Show THE PRESIDENTS I SPECIAL MESSAGE ON PANAMA CANAl I I G ivos Results of His Observations I Obser-vations While on Tour of I Inspection to Congress I I THE WORK IS BEING PUSHED Perfection of Sanitary Conditions in Canal Zone Has Taken Much Time He Found Out Little Ground for Complaints Com-plaints and Refutes Statements of Critics Calls Some Writers Slanderers Slan-derers and Liars Approves of Type and Route of Canal I The following Is t tho tit of President non elllt9 epvciul IIIUHHIKO to congress on tho Hiibjecl of tin Iamumi cannl T tho Seimta and Holme uC llfprcpcntn tvs In the innntli of November I vlxltcd the iBthnuifl ot Panama ROIIB over thl Cnnnl Zon with considerable euro and also VIMtiil tIns cltlcn of Panama and Colon which uro not In tho zone or under the United HtalrH lint but us to which the Unltid States government through Its ngnntH oxticlscs control for certain sanitary purposes I choso the month of November for tny visit partly bociiUHO It IH tho raluext month party year the month In which the work IOUS forward at tho grcntcut dlsadvanttiKo mid one of tho two months which tho medical department of the French Canal company found most unhealthy Following the Introduction to the mesa mes-a o the president gives a resume oC his proKrumino during the lays ho was on the Isthmus and then sJyH At thn outxnt 1 wish to pay tribute to the amount of work dono by tho French Canal company under very dim cult circumstances Many of the build IIIRH they put up wero excellent and ar still In use though naturally tho houses are now Rotting out of repair and are being used as dwellings only until unl other houses can be built and much of tho work they did In tho Culebra out Mini sOle of tho work they did In dig ther gna has been ot direct and real benefit This country has never made I betel investment than the Ilvesllont 10000000 which It pal I to the French company for work and betterments Including especially the Panama railroad An Inspection on the ground at the height of the rainy season nerved to convince con-vince mo of the wisdom of congress In refusing to adopt either I highlevel or a Noalovcl canal Them Deeina to be 1 universal aKretfment among all people cnmietrnt to judge that the Panama route the one actually chosen Is much i Nupcrlor to both the Nicaragua and DarIen routes Preliminary Work Being Done The wisdom of tho canal management has been shown In nothing more clearly then In tho way In which tho foundations founda-tions of tho work have been laldl To have yielded to the natural Impatience or IllInformed outsiders and begun ull Iclndx of experiments In work prior to a thorough Nan I hr thou of tho Isthmus and to a fairly satisfactory working out of HIP problem of getting and lirrplng I fltifllclent labor supply would have been dlsaHlrous Tim various preliminary measures bad to be taken first and thexc could nut be taken so ns to allow us to boifln tho real work of construc tlou prior lo January 1 of the present yeir t then bcrnnin necessary to havo tlft type of tho canal decided and the only delay has been tho necessary delay nntll the 9th day ot Juno tho date Tvhou the congress definitely and wisely HMtled that we should halo an Sfoot level canal Immediately after that tho Svnrk began In hard earnest and has been continued with Increasing vigor VII hlnce and It will continue so to progress In the future Wlui the contracts con-tracts arc let the conditions will be such nn to Insure a constantly Increasing amount of performance j Successful Sanitation I I The first great problem to be solved upon the solution of which the success of hit rest of the work depended was the problem nt sanitation I This was from time outset under the direction of Dr V C iorgiis who IH to bu made 1 full mouther of tho commission 1 must bu remembered that i his work was not inert Munltntlon as the term Is I understood in our 1 ordinary municipal work Throughout Through-out the zouu and In the two cities of Panama and Colon hi addition I I to the sanitation work he has anltlton proper hat tn I do all tin1 work that the Marino hospital service does as regards the nation that the health department nutol to In I Urn various states and cities and that Col Wai lug did In New York when he cleaned Its streett The results havo been astounding i lIme Isthmus hud boon 1 byword for deadly unheaUhfutness Now after two years of our occupation tho conditions as regards sickness and tho death rate compare favorably with reasonably healthy localities In the IJnllud States Kspeclal care has been dnvnted to minimizing the risk duo to the 1 presence of those species of moiiiultoes which have hitn Iutuul to prop 11 no 1011 < lIP Ii malarial 1 and yellow fevers In all tin I I settlements the llttlo temporary towns or cities composed of the white I and black employes which grow up