Summary

Shortly after his inauguration, Roosevelt departed on another of his cross-country railroad excursions, stopping along the way to greet well-wishers and to hunt game in the southwest and Rocky Mountain areas. While Roosevelt was away from the White House, he was pressed to explain how government would be handled in the event of a crisis. The president said that Taft was "sitting on the lid" so as to keep things from boiling over.

But a controversy soon arose over the way in which Roosevelt acquired the Canal Zone from Panama for the use of the United States. The deal Roosevelt struck provided America permanent rights to a 10-mile stretch of Panamanian land to build the canal for $10 million plus a hefty annual fee.* The treaty was a result of Roosevelt sending American troops to aid Panama in its guerrilla war...