Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-21
President Confers on Securing
Original District Territory.
MAY MEAN ENTERING SUIT
Mr.. Taft Discusses Subject With At
torney General.
CABINET MEMBERS KEPT BUSY
Big Problems Face Administration
in It's Closing Days-Mexican
Trouble Considered.

President Taft held conference this
morning at the White House with Attor-
ney General Wickersham as to the rights
Of the United States in the matter of the
land originally coded by Virginia to the
District Of Columbia as part of the ten
miles square capital of the United States
and later coded back to Virginia by the
United States.
This land, President Taft thinks, should
be recovered by the United States, and it
was the subject of part of his address last
night at the farewell banquet given
him by the citizens of Washington, when
he said that he might order suit in
stituted before he left office to endeavor
to get the land back as part of the Dis
trict, SO that the palisades may he pre-
served, and the capital have additional
room in which to grow.
After discussing the subject thoroughly
with the President. Attorney General
Wickersham said that he would have the
whole matter gone into at the Depart
ment of Justice, and make report to
the President in regard to what it may
seem, from a legal point of view, most
desirable for the President to do in or
der to attempt to recover the land.
Cabinet Has Hands Full.
Today's cabinet meeting, getting toward
the last of the cabinet administration, had
its hands full of important subjects. Sec
rotary Knox, first to be called, took up
Mexico and nearly every other cabinet
officer who was reached had pending
business of some sort to dispose of.
President Taft's three biggest problems,
if the Mexican situation does not again
come to the front, are the reorganization
of the customs service, as proposed by
the Treasury; action as to the board of
appraisers in New York, report from a
special commission being before Mr.. Taft
and the disposition to be made of the
Webb bill prohibiting shipment of liquor
for illegal purposes into prohibition terri
tory
If the President does not approve the
REORGANIZATION of the customs service and
send it to Congress before March f. as
provided by law, there will be no reor-
ganiZatiOn until Congress again makes
provision for one. While Secretary Mac
Veagh has submitted the scheme of re-
organization to the President, as worked
upon SO long by the Treasury Depart
ment. he has done so, it was said today
with some reservations.
Would Cut Down Employees.
Assistant Secretary Curtis has been at
work upon the project for months, under
the direction of Mr. MacVeagh Mr.
Curtis wants. it is understood a pretty
extensive wiping out of collectors, naval
officers and surveyors of ports He wants
to go further in eXtinguishing what he
regards as useless and ornamental jobs
than Mr.. MacVeagh. who does not agree
that SO many should be put out of BUSH
ness.
agreement would jeopardize the reorgani-
zation. MIR. MacVeagh submitted the plan
to the President with statement of the
views of himself and Mr.. Curtis. The
President has given the matter much
thought, and he has some views of his
own. The probability today was that
after considering the subject at the cabi
net meeting the President would early
next week have a conference at which
the plan would be put into shape under
his direction and approved by him in
time to reach Congress to become eff
fective at this session.
Boundary Dispute Settled.
The Texas-New Mexico boundary line
dispute was settled today by the Presi-
dent approving the final report of the
two commissoners-eX-Sen Cockrell,
representing the United States, acting
for New Mexico. and Judge Samuel r,
Scott representing Texas. The report
fixes the point in dispute at the intersec-
ton of the thirty-second' parallel and the
Rio Grande river. as it Is now. The
agreement is i'll accord with the bill in
troduced in the House by Representative
Stevens of Texas several years ago.
President Taft went to Alexandria this
afternoon to take part in the Masonic
celebration there. Tonight he will leave
for New York, TO be gone until Sunday
night.