hero and there In the tiople jungle as the needs of time work dictate the utmost can is exercised to keep thcicoiidltlotis healthy eKorlso1 tl Ieel Ihecoulltols 1IIIth Everywhere are to beseen the drainage ditches I which In removing the water have removed thu breeding places of tho mosquito while thu I whole juuglu J Is cut away for I considerable 8pac around thu habitations thus destroying the pkicns In which the mosquitoes taliu shelter shel-ter These drainage ditches and IrallaJo lltches IIHI clearings are 111 maImIemme In I every settlement and together with I time Invariable I presence of I iiinxitutto Mrcens aiound the piazzas anil tit mositultn dour to thu houses not to tiptuik of the careful I flmlvatol that has KOIIH on In all Intoned houses doulillexh 9plilii the extraordinary absence or n mosquitoes As I matter of fact but u sIngle mosiiiilti and this not of the dangerous species was seen by any riiDiiibur of our party 1 during my throe days on time Isthmus Kqual cart Is taken by time limpettors I of tho health I department de-partment to cmlire cleanliness In the I houses and proper ii yg anile rond I lions of every kind I Inspected I biitwooii SO and 3d waturclosets both those uswd by the white employe and those used by the colored laborers In almost every case I found the conditions I perfect Ill i but one UHIIU did I find them really y bad In thin I cane affecting I settleiKint of uninai ned while t employe I found them very bad Indeed mllos buildings wore all Inherited from tho lronrh company aid I were being used temporarily while other buildings were in Hit course of construction construc-tion and rUMt iiou the defective water kiset a new ant ixiellunt closet with a rfood newer pipe a < ill process of roil I ill rtmrt iomm and near Inla lru018 ev1rt Imo loss thlH did not excuse tho fact that tho bnl condition had horn allowed to pro vail Temporary accommodations oven I If only such ux soldiers use when call I LI In I the field Miould have been providVl 1 Orders to liila elTeil were Istued I append ap-pend the report of Br t urges on the II I n cldont I was struck however by the fact that In I t imis untuned us In I ulinoHt ivery other where u complaint was nuule which proved to have any Justilleain I whatever ipiipurtil Ihut stops hid I ready tici MKe > remedy time JI i u complained of and that the trouble was mainly duo o the extreme difficulty nnd often Impossibility of providing In everyplace every-place for the constant Increase In the lumbers of employes Generally tho provision pro-vision Is niudo In advance but It Is not possible that this should always be the cane when It Is not thero ensues a lerlod of time during which tho conditions condi-tions aro unsatisfactory until a remedy cnn be provided but I never found a case where the remedy was not being irovlded as speedily as possible Improvement In Cities The sanitation work In tho cities of annina and Colon has boon just as important as In the zone Itself nnd In many respects much more dllllcult because be-cause It was necessary to deal with thin already existing population which naturally had scant sympathy with revolutionary changes the value cif which thpy were for I long time notable not-able to perceive In Colon the population I popula-tion consists largely of colored laborers labor-ers who haviiNT cnmo over from the Welt Indies to work on the canal abandon time work and cither tako to time brush or lie Idle In Colon Itself thus tieoplliiK I Colon with I tho least de slrublu among the Imported laborers for the good ami steady men of course continue at the work Yet astonishing astonish-ing progress has been made In both cities In Panama 90 per cent nf the ntieett that are to bo paved at all are already paved with an excellent brick pavement laid In heavy concrete a few of tin streets bring still I In I process of laving The sewer and wIlIer services in tho city are ot the most modern hy gienir typo some of thu service bav InJ I Just been completed In Colon the conditions are peculiar and It Is an regards Colon that most nf the very bitter romplalnt has been made Colon Is built on I low coral Island covered at more or loss shallow depths m with vegetable accumulations m I or mold which affords sustenance and strength to many varieties of low lylnir tropical plants Quohalf of the surface of the Island Is covered with water at high tide the average height of tho land being m feet above low tide Time BllKht undulations furnish shallow natural reservoirs or freshwater fresh-water brooding places for every variety varie-ty of mosquito and time ground tends tn bo lowest In tho mlddlo When time town was originally built no attempt was made to fill tho low ground either I In tIme streets or nn the building sites so that the entire surface was prac tlnnllv n niinirmlrot whon flip ailMir