Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-30
CLEARING UP HIS DESK
Transfer to Be Made to Gov. Wright
Tomorrow.
Status of Affairs in Panama and
Cuba Considered-Mexica
Trouble Also Taken Up.

day as Secretary of War. After many
years Of distinguished services to his gov
ernment as Justice Of United States
courts, as governor general or the Phil
ipp pine Islands, as Secretary of War and
as the special representative Of the gov
ernment on several delicate and impor-
tant diplomatic missions, he will relin-
quish tonight the performance. for time
at least. Of duties as an official Of the
United States.
The formal transfer Of the War Depart
ment from the administration of Secretary
Taft to that Of Secretary Luke E. Wright,
his successor, will not take place until to-
morrow; but the work Of the department
will be brought up to date by Mr.. Taft
before he leaves his desk this evening,
and Secretary Wright will enter upon his
new duties tomorrow with substantially
a clean state. The last duty to be per-
formed by Secretary Taft will be the
formal presentation Of his successor to-
morrow morning to Assistant Secretary
Oliver and to the bureau and division
chiefs of the War Department. With his
best wishes to Secretary Wright for his
successful administration of the great de-
partment, the affairs of which he has been
chosen to administer, Secretary Taft Will
become once more a private citizen. From
that moment until the fateful day OF the
elections next November he will devote
himself assiduously to his campaign for
the presidency of the United States.
Department Matters Considered.
Business rather than politics occupied
the attention of Secretary Taft today.
Numerous and complex questions awaited
him when he reached his ofiice in the War
Department this morning, and he plunged
into the work of disposing of them with
characteristic energy. He announced
early that he would have practically no
| time today to discuss purely political mat
ters, as he desired to devote the entire
| day to the work OF the department In con-
| nection with Gov. Wright.
Immediately upon his arrival at his OF
! fce, shortly after 10 O'Clock. Secretary
| Taft sent for Gen. Edwards. chief OF the
| bureau Of insuIar affairs. and took UP
with him and with Gov. Wright some
matters concerning the status OF anairs
| in Panama and Cuba. The information
received by the Secretary as to the cleo
tiors in Panama is very reassuring. In
| dicat1ons. are now that. perhaps on ac-
count of the precautionary measures TAX
| en- by this government in the sending OF
| marines to the isthmus. no trouble at
| the general election will ensue.
Among the official callers on Secretary
| Taft today was Attorney General Bona
parte. He remained in consultation with
Secretary Taft, Gov. Wright and Gen. j.
Franklin Bell, chief of staff. for half an
hour He said as he left the depart
! ment that he had called mainly to say
goodbye to Secretary Taft and to greet
his incoming fellow-cabinet member. Gov.
| Wright.
The Mexican Troubles.
that he had discussed with the Secre-
tary and with Gen. Bell the sending of
United States troops to the Mexican bor-
der.
1T is only a matter Of wise precau-
tion,'' he said. Ito have some of our
| troops on the border at a time like this.
| Ibid you discuss politics?" the Attor-
ney General was asked.
oh. yes" he replied I'VE talked some
politics. Secretary Taft, being innocent
and guileless, gave him some good ad-
vice"
The Attorney General said that he had
| had a pleasant chat with Gen. Wright
met would have to postpone his initiation
until next fall, but said the AttOr-
ney General, laughing. Il don't think the
| initiation will lose anything by it's tenn
porary postponement."
Cement for Canal Work.
Secretary Taft had long conference
with Col. Hodges, a member OF the
isthmian canal commission; Gen. Clar-
ence R. Edwards and Mr.. w. Freeman
of Wilton. Cal. respecting the cemen,
| bids recently opened. The government
| expects to use 4.5O0,OO0 barrels of Port
land cement in the construction of the
| canal. The California people, who were
| represented at the conference today BY
Mr.. Freeman. urged that they be giver
| at least part of the contract. The mat
ter was threshed out thoroughly by Sec
retary Taft and the other parties to the
conference. including Gov Wright, and i,
was decided that the California bids could
not be accepted because of the difference
| OF about 26 cents per ton in cost. Secre-
| tary Taft expressed his regret that he
| was unable to award q part of the con.
| tract at least to California, but under the
| law and circumstances he was obliged to
reject the bids.
Tomorrow Politics.
| Mr. Taft will resume his political work
tomorrow with conferences with Frank
II. Hitchcock. the Washington manager
Of his preliminary campaign. and with Ar
thur I. vorys. the manager of his Ohio
campaign. These conferences will re-
late to the national craftsmanship of the
republican party. and they promise to
have an important bearing upon the selec-
| ton OF the campaign director
The likelihood is that when Mr.. Taft
leaves Washington Friday for Hot
| Springs, Va, it will be not to return to
the National capital until after the No
vemDeT eicCl1Ou, anu. III Tie cNcHt VI
election to the presidency. he may not
return to Washington until two or three
days before his inauguration on the 4th
of next March.
BY direction of the Secretary Fred W.
Carpenter. his private secretary. today
| telegraphed to the members of the sub
| committee of the national committee. ap-
| pointed to confer with Mr.. Taft respect
| ing the selection of a national chairman
| that he would meet them at Hot Springs
the Sth of July.
May Open Campaign in Ohio.
| A Youngstown. Ohio. dispatch says: Ii
is said here today that Secretary Taft
has given his personal assurance to Rep
| resentative Kennedy of this district that
| he will do all in his power to have the
| national and state republican campaign
opening here some time between Septem-
| ber I and Is. Representative Kennedy
will go to Oyster Bay for the purpose Of
| talking with President Roosevelt and en-
| deavor to have him present for the occa-
sion. 1t is also said Joseph Butler. jr.,
| president of the business mems commit
tee. has received letters from Representa-
| tive Burton and Senator Foraker offering