The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-11-04


Be waiting for me by the western sea.
Meath the shade OF the sheltering
palm"
WASHINGTON. Nov. 4.-With this
| peaceful lyric droning dreamily In our
ears, let us embark upon a prose
| poem, an epic, the subject being the
| Forthcoming trip of portly president
to Panama.
President Taft will sail from
Charleston, S. c.. Nov. IL on the arm
ored cruiser Tennessee, newly fitted
up as a flagship. With him will be
Mrs. Taft, her sister Miss Heron,
Secretary Charles ID. Norton. Capt.
Archie Butt, stenographer and three
secret service men.
The cruiser Montana will attend as
convoy. Aboard the Montana will
be six fair-haired boys, who compris.
ed the newspaper dog watch that
vacationed with Taft at Beverly this
summer, personal guests of Taft for
the trip. None others are Invited
The favored six are expected TO bee
have and not write anything unpleas-
ant.
Fine They're off, smashing along
under forced draft. steen knots an
hour. Four days going, six days at
the canal, four days for the return;
1000 miles in two weeks. Great
You, dear reader, may think that
in view of the fact that Taft has just
got back from q four months vaca-
ton at Beverly 1t might be a good
idea for him to stay on the job awhile
(if IL isn't asking too much of him,
of course). but listen: There are state
affairs of such ponderosity, gravity
ociousness and momentuosity, not to
say heft, calling the president to Pan
anna this fall that even an inkling of
their paramount Importance can
scarcely be expected to drift into your
average intelligence. Taft and Nor
ton have prepared a list of them, and
here they are:
l. To determine what shall be the
cost of canal Notifications.
2. To determine what sort of per-
manent government the canal zone
needs.
3. To settle the rate foreign YES
sells viii pay for canal passage.
4. To determine what shall be
done with the Panama railroad.
D. To determine what compensa-
ton for injuries canal workmen shall
get
6. TO adjust salaries of certain
classes OF canal laborers.
There you have them-six jobs,
six days TO do 'em in, one job per day.
Ctnch! Statesmen have devoted years
OF thought to some of these problems
and haven't decided them yet. But
1t shows how foolish we've been, fus-
sing about such trifles. Tafts trip
Will demonstrate what happens to a
problem when a real, live, rapid
solver gets after It.
CTaft's going through a trunkful OF
papers in the Ballinger white-washing
affair, in one Week perusing noun
tain OF data 1t would have taken an
ordinary man a month just to read
and in addition writing a long opin.
ion and never missing an afternoon
at golf, was just a faint example of
his true speed)
But to be short about it-and tell
the exact truth as Washington knows
1.-THE president simply wants a nice
trip and Panama offers he hes excuse
The wisest heads in the Republican
party have pleaded with Taft not TO
go. These shrewd persons forsee
H'Ho AfNAAONl dAlC NlClOTY OIL cleo
ton day-a Democratic congress re-
turned. Certain Republican legisla-
tive measures are pressing for pas
sage. The last hope is in the present
Republican congress, which meets in
December and expires on March 4 af
ter brief session.
The leaders think Taft ought to be
at home neck deep in the legislative
campaign instead of galivanting
around the tropics. He protests that
he viii devote the time at sea TO the
preparation of his message to con.
gress. But every practical politician
knows that legislation is not secured
by messages, those fireworks and
show pieces of the presidents lob
but by personal conferences, argu.
ments, pleadings, trades and com.
promises. The leaders have told
Iait ne ought to be in the white
mouse attending to these things. but
Oh-huh-hum 'Ts lazy weather
Sophronisba. Let's to sea.