mlru became Impassable certain of the streets worn nrudelv Imnrnvoil bv tIllIng tIll-Ing especially bad mid holes with soft rock or other material In September tOG I systematic effort was begun to formulate a general plan for time proper prop-er sanitation of time city In February I last temporary relief measures were taken while In July the prosecution nf the work was begun In good earnest Tho results mire already visible In time sowerlnl draining guttering and payIng pay-ing of tho streets Homo four months will be required before tho work of sewerage amid street Improvement will bo completed but tho progress already made IH very marked Ditches have been tug through the town connecting the salt water nn both sides and Into these the ponds which have served as breeding places for tho mosquitoes are drained These ditches havo answered their purpose for they are probably the chief cause of tho astonishing diminution of mosquitoes Moro ditches of tho kind are being constructed Unjust Criticism Caro and forethought halo been oxcr clsed by the commission and nothing has reflected more credit upon them than their refusal either to go ahead too fast or to be deterred by the fear ot criticism from not going ahead fast enough I Is curious to note the fact that many of the most severe critics of the commission criticise them for precisely opposite reasons rea-sons some complaining bitterly that timework time-work Is not In a more advanced condition condi-tion while tie others complain that It hash has-h > el rushed with such Imste that there has been Insulllclent preparation for the hygiene and comfort of the employes As u matter ot fact neither criticism Is Just I would have been Impossible togo to-go quicker than tho commission has gone for such quickness would have meant Insulllclcnt preparation On the other baud to refuse to do anything until I un-til every possible future contingency had been let would have caused wholly unwarranted un-warranted delay Tim right course to follow was exact tho course which has been followed Every reasonable prepara ton was mulo In I advance lie uyglcnlc conditions In especial being made us nearly jierfoct us possible whllo on tho other hand there has been no timid ro fusal to push forward the work because of Inability to anticipate every possible omergoncy for of course many defects ran only he shown by tho working of the system In actual practice Inasmuch I as so many both of the white nod colored employes havo brought their families with them schools have been established the school service being under un-der Mr OConnor For the white pupils while American teachers are employed for tho colored pupils there are also some whlto American teachers one Spanish teacher and one colored American teach or most of them being colored tcuclieru from Jamaica Juan Patios and St Lucia The schoolrooms were good and It was I pleasant thing to ecu the pride that the teachers were taking In their work and their pupils Care of Employes Next In Importance to the problem ot sanitation and Indeed now of equal Importance Im-portance Is the problem of securing am caring for the mechanics laborers am other employes who actually do the work on the canal and time railroad This great task his been under the control nf Mr Jackson Smith and on tho whole has boon well done At present there aro some t 00i white employes and some 19000 colored employes on tho Isthmus 1 wont over the different places where lie different kinds of employes wero working I think I saw representatives of every typo both at their work and In their homes amid I conversed with prob of hundred of them al ably a couple hunllled oi told choosing them at random fron every class and Including I those who came especially lo prtt > unt curtain grievance utmost Invariably expressed far greatc content and satisfaction with the con dltlons than did those who called to make complaint Nearly fiuoo 1 of the white employes had come from tho Inlteil Slates No mm can sen these young vigorous met energetically doing their duty wlthou I thrill of pride In I them as Americans They represent on the average a hlgl class Doubtless to congress the wane paid them wi I seem high but as a matter mat-ter ot fact the only general complain which I found had any real basis among tho romplalnls made to mo upon time Isthmus was that owing to the peculli surroundings tho cost of living I and time ii Isp mice from home the wages wen really not as high as they should bo li I fact almost evury man I spoke to Cell that ho ought to bo receiving moro money a view however which the aver 11a who stays at hOI III the rilllOl I States probably likewise hold as regards himself I append figures or time wages paid so that tho congress cm Judge j the matter for Itself I 11111 I shah confer on tho subject with certain representative