Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-03-04

Ito be expended. that Mr.. Roosevelt
vas unwilling to assume the respol
sibility without having his decision
supported BY congressional action.
The speaker gave credit to Sena
tor Knox, Senator (then representa-
tive Bnufton and others for th'
work they did to convert the mem
hers Of congress. but said the '1grea
power" was the influence Of Pdrest
dent Roosevelt. I'VE hear a 600.
deal today about the Overgrown exc
cutive power. but there were 'bray,
men before Agamemnon.' he said
But no one will ever know, excep,
those who were engaged. how close
the fight was and how uncertain the
results" MI. Taft said he acted 4.
parliamentary whip On that parti
cular issue"
Following the retirement OF En-,
gtneer Stevens, in charge OF the work
on the ithmus. the former president
said that "Mr. Roosevelt and | con.
cluded that we 0nght to avail our.
| selves of. the services of that able
patriotic corps, the army engineers,
who, had had greater civil c05nistruuc-
ton under thei contol and had had
moe contracts to make and more
money to spend than any similar
body in the world. Z
Selection Of! coethals.
mir Roosevelt said t me: Who Is
your MANI" had conferred with
Gen. Mackenzie. chief Of engineers,
and he commended to me as the man
for the job George w. Goethals. /
had known (then) Mai. Goethals quite.
pleasantly and favorably as the &C.
tive Office man of the chief of en-
gi1eers and his immediate assistant.
He was a son of a Dutchman and ma:
turall;' inherite da knowledge and
love for canals He had led his class
at West Point, as his son did thirty
years later. so that his stock had
proved itself. Withthis information
I was ready to nswer President
R%0osevelt's question, and i recon.
mended Maj. 0Gethals, who was i'm.
mediately appointed. u
"The strain through which Col.
Cocktails has passed only those know.
who were associated with him In the
work. The diplomacy. the straight.
forward conduct, the persistence, the
patience, the wonderful executive
ability. the great engineering skill,
will some day be described in detail,
and the achievement set forth as it
ought to be. Now it can only; be des-
in general terms. Col. .Goe-
!hals is a soldier. He is a profes;
Aonal military engineer. His .aife
long he has regarded the chief of en-
.gineers as the most important office
that he could hold. Why, then,
not the government provide;
when the canal Is completed, for his |
elevation to the, rank of major gen.
eral and by a special provision al
low the president, when the vacancy
to name him as chief engin- |
eer of the army?
Il know that It has been proposed
that he be spared to help New York
out as chief Of police. With his ma
tural executive ability, with his dip.:t
and tact. ! doubt not he would
10 as well there as any mar who has
not had the. peculiar experience ne
cessary to complete success in thati
lificult place.
Why should Change % Made?
"N0r do l minimize its importance
its dignity, for no higher duty
could fall to any one than to main.
ain the good order and the law-abid.
condition OF a great metropolis Of
5,000y 900 of people. But why not
keep Col. Goethals in the place he
likes, in the work he likes to do,
md why suggest that he enter other
fields where success is less assured
Ind In which possibly men with
specific experience in that
lind Of work couid serve the high
purpose that Mayor Mitchell has? l
lave pesonal knowledge of Col. Har-
lords great tact, capacity and train
ing for such a police service, and /
10 not hesitate thus publicly to re.
commend him to Mayor Mitchell,
Col. Goethals be treated as /
rave suggested, and should no other
New York man fill the re-