Ogden Evening Standard | 1912-12-19 | Page 3 | Taft is off for Panama

TAFT IS OFF FOR PANAMA Will Return in Time for Last Big Reception at White House. Washington, Dec. 19. Tho President Presi-dent and Mrs Taft and their invited guests will leave Washington tonight for Key West, Fla., on the first leg of a flying trip to Panama. The President and his friends will eat their Christmas turkey In the tropics, spend threo days Inspecting the greatest engineering feat In the world, and Mr. Taft will bo back in Washington in time to shake hands with a few thousand persons at his last New Year's roceptlon. The presidential party will be away from Washington 12 days. Four will be spent on trains, five at sea and three In Panama. It will be the President's Pres-ident's fifth visit to the zone and his first to Florida. It will not be merely mere-ly a pleasure trip for the President. He has dcstermlned to mako Colonel Goethals, builder of tho canal, governor gov-ernor of the zone under tho forthcoming forthcom-ing civil administration. He wishes wish-es to discuss tho organization of tho force which Is to operate tho canal after It Is complete.! with the governor-to-be. It probably will be tho President's last visit to tho canal before be-fore tho ships go through. -00