Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-04-06

SAILS SOUTH
Mer Who Will superintend the Dig
sins Of the Panama Canal Leave
for Their Field Of Labor.
THE PRESIDENTS INSTRUCTIONS
Does Not Hamper Commissioners
With Adviee-Grestest Project
Of This Century.

~" iH'h' -haiNh ols iut lhtiu'
bers OF the Panama canal commits.
sion sailed today on the Allianca.
They will inspect the route OF the ca.
nal and will look over some of the
documents Of the canal company
preparatory to the delivery of the
property to the United States. They
will probably remain on the isthmus
two months.
The commission consists OF Admir-.
al J. c. Walker, Mai. Gen. George
w. Davis, of the District of Colum.
bia; William Barclay Parsons and
William II. Barr, OF New York. b. j.
Harrod, of Louisiana. Ewald Grunsky,
OF California, and Frank ]. Hecker,
of Detroit.
The commissioners were accom-.
panied by Drs. w. c. Gorgas. assist.
ant surgeon general of the navy;
Louis La Garde, OF the medical de.
partment of the army and John Ross,
medical director OF the army. John
Farnum. representing Il. Nelson
Cromwell, counsel general of the
Panama canal company. also sailed
with the commission.
Our present plans" said Admiral
Walker, are to go over the entire
route. making an investigation of the
work done. the improvements that
are necessary and the arrangements
which are to be made for the proper
sanitation If the district"
The country will be gratified by the
brief and pointed instructions given
by the president to the canal com
missioners. Their work is the great.
est that man has undertaken, and its
prompt and proper performance Is to
be the test OF American capacity and
energy. We were the pioneers in
difficult railroad construction. Our
first transcontinental line preceded
the Russian project for the Siberian
road by SO years. The Hoosac tun-
mel was finished before the Alpine
tunnels 10 connect France and Italy.
and these got their spiral form for
overcoming grade from the Tehacha-
po loop on the Southern Pacific. In
all that branch of engineering and
construction that concerns railways
we led the world. and accomplished
what had been held to be impossi-
BILE.
All great canal construction here
tofore accomplished has been easy
compared with that to be done on the
isthmus. Some OF IL has been con
spicuously slow. The Corinth canal
was begun before the Christian era.
and was finished In the last five
yeas. The Suez canal was an easy
construction. and it's principal diff
Guilty was political. rather than In
its engineering. The nations con.
cerned had to make sure that all in
terests. In war and peace, were bal
anced. TIE isthmian canal which we
now undertake has been the victim
OF politics. One hundred and forty
two years ago the King OF Spain In.
structed his colonial governor on the
isthmus TO rigidly exclude all Eng.
lishmen from that territory. lest they
see the vast advantages that would
follow the digging OF canal. That
was a political reason, and from that
time until the Panama revolution
put isthmian politics on the side of a
canal International politics has been
an obstruction.
The downfall of the French project
was due to the domestic politics OF
that republic. De Lesseps had to
bribe and buy his way through the an
tagonism Of parties and officials, and
lost In these corrupt subsidies the
capital intended for the completion of
the work. Our position Is happily
different from his, and We have TAX
en- all the preliminary steps in clean.
ness and propriety. Notwithstanding
illadvised attempts to rob one party
OF honorable participation in the mat.
ters Introductory TO the great work,
nearly half OF Its senators broke
away from faulty leadership and took
for themselves and their constitueL-
cy a due share of the honor. The en-
terprise is launched In the name Of
the American people, and every citi-
zen has a right TO feel his proper
share OF the responsibility.
The presidents instructions to the
commission dismiss partisanship ut
terly from the work. The commits
sioners were selected without seek
ing knowledge as TO their partisan bi.
as. but only for their fitness for the
work. No men were ever left a freer
rein In a great work than they. On
ly the president can remove them.
and he told them that they are to be
judged solely by their work. and If
any fail he will be removed no mat
ter what political influence he may
bring to bear. He admonished them
TO follow the same rule In selecting
their subordinates that had guided
him In selecting them. and to make
unfitness the sole cause for remov.
al. This gives a free hand TO the
commission.
Now the work begins in the plans
which will be under way while the
government Is completing the acqui
sition OF the right OF the French com
pany and is settling the subsidy pay
ment with Panama. When these
financial arrangements are finished
the commission will have its plans in
condition for disclosure to the coun
try. We are not aware that any de
cision is made as to whether the ca
nal shall operate with locks or be Q
tide level water way. II II can b,
made the latter we ar sure that III,
people will b" better satisfied. Lock
ing delays the transit Of ships .ant