The Second Intervention 93his qualifications for fulfilling the President's expectations:
"... This trip is a little like purchasing a pig in a poke,
I know so little of the actual situation."^21 The mission's sec
ond member was no happier about his job. Robert Bacon, the
taciturn, cosmopolitan lawyer from the House of Morgan and
Assistant Secretary of State, thought the United States should
have supported Estrada Palma from the first, a position he
never modified.^22
Taft's biggest worry in Washington, after seeing that the
General Staffs plans were prepared, was whether interven
tion was constitutional. He was assured that, in the opinion
of Judge Advocate General George B. Davis, it was. Roosevelt
was duly notified of the good news.^23 The President's reaction
was predictable: although he appreciated the opinion, he
would not "dream" of waiting for a Congressional mandate
to act, and his decision to intervene, if "necessary," would be
a useful precedent for future Presidents.^24 Both Roosevelt and
Taft recognized, however, that constitutional sanctions were
handy tools to silence domestic critics.
Taft then organized his Mission and entrained for Tampa
on the afternoon of September 16. Besides Bacon and some
clerks, he took along Captain Frank R. McCoy, Leonard
Wood's aide then detailed to the Army War College, and
Frank S. Cairns, a former Cuban customs officer and secret
service operative for Wood. Both men spoke Spanish and
had a wide knowledge of Cuban politics. On the ride south,
Taft and Bacon were briefed on Cuban aifairs by Albert G.
Robinson, author, reporter for the New York Sun, and long
time friend of Cuban nationalism. Robinson made two major
points: that Estrada Palma would be difficult to deal with
because he believed if he failed no other Cuban government
could succeed, and that unless peace and credit were quickly
re-established Cuba faced economic collapse.^25
Aboard the cruiser "Des Moines" the next day (September
18), Taft and Bacon discussed the Cuban situation with
McCoy and Cairns. McCoy cautioned Taft about Robinson;
he was a radical and unduly friendy with the insurgents and