Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1908-06-24

rruuircd governmental action.
 Tine administration of canal affairs t,. rcu,iircd in a high degree that o,,,lity described as executive ability. Thc huilding of a canal K a tremendous enterprise. calling constantly for the rxcrci,o of sound business judgment. In |, Nr. Taf, has displayed in rIpcned rtnp,rtiou. thc abilities hc forshadow cal when solicitor general and collector of internal revenue.
 Building the Canal.
 When NIT. Taft became Secretary ot War this country had just taken pos cssion uf the canal zone. under treaty with inc republic of Panama, and or inc old canal property. including inc Panama railroad. by purchase from the French company The work was all to do. The country expected the dirt to begin to fly at once The ncwspa- pcrs and periodicals were full Of ear ioon, representing Inclc Sam in long bnnts with a spade oH his shoulder, striding down to the isthmus to bcgin digging. Bnt before there could he any real excavation there was tre mrndous task tp meet. First of all the istnmuS must bc changed from dis. ease breeding pest hole to place where Americans could live and work in safety. The canal zone must be cleaned up. moSquitos stamped out and the place made sweet and healthy. Iiabitations must bc constructed for many thousands of workmcn and their families. The cities of Panama and Colon. at the terminal of the canal, |. l.. nj n supplied with water and sewers. An organization for the work of canal con struction must he perfected and mil lions of dollars worth of machinery and supplies must bc purchased and trans. ported to the iS,nmus.
 All these things, however. were of a purely business character It required only time and ability to handle them properly. But there was another mat. ter io bc taken care of before these could bc undertaken. and it was oi a decidedly different nature. The Hay Narilla treaty with Panama had sccur- cd tO the United States all the rights necessary for complete control of the canal zone. and it became of the ut. most importance to insure the maintcn- ancc of friendly relations vita the people of the iSthmus republic. II would certainly greatly increase the ordinary difficulties of building the canal if our people had to encounter the hostiltcs of the Panamanians.
 Here was problem largely similar to that met by Mir. Taft in the Philip pines. and calling for the exercise of the same qualities of tact. sympathy justice and patience which he had ex hibitcd in the Far East.
 II became his task to convince the Panamaninn people and government that the United States had not gone to the isthmus to build rival state instead of canal. AS head of tho War Department, and the superior of the Canm Commission. he has conduct cd all the affairs of this government with the republic of Panama since the ratification of the original treaty, and has succeeded in keeping our relations with the isthmus uniformly pleasant Always, at least once a year, hc has made trip t0 the canal zone and eX. amincd affairs there with his own eyes He has just returned from the isthmus the President having sent him tacrc to settle number of questions which rc. quircd his personal consideration on the ground, Perhaps some conception of his responsibilities on the isthmus may be had from the fact that since the actual work of canal building bc. gan. there mas been spent on it upward of SsO,O0O,OOO, 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 Mir Taf, since he ocean, Secretary of War came from Cuba This was case largely similar to the Philippine problem. The American people have so long imbibcd the theory and practice of sclf-governmcnt with their mothers milk that they have de. vcloped n tendency to believe any peo. pie fitted for it who desire it. To uS liberty is government, but to many people with neither experience nor tradition of anything but practical autocracy self government is only li cense. So it was with the Cubans When our intervention had freed that island from the Spanish yoke we deem. cd IL suihelent insurance of successful government for the Cubans to require them to adopt constitution before we turned the island over to them. We ignored the fact that Cuba had no OK. ! pcrionec of constitutions or undcr standing of their functions. So when Cuba had conformed to our requirement we sailed away from Havana and lief, her to work out her own salvation m. aided and untaught.
 The result of that folly was inevi table and not long delayed. The On bans having adopted constitution they had not the slightest idea of what to do with 1t. They proceeded to gov, ern under the only system of which they had any knowledge. The procla nation of the president took the plac, Fof the old royal decree. He created h, his fiat the departments of government, which should have been established h, law or congress under authority of tn, constitution. Freedom in the American sense was unknown in Cuba. Justic,