repre-sentative labor len here lu tho lnlte States as woll as going over with Mr Slovens the comparative WUKOS paid on thu zono und at homo und I may then Undines to time cuuul communicate my 1111Ill clml committees of the two houses Chinese and Other Labor Of the 19000 or 20000 day laborers employed i on the canal I u few hundred do excellent are Spaniards These tcelnt work Their foreman told mo that they did twice as woll as the West Indian I laborers I They keep healthy and no d till cim I t y Is experienced wit I I them lu nny way HOle Italian laborers I labor-ers aro also I employed In I connection I with tile drilling As might be I ex peetod I with I labor as high I priced us at present In I the Inltvd l Slates It i has I not I far proved practicable to get my I ordinary m laborers from the Inlteil I StuttM The American wageworkers I time Isthmus are the highly paid killed I mechanics uf the types len I lloiid previously A steady effort Is In lug I made tu secure Italians und especially es-pecially tn procure more Spaniards because of time very satisfactory re I iiilts that hmo como from their urn I pln > incut anl 1 their numbers will I I be I I nVeased an far ns possible 1 has I nut proved possible however to get I them 111 anything like the numbers I iiiided for the work and from present ippi urinuc we hll I I lu I t hit mall I ha vii I 11 rely for the ordluiry unskilled work pirtlv I upon colored I laborers I from Ihe West InlU mm partly upon I uiesi t 110 I It rtttuly ought to bu uniui < irj to pont out that thu American workln rmnn In tti4 unIted State hal no concern whatever In the question us to whether tho rnuirh work on the Isthmus which lit I performed by liens In any event Is done by aliens from one country with 1 black skin or by aliens from another country with a yellow skin Our business into In-to dip the cnnal us ctllclcntly and ns ulckly ns possible provided always hat nothing Is done that IB Inhumane to any laborer and nothing that In erferes with the wanes of or lower ho standard of living of our own workmen Having In view this prln Ipk I have arranged to try several housind Chinese laborers This Is de Irable both because WI must try to hind out what laborers are most cAl lent and furthermore because we should not leave ourselves nt tho mercy of nny one typo of foreign labor At present the great bulk of lie unskilled labor on Rrea Isthmus Is IltUI lone hy West India negroes chiefly from Jamaica Barbados and tlih other CiiRllsli possessions One of lie KOV rnors of the lands In question has hown an unfrledly dlnposltl i to our vorlc and has thrown obstacles In time way of our getting the labor needed nil It Iv Mtrltlv iinitnut ihln tn gIve any outsiders the Impression however Ill founded that they are Indlspensa I bIn and can dictate terms to us The Vest India laborers are fairly htit only fairlY satisfactory Some of ho men do very woll Indeed tho bet tar class who are to be found ns foremen fore-men as skilled mechanics as police nen are good men and many of the inllnnrv Inv tnlmrtjrq nr nlRn grind Jut thousands of those who are trough over under contract nt our expenso go off Into tho jungle to live ir loaf around Colon or work HO bad Iv iftr tltn HfMf tlifop nf fAllr duVH in to cause n serious cllmlnutlon of he amount of labor performed on Friday Fri-day and Saturday of each week I lurntlnneil 1 I many of these Jamaica laborers as to tho conditions of their work and what If rummy changes they wished I received many complaints roni them but as regards most nf these complaints they themselves con trndlcted one nnothcr In nil cases where tho complaint was as to their treatment by any Individual It proved on examination thnt this Individual woo himself a West India man of color either a policeman I storekeeper oran or-an assistant storekeeper Doubtless there inmost bo many complaints against Americans but those to whom I spoke ml lid I not happen to make any such complaint com-plaint to me Work of Construction The work Is now going on with n vigor nnil elllclency pleasant to witness wit-ness lime three big problems of tho cnnal are the la Ilocn dams tho Oatun dam and time Culchru cut Tho Cute bra cut must lie made anyhow hit of course changes as to the dams or at least I ns to the locks adjacent to tho dams may still occur The IM Boca dams offer no particular problem prob-lem tho bottom material being so good that there Is u practical certainty certain-ty not merely as to what can be achieved but as to the tlmu of achievement achieve-ment Time CJatuu dar offers tho most serious problem which we have to solve and yet the ablest men on the Isthmus bellcvo that tins problem Is certain of solution nlong the lines proposed although of course It necessitates ne-cessitates great toll energy and Intelligence In-telligence nnd although equally