The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-28
Proposes Capt. ]. G. Hartford
U. s. A., and Would Keep
Goethals in Army.
AS CHIEF OF ENGINEERS
He Believes Canal Builder
Should BE Made a
Major-General.

here tonight before the Geographic So
ciety ex.President Taft made a suggestion
which will not be hailed with Joy by
Mayor Mitchell OF New York. He urged
that Congress make Col. George w. Goe-
thsls a Major General and that President
Wilson then appoint him Chief Engineer
OF the army.
Owing to the close friendship between
Mr.. Taft and Col Goethals the eX-Presl-
dents suggestion was regarded as sgnifi
cant and probably as indicating a prefer
ence by Col Goethals to continue his pro-
fessional career rather than accept the
Police Commissionership.
Mr.. Taft volunteered the suggestion
that Mayor Mitchell might ind a capable
Police Commissioner In Capt James @.
Hartford OF the United states army. for
merly assistant chief OF me Philippine
Cunstabulary.
Mr.. Tae's Address.
Mr. Taft said:
Tho strain through which Col Goe-
tlals has passed is only known to
those who were associated with him in
the work. The diplomacy. the straight
forward conduct. the persistence, the pa
thence. the wonderful executive ability.
the great engineering skill. will some day
be described In detail and the achieve
must be set forth as 1t ought to be. Now
IL can only be described In general terms.
col Goethais is a soldier. He is a
professional military engineer. His life
long he has regarded the Chief of En-
a.. ,A..t
he could hold. Why then should not
this Government provide when the
canal is completed for his elevation to the
rank Of Major-General. and by n special
provision allow the President. when the
vacancy occurs. to name him as Chief
Engineer OF the Army?
Il know that il has been proposed
that he be spared TO help New York out
as Police Commissioner. With his
natural executive ability. with his diplo-
macy and tact, | doubt not he would do
as we'll there as any man who has not
had the peculiar experience necessary to
complete success in that dificuit place
Nor do I minimize It's Importance or
It's dignity. for no higher duty could fall
| TO any one than to maintain the good
order and the law abiding condition Of a
great metropolis OF 100000 OF people.
But why not keep Col. Goethals in tho
place he likes. in the work he likes to do.
and why suggest that he enter other fields
where success is less assured and In which
possibly men with greater specific expert
/ ence IN that kind OF work could serve the
high purpose that Mayor Mitchell hasr
| Refers to Hartford.
II have personal knowledge OF Capt
! Harbord's great tact. capacity and train
/ ing for such police service and dc
not hesitate thus publicly 10 recommend
/ him to Mayor Mitchell should Col. Goe-
thals be treated as | have suggested and
should 10 other available New York man
| iii the requirements,
Mr.. Taft also told of the struggle To
have the Panama Canal sea level
waterway and with remarkable frankness
gave Col. Roosevelt the credit for the
adoption of the lock canal. lie told also
how he tTafD selected Col Goethals 70
dig the Panama Canal. Mr. Taft said:
| Following the retirement OF Engineer
| Stevens, In charge OF the work on the
| lsthmus, Mr.. Roosevelt and | concluded
that We ought to avail ourselves OF the
services Of that able. patriotic corps the
army engineers, who had had greater
civil construction under their control and
had had more contracts to make and
more money to spend than any similar
body in the world.
Mr.. Roosevelt said TO me: Who IL
your mani" l had conferred with Gen
] en1ia t'hlff ~ EuuueprS and
commended to me as the man for the job
George W. Cocktails. | had known the
then Major Goethals quite pleas an,ly and
fsvorably as the active office man Of the
Chief OF Engineers and his immediate as
sistant.
He was tho son of a Dutchman and
naturally inherited I'd knowledge and love
for canals He had led his class at Yves,
Point as his son did thirty years later, Sc
that his stock had proved itself. With this
| Information. therefore, ] was ready to
answer President Roosevelts question
and recommended Major Cocktails, who
was immediately appointed"
An Additional Significance.
Col. Cocktails is now in Washington and
this fact lends additional significance to
! Mr. Tafts remarks In regard to him. I,
is argued that the ex-President hardl,
would have suggested promotion for
Col. Cocktails which the latter would not
be inclined TO accept. Particular emphasis
was laid on this sentence of Mr. Tan's
speech:
His life long he tGoethalsl has re-
garded the Chief of Engineers as the mos
important office that he could hold"
Capt. James @. Hartford. who Is sug
gested by Mr.. Taft for Police Commits
sioner, is now at the Preside OF Monterey
Cal. He rose to his present rank from
the grade of private In the regular army
having enlisted In 1889 at the age OF %