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Show PRESIDEN"SREQUESTS MEM- BERSf OFJIiCOMMlSSION TO TSTEP DOWN. Step Was Taken In Order That the President' Might Have Frep Hand In Reorganizing the Commission. Tho flrstpnictloal stop having In view tho roorgarlEatlon of the Panama Pan-ama canarcommlsalon was taken Wednesday, whon, in compliance with instructions' from President Roosc. velt, Sccretar;&TnCt requested tho members of .thojpommlssion to tender their resignations. This request was promptly compllpd with by thoao members' of tho commission now In Washington, and' their resignations aro In tho hands fof the president. The purport of Secretary Taft's lot-tor lot-tor requesting tho' resignations of tho commissioners, was sent to Major Genoral ' Gbfgoy, Davis, retired, of tho army, governor of tho canal zone, and also ono of tho members of tho commission, and a prompt answer Is oxnoctml from him. As Indicated' In tho letter of Secretary Secre-tary Taft, tho 'resignations aro requested re-quested In order that the president may have a free hand In reorganizing tho commission. That tho president contemplated tho reorganization of tho commission has been known for Bomo timo, and ho has been In frequent fre-quent consultation with Secretary Taft as to his future policy In choosing choos-ing Its porsonncl and directing Its work. It was believed originally that bettor results might be accomplished by tho appointment of a smaller commission com-mission than that now existing, but a recent opinion of Attorney General Moody held that under the law tho president was required to name seven members in all. Tin appointments probably will bo. announced during tho progress of his southern trip Tho members of the present commission, com-mission, In nddltion to Gonoral Davis, are: Rear Admiral John G. Walker of tho navy, retired, chairman; William Wil-liam Barclay Parsons, William H. Burr, Benjamin M. Harrod and C. E. Wald Grunsky. |