of course there will h some little risk In connection with the work The rink arises from the fact that sum of the material near the bottom Is not so good ns could bo desired r the huge earth dam now contemplated Is thrown across from one foothill to tho other we will have what Is practically a low broad mountaIn ridge behind which will rise thin inland lake This artificial mountain will probably show less seepage that Is will have greater restraining capacity than the average natural mountain range rime exact locality lo-cality of the locks at this darmmns at the other mlanmmsln now being determined de-termined In April next Secretary Taft with three of the ablest eniln eelS of tho country Messrs Noble Stearns and Itlplcy will visit time isthmus und tho three engineers will make the final and conclusive examinations exami-nations ns to tho exact site for each lock Meanwhile tho work Is going ahead without I break rIme Culebra cut does not offer such great risks that Is tho damage liable to occur from occasional land slips will not represent what may be railed major disasters dis-asters The work will merely cal for Intelligence In-telligence perseverance and executive capacity I Is however tho work upon which lost labor will have to be spent The dams will be composed of the earth taken out of the cut nnd very iM > sslhl > tIme building I of the locks and dams vll take even longer than the cutting In Culebra Itself In Culebra Cut The main work Is now being done In time Culebra cut I was striking and Impressive to see the huge steam shovels In full play tho dumping trains carrying away the rock and earth they dislodged Tho Implements of French excavating machinery which often stand a little way from the line of work though of excellent ex-cellent construction look like tho veriest toys when comi > ired with these new steam shovels just as tho French dumping dump-ing cats seem like toy cars when compared com-pared with the long trains of huge cars dumped by steam plows which are now In use This represents the enormous 1 C mnhh advance that has been mouo in machinery machin-ery during time past quarter of a century cen-tury No doubt I quarter of I century hence this new machinery of which wo are now so proud will similarly seem out of date but It Is 1 eertalnly serving Its purpose well now Time old French cams I IHfoSO had to ho entirely discarded Wo still have In UM a few of tho more modern I but not mo t modern ears which hold but 12 yards of earth They can bo em I ployed on certain lines I I with sharp curves Hut the recent cars hold from 21 to 30 yards apiece antI Instend of the old clumsy methods of unloading them I steam plow Is drawn from end to end of the whole vest iimmmlci train thus Immensely I Im-mensely econoiuUlng labor In the rainy reason the slam shovels can do but little In dirt but they work steadily In rock and In the harder ground There woio some 25 at work during the time I was on the Isthmus nnd their tremendous and most Impressive Impres-sive power Ind efficiency were 10lt Imprel New Records for Excavation As soon ns the typo of cnnnl was do elded this work began In good earnest Tho rainy season will shortly be over nnd then them will 110 l an Immense I Increase In tIme amount taken out but even during tIme last three months In the rainy season sea-son steady progress Is I shown by the figures In August 242000 cubic yards In September 3 1QU cubic yards and In October 223000 cubic yards In October new reronlH were established for the output of Individual shovels us well as for the tonnago haul of Individual locomotives loco-motives I hope to leo the growth of a healthy spirit of emulation between tho different shovel and locomotive crows Just such 1 spirit as has grown on our battle ships between the different gun crows In mutters of marksmanship Passing through time cut tho amount of I new work can bo Mel at I glance In I one lew plaro time entire sid of a hill had i been taken out recently by 27 tons of i dynamite which wore exploded nt one I I was given a blast At another place WIS IIol 1 presidential salute of 21 charges of dyna I lesltlltll tho top notch of the Culebra iie the prism Is now us wide as It will bo all told tho canal bed at this point his lt now been sunk about < 200 feet below what It originally was 1 will halo to I bo sunk about 130 feet farther Throughout Through-out tho rut the drilling blasting shoveling shovel-ing and hauling are going on with constantly con-stantly Increasing energy the hugo ihovels being pressed up as If thoy were mountain howltzurs Into tho nlost unlikely I un-likely looking places where they eat their way Into tho hillsides I Critics and Doubting Thomases 1 I ft Is not only natural but Inevitable that a work as gigantic as this which his been I undertaken on tho Isthmus I should arouse every