Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-24
Mayor Mitchell Also Says He
Will Not Be Governor of
Panama Canal.
TWO CONDITIONS MUST
BE FULFILLED, HOWEVER
Belief Here He Will Act as Gov
ernor of Canal Zone for
Year First.

NEW YORK, January 24-If Col.
George W. Goethals should be offered the
position Of governor of the Canal Zone
by President Wilson he will not accept.
This is the Interpretation Mayor John
Purroy Mitchell placed today on Col
Goethals' present attitude toward the
police commissionship of this city, which
has been rendered him
IF language means anything" said the
mayor. col. Goethals will become police
commissioner of New York city. provided
two conditions which he imposes are full
filled. l expect these conditions to be
realized.
The mayor added that if occasion de
manded he would go to Washington to
see President Wilson in the matter. and
that he expected. at any rate. to get In
touch with the President shortly. He
had no official knowledge. he said, of any
intention on the part of the President to
offer Col Goethals the governorship Of
the Canal Zone, but he did expect that
the President would grant the colonel S
proposed request for retirement from the
army. This. he intimated. would be the
subject to be taken up with the Presi-
dent.
Two Conditions Imposed.
The two conditions imposed by Col.
Goethals are his retirement from the
army and the enactment of legislation
which will give the police commissioner
power to remove subordinates without
court review.
IT have not asked the President to re-
tire Col. Croethals as yet" said the
mayor in reply to a question, but ex-
pect to get in touch with him shortly
i am willing to wait several months for
the colonel. l certainly never expected
him to take the position until he mas
finished his duties in the Canal Zone
Mayor Mitchell was in conference with
counsel today preparing a bill TO be sub
nitted to the state legislature giving the
police commissioner the power COL
Goethals desires. He called Lieut.. Gov
WAGNER into conference and received as
e,,rances from him that the bill would
have the support OF the ADMINISTRATOR
at Albany
Mrs. Roosevelt Takes Hand.
The fact that Col Goethals was willing
to entertain under certain conditions,
proposal to accept the police commis-
sionership is said to have been due to
Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt. wife OF the for
mer President, more than to any one ese.
Col Goetnals was first approached on
the subject by Mayor John furroy
Mitchell. No direct offer was made. oue
the colonel made it known that he would
NOT accent. Mrs Roosevelt visited Pan
anna soon after Mayor Mitchell left. and,
!, is said. learned that Col Goethals was
considering the tentative offer made to
him bv the mayor. Mrs Roosevelt at
once became interested. and talked with
81, C;oethals about the New York police
6enartment, recalling Mr.. Roosevelts ex-
reriences when he was commissioner.
sbs urged the colonel to reconsider his
determination.
Mrs Roosevelt and Mrs. Goethals also
discussed the matter. Mrs. Goethals. II
,s understood. is anxious to leave Panama
for good, and told Mrs. Roosevelt so. and
n was ON her suggestion that Mayor
Mitchell was urged to send an emlssary
to Col. Goethals. Mrs. Goethals came to
New York on the same steamship with
Mrs Roosevelt when the latter returned
from Panama
Communicates With Mayor Mitchell,
Irpon her arrival in New York Mrs
Roosevelt communicated with Mayor
Mitchell and told him there was pos
sibility that Col Goethals might accept
the commissionership. The mayor imme-
diately took up the question with George
". Perkins, with the result that Mr.. Per
kins went to Panama and has just re-
turned with Col Goethals conditional ac-
ceptance-
The publication of Col Goethals' letter
drew from Washington the statement that
II was the understanding that President
Wilson had all along intended to appoint
the builder Of the canal as first governor
of the Canal Zone.
Understanding in Washington.
In discussing this report as to the in
tention of President Wilson to make Col.
Goethals head of the new Panama gov
ernment Lindley NJ. Garrison, Secretary
of War who is in New York. today said
that the understanding in Washington
was in accord with his idea of the situa-
tion He had always supposed that Col.
Goethals would be appointed governor of
the Canal Zone and believed that he
would prefer to remain in Panama as
long as he could be of service there.
II consider the services of Col Goethals
Invaluable" Secretary Garrison said.
..and l hope he will remain in Panama.
Goethals' Letter to Mitchell.
Col Goethals in his letter to Mayor
Mitchell said:
Il have given much consideration to
your kind offer to appoint me police COM
missioner, and have discussed 1t fully
with Mr. Perkins. l can only reiterate
what l have stated to you-that the pos
ton strongly appeals to me, but there are
certain conditions which prevent me
from accepting it,
'In the first place, it has been my hope
and desire to see the canal completed and
in satisfactory operation. If our ex-
pectations are realized, this should be &C
complished before the close of the year.
''In the second place. l am an Officer
on the active list of the army, and while
occupying this status / am not at liberty
to accept outside employment.
There are. therefore. only two courses
for me to pursue to enable me to accep,
your offer-one is to resign from tht
service and the other is to be placed OF
the retired list. The former ! would not
he IaSt fotS- 7 hot-