disclosed, but after the luncheon the secretary reiterated his. statement of last night that he intended to go to Ohio next Friday and would make three speeches while away from Washington, one long cne at Cincinnati on the occasion of the meeting of the Western Federation of the Yale Clubs one at Dayton at the cornerstone laying of the Young Men s Christian association, and another at Cincinnati before the Business Men 8 club. but the secretary added, with a smile, that none of thehe speeches would bs in any sense political.
 Later in the summer he expects to go to Iowa and to Minnesota, in each case to address the state universities, but the secretary did not say that these addresses would be non-political He was wanted in Oklahoma, and he said he would go if he could He had been told that bitter political fight was to be waged there, and if he went into the new state he would have to enter that fight. He also was requested to go into South Dakota on a purely political tour, and possibly he would make one speech at Fort Meade. Nothing, how ever, would probably prevent him from going to the Philippines in September
 The secretary was willing to talk freely about conditions on the isthmus, but most of his statements had been included in tie resume of his trip given to the newspapers last night. One new point of interest was that Chief En- gineer Gdetkals had suggested that the concrete work on the canal construc- tion should be done by contract, al. though that method was not feasible just now for the excavation.