species of hostility and criticism The conditions mire so new I and so trying und time work so vast that it would be absolutely out of the question ques-tion that mistakes should not be made I I ton will occur Unforeseen dltllcultlcs i will arise From time to time seemingly 1 wellsettled plans will have to be I changed At present 23000 men are en gjgod on time task After awhile the number will be doubled In such 1 multitude I mul-titude It Is Inevitable that there should bo here nnd there u scoundrel Very many of the poorer class of laborers lack lan mental development to protect themselves I I them-selves against either the rascality of otheis or timer own foly and It Is not possible for hunuln wisdom to device a by which they can Invariably bs plan which has been roected In a place prolcteI I piaII byword for unhealthfulne for ages a congreutlon of with so largo a eOllrlJaUon stringers suddenly put down and set to strangers hard work nl will now and then be Iherf wi outbreaks wlrc of dIsease There will now outbrnkl administra be shortcomings In and then shortcollnll thln accl will be unlookedfor HCC there ton to delay the excavation of the cut or the building of the dams and locks Knchsuch Incident will be entirely not < though serious no one and even serilul url them will mean more than n little extra delay or trouble Vet each when discovered by sensation rOlleri and re tailed to lull I pnllton little faith will talOl1 the belief that an ecu o for beleC serve ns 1CISe time whale work Is being badly manafed whotl Experiments will continually be tried In lxperlmnemmtS tontnually wi i Jperlnenls lousing In hygiene In street repairing hOUIII and In digging earth and In dredging Inll dlllnl I drohll allS then an experiment will 10 a failure and among those who heart hear-t It1 a certain proportion of doubting Thomases will at once believe that th whole work wi a failure Doubtless here wllle II 1 minor rascally will be and there some rlscalty wi uncovered but as to this I have to say that after tho most painstaking Inquiry I have been unable to mInd a single reputable reput-able person who had so much as heard serious accusations affecting the of any serloul accusntons afectng honesty of the commission or of any responsible ofllcer under It I append a letter dealing with the most serious charge Ilellng thll of wih ownership of lot In Colon the charge was not advanced by a Colol reputable man and Is utterly baseless base-less It Is not too much to say that the whole atmosphere of the commission breathes honesty as It breathes elllclency lS brlalhe antI energy Above all the work has been kept absolutely clear of politics I hel kllt heard even a suggestion of have never hrlnl Ien sllesUon spoils politics In connection with It 1 have Investigated every complaint brought to me for which there seemed to be any shadow of foundation In two or al three cases nil of which I casel al I have Indicated In the course of this message I came to tho conclusion that mlllg was foundation for the complaint thll plaint wnl nnd that the methods of the commission In the respect complained of could bo bettered In the other Instances hltlred stances the complaints proved absolutely abso-lutely baseless save In two or three Instances where they referred to mistakes mis-takes which the commission had already al-ready found out and corrected Slanders and Libelers So much for honest criticism There remains nn Immense I amount of as In 1 Iln reckless slander ns has ever heel pub of lllshed Where the slanderers are foreign origin I havo no concern with them Where they are Americans I Cell for them the heartiest contempt and Indignation because In a spirit of wanton dishonesty and malice they ate trying to Interfere with and hamper the execution of tho greatest xeeuton work of the kind ever attempted and are seeking to bring to naught the efforts ef-forts of their countrymen to put to tIme credit of America one of tho giant feats of time ages The outrageous accusations of these slanderers constitute con-stitute a gross libel upon a body of public servants who for trained Intelligence Intel-ligence expert ability high charac tctr and devotion to duty have never been excelled nnywhere There Is not a man nmong those directing tho work I lan on the Isthmus who has obtained his position on any other basis than merit alone nnil not one who has used his position In any way for his own personal per-sonal or pecuniary advantage Plan to Build by Contract After most careful consideration we have decided to let out most of the work by contract If wo can come to satisfactory terms with the contractors contract-ors Tho whole work Is of a kind orl suited to the peculiar genius of our I people and our people halo developed I devel-oped the type of contractor best fitted to grapple with It I Is of course