Show A NEW NEB CABINET OFFICE LIKELIHOOD OF CREATION OF DEPARTMENT DE OF INSULAR AFFAIRS Field Covered by Secretary of War Considered Too Wide Wide President President May Su Suggest est Chan Change e to Con Congress Since the war with Spain pain the enormous enormous enormous enor enor- growth of the business of the War Department has given n rise to an oft expressed opinion in ip high government government government govern govern- ment circles that the tM time lime Is fully ripe for the creation of another executive department to handle bandle the control of the island affairs of the government It is predicted that the President will make some such suggestion In hi his forthcoming message to Congress Following the Spanish War War the Department naturally took control of the island possessions that came to the United States as a result of that con con- filet These islands Cuba Porto Rico and the fell to the care atthe of at the War Department as long as they were under military rule but when civil government took the place of martial martini law they were still left with the War Department Kept From State Department It would seem natural for them to belong to the Department of State but they have been purposely kept from the province of that department in order order order or or- der that foreign powers might not have a chance to say anything about them The bureau of insular affairs was created to attend to questions affecting our island possessions but I this bureau has been under the immediate immedIate immediate imme imme- diate control of the Secretary of War and out of reach of foreign represent represent- ES ati With the turning of Cuba over to the Cubans and find the passing of Porto PortoRico PortoRico Rico to the State St. Department and Guam and to the the- Navy Department Department De De- matters became even more Involved Burden Too Great Almost of greater Importance at present than the Philippines is the canal zone Secretary Taft Tart tried to shunt this burden t to the shoulders of Secretary Root but failed in his at at- tempt lie He is now prep preparing to make a visit to the isthmus to see how the work on the big ditch is progressing Mr Root Hoot declared that the bureau bureau of insular affairs was better equipped to handle canal affairs than any other department of the government However when Secretary Taft left for the and it was understood that Mr Root Hoot would become become become be be- come Secretary of of State it was said to att s canal matter matter matter-be be transferred to Mr Root and there has been much s speculation during the summer and fall as to who would eventually oversee this big job On one hand it has been realized that Secretary Taft has had a great deal more than his proportionate share of or government work and responsibility and again it was understood that one of ot the arguments used by the President to o Induce Mr Root to re-enter re the CabInet Cabinet Cabinet Cab Cab- inet was the Presidents President's personal desire desire desire de de- de- de sire that he should undertake the direction direction di di- of f the can work His acceptance acceptance acceptance accept accept- ance of f the trust would have enabled Secretary Taft to devote more of his time to important Philippine government government govern govern- ment questions and the business of the army generally It seems to have been decided however that Mr Taft Is to continue e permanently as the Panama canal builder this decision having been reached at a recent Cabinet meeting These questions together with questions questions questions ques ques- relating to the general staff the of the army and other internal affairs have made the Secretary Secretary Secretary Secre Secre- tary by far the hardest worked man manIn manin manin in the Cabinet Taft Travels Far Fal This is proved If in no other way by the Immense amount of traveling tra done by Secretary Taft in the past year yeat He Ho has been Panama to-Panama to the Phillp- Phillp COL CLARENCE R. R EDWARDS Chief of Bureau of Insular Affairs and Possible Possible Pos Pos- sible New Cabinet Officer pines to Hawaii to China and Japan He has Just just left eft Washington for his second trip to tb the Isthmus Through his lS connection with the affairs of the Philippines he has become Involved In questions wholly outside the regular line line of of the War Department These are some som of the reasons which lead the President and his advisers to consider the creation of another department department department de de- to take complete control of island and colonial affairs Whether Congress will co sent ecu sent to this at the coming session or orwill or will move postponement postponement postponement postpone postpone- ment cannot be foretold but the chances are arc that within a reasonable e ee time the War Department will be relieved relieved relieved re re- e- e of some of its heavy burdens F |