The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-02-15
President Elect StopsOver Night
in Cincinnati
On Trip From New Orleans to
Washington.
CABINET is MADE UP
With the Exception of a Secre-
tary of the Treasury.
He Probably Will Come From
Ohio or Illinois.

Cincinnati, Feb. 15.-President-elect
and Mrs. Taft arrived in their home
city from Panama and New Orleans
Sunday. They are guests at the c. P
Taft residence until they leave for
Washington.
The trip to washington is important
as its primary object relates to the re-
port of the engineers who accompanied
Mr. Taft to Panama This likely Will
be given him upon his arrlVa! there
Tuesday morning He viii take the
document to the White House where it
will be the subject of a conference with
the president.
The contents of the report have been
1orecasted, the features being strong
endorsement of the present plans.
While in Washington Mr.. Taft ex-
poets to confer with Senator Knox and
others relative to cabinet appoint
Tnents. Senator Knox and Frank H.
Hitchcock have accepted the positions
of secretary Of state and postmaster
general
AS to the Other places unconfirmed
rumors make the cabinet as follows:
Attorney general Mr. Wickersham of
New York; secretary of war, Mr.
Wright of Tennessee; secretary of the
navy, Mr. Meyer of Massachusetts;
secretary of the interior. Mr.. Ballinger
of Washington state; secretary of agri-
culture, Mr.. Wilson of Iowa; secretary
of commerce and labor, Mr.. Nagel of
Missouri.
1t is the general understanding that
Mr.. Taft wishes to fill the treasury
portfolio either from Illinois or Ohio.
Should the appointment go to his own
state, it is likely that it will fall to
Myron T. Herrick.
Mr.. Taft also will consult with the
president and others regarding his in
augural speech. On his return here
Thursday. Mr.. Taft will be made a
Mason con sight" an honor rarely
conferred by the Masonic order.
The Return Trip.
Talking through Louisiana, Missis-
sippi and Alabama, like during cam
paign days, President-elect Taft on his
trip home had the qualification which
he evidently enjoyed of being heartily
received by large and enthusiastic
crowds who had not voted for him.
Several items he made his appreciation
plain. At the same time he left a
touch of irony as a reminder that his
predictions had surely come true and
not only did the south seem willing to
accept him as their president but his
greatest desire was to be the president
of every man, woman and child in the
nation.
There was one other burden on the
Taft mind-a desire to show utter con-
tempt for what he termed the baseless
and hurtf1l criticism of the work being
done on the Panama canal. The gem
iality of the Taft smile may be seen in
this sentence in his address at Hatties-
burg. Miss:
~ L am QeuBnIeQ TO say TO you Ihat
am your president and you can not help
it. and if ever an opportunity comes
again, it will crafty me to come down
here to Hattiesburg, named after, 1
doubt not. a beautiful woman. and say
to the people of Hattiesburg come up
to Washington and we will give you
the right hand of fellowship and will
show you that you own just as much
of the White House and have as much
right to call on the president and. in
deed. on the woman who occupies it
and runs it-as anybody"
Stand by the Diggers.
The Panama canal is going to be
built" he declared. land what I want
you to do and what / want every
American citizen to do is to stand by
the men who are building it. Don't
set a fire in the rear; don't distrust the
men who are giving up their strength
and energy and enterprise to put that
great work through. When you have
agents who are doing your work, you
stand behind them. If you don't you
can not get your work done. The men
who do your work are entitled to your
help and confidence and you ought not
to allow yourselves to be led astray by
buncombe speeches in the house of rep
reSentativeS or by headlines in senSa-
tional newspapers and go back on the
men that are doing the work
Il don't care whether you are Demo-
Gratis or Republicans, you want the
work done and when the army en-
gineers who are doing this work are
giving all their time to carrying out this
work you are not men to go back on
them. OF to believe every idle story that
comes from the mouth of some poIiti-
clan who is seeking to make himself
prominent or give himself the adver-
tisement of a little unfounded sensa-
tional statement.
THAT work is being done honestly. II
known what I am talking about 1t will
be built and all the wind opposition
that comes merely from a desire to ex-
alt and exploit the man who makes
himself responsible won't obstruct it,
IT know what the people of the United
States want in that regard and in so
far is have power as the executive of
this country 1 am going to push that
work and I am going to stand behind
the men who are doing it,