Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-17
At THE White HOUSE
~ Regard to Transporting
Lumber to Panama.
THE PENSION OFFICE
CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATIONS
RECOMMEND MR.. WARNER.
Big Rush ,of Callers on the President
Today-No Race Suicide
in Vermont.

Some questions relating to the construc-
ton of the Panama canal were brought to
the attention of President Roosevelt today.
Representatives Humphrey and Jones of
Washington called at the White House to
lodge protest with the President against
the shipping Of lumber from the Puget
Sound territory to the canal zone in Ger
man vessels. The President was informed
that the Panama canal commission had
made a contract in Washington for three
million feet Of lumber and that all of this
lumber was to be shipped to the canal
strip In German bottoms. to the absolute
exclusion of American vessels which were
lying In Puget sound waiting for business.
The President promised to look into the
subject.
Later in the day Admiral Walker, presi-
dent Of the Panama canal commission,
called on the President and told him that
the commission had made its contract with
the Darlington Bay Lumber Company for
delivery on the canal strip, and that the
commission had nothing whatever to do
with the contract made for shipping the
lumber from Puget sound to Panama.
Inc amount of lumber shipped from Pu-
get sound to the fsthmus was 5000, 600 feet.
we are now arranging to procure a good
many million feet Of lumber" said Ad-
m1ral Walker. land we will have the ship
ping done under the commission We are
going to get bids from both American and
foreign ships, and see which can do the
work cheapest and most satisfactorily"
Admiral Walker was asked, as he left the
White House, what he thought of the prop
oslt1on to build sea-level canal. He ex-
pressed his opposition to the project, which
Just now is being advocated by some men,
bers of Congress, because, he said, it would
De vastly more expensive, and, what to his
mind was more important, would require
vel va 1cno to -,
would the construction of lock canal. In
addition. he pointed out that if a sea-level
canal were constructed the waters of the
Chagres river would have to be taken care
of in some way-perhaps by another canal
to prevent the river from doing immense
damage to the canal every time a freshet
occurred.
No Race Suicide There.
Senator Proctor has received a letter
from one of his constituents, well known
citizen of st. Adams, VT, that was SO in
teresting he left it with the President, to-
gether with photograph of the writer and
his wife and twelve children, seven boys
and five girls. The writer was Franklin c.
Dewart In addressing "A letter to Senator
Proctor other matters Mr.. DeWart in
closed the photograph of his family and
asked that it be presented to the President.
II may tighten the cares of state for
few minutes he wrote land serve as an
antidote to the Presidents apprehensons
on suicide. Please present my senti-
ments of love and respect for our record
making precedent-breaking President
=. j. Cullitan railroad engineer on the
Rock Island railroad whose home is at
Fairbury, Neb., was presented to the Presi-
dent by Representative Hinshaw. The eX-
ecutive offices were full of people. but the
President stopped his reception to talk with
his railroad caller, recalling that four years
ago. when he was a candidate for Vice
President, Cullitan had pulled him sew
eral hundred miles the Rock Island.
Representatives Sibley and Mahon of
Pennsylvania, acting for the entire Penn
sylvania delegation, urged the President
today to appoint Representative Vespasian
Warner of Illinois as pension commissioner.
The influence for Mr.. Warner was increased
by Representative Hemenway, who pre-
scented a similar request the part of the
Indiana delegation. The President gave the
same answer he has to other callers-that
he had offered the position to Major Will
lam Warner of Missouri, and hoped he
would accept but that he had not received
a formal answer from Major Warner to his
offer. Major Warner has told a number
OF his friends that it is improbable that he
will accept the offer.
Country With the President.
"The whole country stands by the Presi-
dent as to legsla ton that will cure railroad
rebates" said Senator Elkins of West Vir-
ginia, after he had talked with the Presi-
dent on that subject today land the out
come will be satisfactory to everybody. Just
what and how this is to be done must first
be worked out, however, and that is what
we are trying to do"
Senators Elkins and Scott and Repre-
sentative Dovenner called on the President
to urge the nomination of r. B. Naylor as
United States consul.
Justices Shepard and Morris of the Dis
trict Court of Appeals called on the Prest-
dent to pay their respects, and Justice Shep-
ard desired to thank the President for his
nomination as chief justice of that court to
succeed Chief Justice Alvey, who is re-
firing.
Representative Rodenberg of Illinois pre-
scented Henry d. Sexton, president of the
Southern Illinois Bank of East St Louis,
III.
Col. Robert ]. Lowry. prominent bank
er of Atlanta, Ga, paid his respects to the
President and had brief chat with him.
Governor Otero of New Mexico was with
the President few minutes. Senator
Kearns of Utah and Representative Frad-
erck Lands of Indiana were callers.
Representative Hughes of New Jersey
presented Mr.. and Mrs. Robert Rathbone
of Patterson. N. j.
Rev. Jerome Daugherty. president of
Georgetown University. and Rev. Charles
s. MackSey of the same institution pre-
scented to the President fac-simile of tne
old German atlas that was recently dis
covered and which was the first printed
atlas containing the word America. The
original was published in 1907. The Presi-
dent was pleased to receive the document.
Charges Against Goodnow.
George F. Curtis. an attorney at law at
Shanghai, China. laid before the President
today some supplementary charges against
John Goodnow the United States consul at
Shanghai. Curtis claims to possess docu
ments that indicate malfeasance and irreg-
uiarities in office. He has been pressing
these charges number of months and has
sought to see President Roosevelt for some
time. The President required Mr.. Curtis
&C put his charges in writing and they will
be given such attention as the State De-
partment thinks they warrant. Charges