Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-02
CIVIL AUTHORITY INVOLVED
President Informed Some Senators
May Block Plans for Canal Zone.
NAME MAY NOT REACH SENATE
Engineer Will Not Be Humiliated by
Having to Make Fight for
the Governorship.

President Taft today started inquiries
to ascertain if it is true that the demo.
Gratis in the Senate will object to the
nomination of Col George w. Goethals
as first Governor Of the Panama Cana
Zone, and whether the leaders of tina,
party propose to drag politics into the
wind-up of the greatest piece of construc.
tion work in the world
If the President receives reports tha,
Senator Hoke Smith and other democrat ts
propose 20 stop Mr.. Tafts plans of in
augurating civil government in the zone
he will refrain from issuing the executive
order he had in mind establishing the new
government. and will not send to the Sen.
ate the name of Col. Goethals as first
governor.
Mr.. Taft would not humiliate the grea
engineer who has nearly finished tn.
canal by subjecting him to fight In tn.
Senate.
Col. Goethals. suffering nervously from
the immense strain upon him in the zone
INFINITELY prefers not to have put upor
him the burden of starting the new gov
ernment. He has sought for months n
nave the understanding that he be al.
lowed to retire from the work as soon as
the water was turned into the canal and
all the kinks had been Strengthened out
and he has told President Taft that he
old not believe it would be physically
possible for him to remain in the Canal
Zone more than a year and a half longer
Plans to Take Judson Along.
Assuming that there would be no
objection to the starting of civil gov
eminent, with himself as first gov
ernor. Col Goethals. as stated in The
star several weeks ago, had planned to
take to the Canal Zone with him Col
w. w. Judson, now Engineer Commits
sioner of the District Of Columbia. as
vice governor, SO that upon Goethars
retirement in 1914. Col. Judson, with
his experience in administrative and
executive work here. would be we'll
ntted to assume, the governorship
The President has ample authority
under the Panama canal act passed last
August to issue an executive order
changing the status of things in the
zone and giving Col Goethals the honor
as frst governor. The President has
firmly believed the American people,
with deep interest in the canal. would
feel that the honor of the first gov
ernorship should go to the engineer who
has accomplish such wonders, and when
he left here for Panama two weeks
ago he had not the slightest idea that
there would be any objection to this
plan, which it is conceded in the Canal
Zone should be put into effect at the
earliest possible moment. so as to set
things there on a business basis and
remove heavy expenditures that have
resulted under former acts.
The President felt that If the work Of
starting the civil government were left to
Gov. Wilson. with the thousands of other
things that will crowd upon him after
March 4. there would be great delay in
getting everything ready for the opening
of the canal. He really felt. he has told
his friends. that he was doing the incom-
ing President favor in relieving him of
huge problem, the details of which Mr..
Taft is intimately acquainted with by his
close association with the canal from the
beginning, first as Secretary Of War and
for four years as President, during which
time he has made five trips to the canal
and personally investigated everything
connected with it.
Employees to Be Dropped.
AS the canal nears completion there
must be dropped thousands Of employees.
The weeding-out process ought to start
within a few months, and Col Goethals
is the one man, in the estimation Of the
President, who knows how to do this. 1t
is admitted that Col. Goethals is inti-
mately acquainted with every detail of
the work of the canal and zone. knows
the qualifications and fitness Of the 10000
employees on the canal and should be the
man given undisputed authority over
everything.
The situation now is complicated by the
fact that while Col. Goethals is the head
and chief engineer of the canal, Gov.
Thatcher is governor of the zone, job
that Is honorary, but carrying with it
much useless expense. AS the first civil
governor OF the zone Col. Goethals would
be clothed with power to make a clean
up of ornamental jobs. Should the Presi-
dent wash his hands of the whole Job and
put Ii up to Mr.. Wilson, the new Presi-
dent-to-be would have a sickening job, it
is predicted. in preventing the canal being
made political dumping ground for dem
ocrats seeking pay for their work in the
last campaign.
Col. Geethals makes the fiat statement
that II politics Is to have play anywhere
in the reorganization of the canal he does
not want anything to do with 1t, and will
seek to be relieved at the earliest possi-
BILE moment. contining himself. until he is
relieved. to strictly engineering problems.
Gov. Thatcher is Kentucky republican,
and wants TO remain in a good position
under the proposed new government.
Many others want to remain there of
course, but Col Goethals the President
believes. is the one man to use proper dis
elimination. in the best interests of the
United States. in taking charge of the
wedding out that is inevitable
The President today, In talking with
some of his senatorial callers. expressed
surprise that any talk of opposition to
Col. Goethals should have started. He is
not convinced that there is any such talk
from responsible sources. and was told
by one democratic senator that Goethals
has no enemies in the Senate
Sends Message of Coincidence.
President Taft learned today Of the
death of Mayor Farrell Of Maiden,
Mass. he sent message of con-
dolence. to be published in the local
papers. Maiden was one of the towns
that opened its doors to the President
last summer.
The President has also received an
imposing official document showing his
election as an honorary member of
Liberty Masonic Lodge. at Beverly.
This is one of the Masonic lodges the
President has attended since he be-
came a Mason.