Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1914-02-27
CELEBRATION OF OPENING OF
THE PANAMA CANAL is NOW
BEING ARRANGED.
PARADE OF WORLDS NAvIEs
President Wilson, Mr.. Taft and Col
onel Roosevelt May Be Together
on Bridge of the Oregon.
Leading the Procession.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

Goethals will take up his duties as
governor of the Canal Zone. On the
same day the duties of the present
members of the Isthmian Canal COM
mission will cease, and at once they
Will take up the active work of pre-
pairing for the good time coming"
when the battleships of the world are
to pass through the great waterway
which thus is to be dedicated to the
commerce of the world.
Congress soon intends to sanction
the plan of the administration to des-
ignate all the Isthmian Canal commits
sioners. except Colonel Cocktails, as
members of the committee on arrange
ments for the great celebration to be
held in honor of the opening of the
Panama Canal on January 1 next.
The committee for the celebration
Will consist of Col Harry F. Hodges,
who designed the operating machinery
of the locks; Lieut.-Col. William L.
Sibert, the builder of the Gatun locks.
dam and spillway; Commander II. II.
Rousseau. United States navy. who
has been charged with the work con-
nected with the ocean approaches and
with the establishment of a naval
base. and Richard Lee Metcalf, civil
Ian commissioner and head of the de-
partment of civilian administration.
Colonel William C. Gorgas. also
member of the Isthmian canal com
mission. is now surgeon-general of the
army. He probably will assume the
duties OF his new position and will
take no part in the work of preparing
for the celebration. With his fellow
commissioners. however. he will be
present In Panama "on the great
day"
Plans for the Great Day.
1t is possible for your correspondent
to give in advance some of the plans
which the committee of arrangements
has in mind for the great affair of
next January. In April the members
Of the committee will come to the
United States. 1t is expected two or
three Of them will go to Europe to
confer with the government officials
of Great Britain and OF the continen-
tai countries with a view to securing
rs adequate a representation of each
government at the canal opening as
is possible. II Is hoped by the com
missioners that the different countries
will send a larger representation of
warships to the Isthmus than was at
first proposed.
Woodrow Wilson. president of the
United States. and Theodore Roose-
welt and William Fl. Taft. former pres
identa. will be invited to the opening
exercises and it is possible that the
good ship Oregon. which will lead
the procession OF battleships through
the canal. will have on board these
three distinguished men.
This plan of having Mr.. Wilson. Mr..
Roosevelt and Mr.. Taft on the Oregon
is being discussed in Washington to-
day with something like trepidation,
The wonder IL whether or not the
three men will take kindly to the ar
rangement which has been suggested
Mr.. Roosevelt and Mr.. Taft might
should meet in the narrow confines
of the bridge OF the old Oregon.
II is being urged that II Colonel
Roosevelt and Mr.. Taft both shall ac-
cept the Invitations to go through the
cana! on a battleship. they be assign
ed to the second ship in line, letting
the president have the Oregon, save
for its officers and its crew. all to him
self. So far as the two former presi-
dents are concerned this plan might
be all right IL II did not contemplate
the putting of both of them on the
same boat where the awkwardness OF
a like situation on the Oregon would
not be in the least diminished.
Bryan ana Single Term.
lie President Wilson going to say
the word to congress about the beauty
Of the plank in the Democratic plat
form which declares for the principle
Of only one term for the presidency OF
the United States-that is. for no more
than one term. unless the term of
somebody else intervenes?
II is believed in Washington that
it is the staying hand of William j.
Bryan which is delaying the introduce
ton into congress of a resolution au-
thorizing the submission to the PEG
pie of an amendment to the constitu-
ton which. If adopted in time. would
make President Wilson Ineligible for
reelection. This is believed, al
though what Mr.. Bryan has said and
done in the past, proves that he is a
staunch advocate of the single term.
In this city there are some persons
who think the great Commoner has
been given some assurance by Wood.
row Wilson that when the proper time
shall come he will announce his devo-
ton to the principle to which he was
pledged in advance by the Democrat
&c national convention. and that he
intends to abide by the spirit of a
announcement. even II 1t cannot be
put, prior to 1915. into form which
will have the effect of law
No Attempt at Domination.