The National tribune., 1910-10-13

dates and politicians are occupied in
the campaign and will not be ready to
talk about legislation till after the cleo
tions have passed. These arguments
seem to have prevailed with the Presi-
dent. so that he has about as good as
decided TO forcgo the trip to the
Isthmus of Panama, which he is very
anxious to make.
But he has said within few days
that he intends to go to Panama. any
way, within the next six months. He
believes that he can find an opportunity
TO go there along in March or April
and is now looking forward to such a
visit He would like very much to go
there in November. that he might have
a look at the Culebra cut and make
a statement to the public about the
significance of the big slide which oc-
CURED there recently. He does not
regard the slide as 4 serious obstacle,
but regrets that it will delay Tor ut
tie the completion of the canal TO
him, however, il is new evidence OF the
objection to a sea-lerel canal, for with
such q project the slides would be much
more troublesome.
The President is very familiar with
many details touching the construction
of the canal. and when the news dis
patches tell of any occurrence there
he understands pretty thoroly what 1t
means. He was talking with half
dozen correspondents recently about
the slides in the Culebra cut. The con-
versation was directed to certain houses
high upon the bank, which the Presi-
dent said were now in some danger
of sliding into the canal prism. He
took a sheet of paper and drew dia-
gram of the houses in that vicinity and
named the different officials who oc-
cupied them.
If a sea-Ievel canal had been decided
upon. the depth of the Culebra cut
would have been so feet more than
under the present project. That would
have necessitated a cut three or four
times as wide at the top as. is neces-
sary now, and even then, the dangers
of slides would have been much great
er and the amount of earth coming
down in slide would have been much
larger. The earth there is hard. but
softens on exposure to the air. AS water
seepS down thru it, the layers of dirt
become soapy, and then it is a ques-
ton of time before there will be a
slide.
The Panama Canal.
If the President had found he could
go to Panama in November, he would
have undertaken q statement describ-
He feels as tho this would have been
assuring to the American public and
as tho it would have headed off inev-
liable criticism of the project. In one
way the great slides are an advantage,
because the steam shovels are now in
position and can proceed eXpeditiously
to the removal of the earth. Further
more there are railroad tracks and
rolling stock with which the spoil can
be taken away rapidly-much more
rapidly and with far less embarrcss-
ment than would happen had the slide
occurred after the canal was open to
navigation.
The serious phase, however. is that
the ground may keep sliding for many
years end that at intervals the use of
the canal may be impossible. The best
engineers cannot tell how far back the
ground will crumble from the sides of
the cut Presumably this process will
have nearly ended by the time the canal
is completed, five years from now. The
delay to construction work is not very
great The President is informed that
il will probably require about one
month for the steam shOveIs to remove
the dirt which has recently slidden into
the excavation. Sooner or later il viii
be necessary. he thinks. to move q
number OF Government houses that
We're originally erected at the top of
the cut and some distance back from
it
Reports of the active campaigning
in numerous States are reaching the
Autumn Capital almost daily. Secretary
Norton takes pains to gather much in
formation on that subject, but some of
il comes direct to the President. He
has had an impression that the cause
is looking up a little in his home State
of Ohio, but is aware that the Repub-
licans have a desperate fight on their
hands TO regain control of the State.
Carmi A. Thompson. of Columbus, who
was prominent as a gubernatorial can
didate, and G. A. Mcclellan, of Day
ton, were at Beverly a couple of days
ago to acquaint the President with
Buckeye political developments. The
President has sent Secretary Nagel, of
the Department of Commerce and La
Dor, into Ohio to make some political
speeches. He is hopeful that cOndi-
tions will improve so as to make the
election of Warren G.. Harding as Gov
ernor probable. Such an outcome would
lift a serious cloud from the Presidents
political horizon. A President is eX-
pected to keep the control of his home
State within the Republican party, but
as Gov. Harmon is now declared Presi-
dent for the Democratic nomination in
1912. his triumph at the polls next
month would encourage the Republi-
can opposition to President Taft
The New Jersey Campaign.
On the whole. the trend of political
news brought to the President continues
to- be Democratic. DR.. Woodrow Will
son, the Democratic gubernatorial
nominee in New Jersey. seems to be
making a whirlwind campaign, and is
attracting a great deal more attention
than the Republican candidate, Mr.
Lewis. The jersey Republicans are all
shot to pieces with factional quarrels,
and the prophesies Of weeks ago that
they were irreconcilably at odds seems
to- have been justified. The campaign
there appears to have put in doubt not
only the election of a United States
Senator, but also number of Republi-
can Congressman. The Democrats are
well organized and aggressively har-
monious, and, in spite of the fact that
New Jersey has been steadily Repub-
lican for Is years. they now seem To
have a decided advantage.
With all the news that has been
brought him about the New York cam
paign, the President has no information
that is very satisfying about the out
come. The struggle for the control oil
the State is not well under way yet as
between the two parties. New York
is so populOus and there are so many
political currents and cross currents
that IL iS next fo irOunSSihle in a c. ~.