The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-06-26

ooih III loiiS DOOtS With spade his
aeg I'd digging. But before there could be
task to meet First of all the isthmus must
pc changed from disease breeding pest-holei
work in safety. The canal 1one must mus abe be
eleaaed s up MOSQUITOES stamped out and the
must be constructed for many thousands of.
P pera and their families. The cities of
cana dna n,n and h Colon at the terminal of the.
supplied Suppl ,o with water and sewers An organi-
usf be- eor the work Of canal
worth OF machinery and supplies must be-
purchased .ssl and transported to the isthmus.
business character 1t required only time and
ability d to handle them properly. But there
fore these could be undertaken, and it was of
decidedly different nature. The Hay varilla
treaty with Panama had secured Ito the
United States all the rights necessary for com
'ptete control OF the canal zone, and it became
OF the utmost Importance to insure the main
tenance of friendly relations with the people
OF the isthmus republic, 1t would certainly
greatly increase the ordinary difficulties of
building the canal if people had to en-
counter the hostilities of the Panamanians
n here was problem largely similar to thst
me- by Mr. Taft in the Philippines, and call
ing ing for the exercise of the same qualities of
he had exhibited in the Far East
IL became his task to convince the Panama
s Statop people and government that the United
states ns, mad not gone to the isthmus to build
al rival val state instead of canal. AS head of
the war department, and the superior of the
canal commission, he has conducted all the
aHa1rs of this government with the republic
OF Panama since the ratification of the or
lglnai treaty, and has succeeded in keeping
our our relations with the isthmus uniformly
has made a trip to the canal zone and exam
med i al. affairs there with his own eyes He
has just returned from the isthmus the presi-
dent having sent him there to settle NUM-.
Der of questions which required his personal
conception of his responsibilities on the 18TH
mus may be had from the fact that since
the actual work of canal building began there
has been spent it upward of $50 600 600
and every dollar of that expenditure required
and received his approval.
Real Self Government for Cuba.
Aside from the Philippines and the canal
the greatest call that has been made upon
Mr. Taft since he became secretary of war
similar to the Philippine problem The Am
eriean people have SO long imbibed the theory
and practice of self-government with their
mothers milk that they have developed a
tendency to believe any people fitted for it
who desire it, To us liberty is self-govern-
ment, but to many a people with neither ex-
perience nor tradition of anything but prac-
teal autocracy self-government is only Ii
cense. So it was with the Cubans When our
intervention had freed that island from the
Spanish yoke we deemed it sufficient insurance
of successful government for the Cubans to
require them to adopt constitution before
nored the fact that Cuba had no experience
OF constitutions or understanding of their
our requirement we sailed away from Havana
and left her to work out her salvation
una1ded and untaught.
The result of that folly was inevitable and
not long delayed. The Cubans having adopted
of what to do with it. They proceeded to
govern under the only system of which they
n mao amy now The % of the
decree. He created by his fiat the depart
ments of government which should have been
established by law of congress under authority
of the constitution. Freedom in the American
sense was unknown in Cuba. Justice was a
chase, and government was oppression
Order Out of Chaos
The experiment was aimed toward chaos
September 1905, the United i States sN had to
intervene again, and the task fell on Mr..
States and Cuba that it was so. With his
experience of the Filipinos a guide and
me magnetism Tast tbs of of his personality as lever
secured peaceable Intervention. Then he de-
Whc a all he c up
1t was the intention then to maintain that
uhaps for only Long enough to t give the
select their own government by full and free
expression of their own will But almost
covered the fundamental mistake made by the
earlier American administration. 1t found
that the Cubans has been attempting to adj
minister a government which had been
organized and existed only by virtue of the
Mr.. Taft to provide the organization under
never known the essential of successful
self-government The work is, now nearing
quit Havana, it. will be after turning over to
the Cubans "a governmental machine properly
they have been taught to understand and
control. Thus, to two peoples has Mr. Taft
been called upon to give instruction in prac-
teal self government.
The character of Mr.. Taft is the resultant
of strongly contrasting forces. He is man
who laughs and fights From his boyhood.,
good nature and good humor have been the
traits which always received notice first But
all the time he has been capable of -spen-
did wrath, which now and then has blazed
out. under righteous provocation to the
Because he is always ready to laugh. and has
great roar of enjoyment to signify his app
probation of the humorous men, who have nave
to understand that he is just ready to fight.
with energy and determination. for any cause
always other mans cause which ensts
him. His battles have been in other interests
than his First of all he is an altruist,
and then fighter
A Combative Altruist.
This combative altruism is Mr.. Tafts most
distinguishing characteristic. As secretary of
some hard battles but they were with blood
for peace. The greater the degree Of altru-
ism the keener was his zeal. the harder and
utterly his settled ambition and cheerfpy
itself, was on Behalf Of the weakest and
most helpless object in whose cause, he was
the purest and Hottest altruism.
But although this is the dominant trait OF
Mr Ta Hs me Is we founded upon
a deep seated, comprehensive and ever alert
sense of right and wrong; MS conrag S
imperturable judgment, and his all-embracing
sympathy are CHARACTERISTIC that have. been
right of Inheritance from generations of
broad minded upright men and women. The
development of his country has extended the
range of his opportunity and given greater