much hotter to do the work In large part by contract than to do It all by tho government provided It Is possible pos-sible on the one hi ml to secure to the contractor 1 sutllclent remnueration to make It I worth while for responsible respon-sible contractors o the best kind to undertake the work and provided on the other hand I can be done on terms which will not give an excessive profit to the contractor nt the expense of the government After much con sldcratlon time plan already promulgated promul-gated by the secretary of war was adooted This plan In Its essential drafted after careful features was Irafed IChr earlCul and thorough study amid consideration by the chief engineer Mr Stevens who while In the employment of Mr Hill tho president of the Great Northern North-ern railroad had personal experience of this very typo of contract Mr Stevens then submitted the plan to the chairman of the commission Mr Shunts who went carefully over I with Mr Hogers the legal adviser of tIme commission to see that all legal dllllcultles were met He then submitted submit-ted copies of the plan to both Secretary Secre-tary Tuft and myself Secretary Taft submitted I to some of the best counsel coun-sel at the New York bar and afterwards after-wards I went over It very carefully with Mr Taft and Mr Shunts und we laid the plan In Its general features before Mr Hoot My conclusion Is that H I combines the maximum of advantage ad-vantage with the minimum of disadvantage disad-vantage Inder It a premium will input in-put upon the speedy and economical construction of tho canal and a penalty pen-alty Imposed on delay and waste The plan as promulgated Is tentative doubtless I will have to be changed In some respects before we cnn come to a satisfactory agreement with responsible re-sponsible cmitrnctors perhaps oven bids have been received nfter the 1111 hlv hll rcIt mind of course It Is I possible that we can not come to a agreement In which case the government will do the work Itself Meanwhile the work on the Isthmus Iq progressing steadily and without any let up Single Commissioner Desired A novenheaded commission Is I of course a clumsy executive Instrument Wo should lucre but ono commissioner commission-er with > ueh head of departments and other olllcers under him ns we may tlnd necesonrv We should be expressly permitted to employ the best engineers In the country as consulting con-sulting engineers 1 I accompany this paper with I map showing substantially what the ctnnl will be like when I Is finished When time Culebra cut his been mnde and the dams built flf i they nre built ns at present proposed there will thfin holt ho-lt both time 1acllle anil Atlantic ends of the cannl two great freshwater lakes connected by a broad channel running at the bottom o a ravine across the backbone of the Western Hemisphere Those best Informed bo llevo t hit thn work will be completed In about eight years but It Is never safe to prophesy nbout such a work as this especially In the tropics Confident of Ultimate Success Of tho success of the enterprise 1 am ns well convinced ns one can be of any enterprise that Is human I Is I stupendous work upon which our fellow countrymen are engaged down thero on the Isthmus nnd while wo should hold them to a strict accountability accounta-bility for tho way In which they perform per-form I wo should recognize with frank generosity time epic nature of the task upon which they are engaged and Its worldwide Importance They nre doing something which will ro doud Immeasurably to the credit ot America which will benefit nil the world and which will last for ages to cone Tnder Mr Shonts and Mr Stevens and Dr dorgas this work his started with every omen of good fortune for-tune Thoy and their worthy associates from time highest to the lowest are entitled to tho name credit that wn would give to the pcked men of 1 vlr > t rnil i Bimv for Ihlq Pnnoile t of peace will In Its great and furreaeh Ine offop Mtiin i ftniOMtf th I very greatest conquests whether of peuco or of war which havo ever been won by any of the peoples of mankind A badge Is to be given to every American Ameri-can citizen who for a sinctlpd time hal taken part In this work for participation par-ticipation In It will hereafter be held to reflect honor lon the man par tlclpatlng just UH It reflects honor upon a soldier to have belonged to a mighty nrmy in a great war for rlghteous ness Our fellow countrymen on the Isthmus nesl are working for our Interest and for the national renown In the same spirit and with the same efll clcncy that the men of the army and navy work In time of war I behooves be-hooves us In our turn to do at we can to hold up their hands and to aid them In every way to bring their great work to a trlumpnnnt ennolii slon TIIKOOOHK l HOOSRVI3IT The White House December 17 1906 |