Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1904-12-08

Washington. ID. c., Dec. 5.-Repre-
sentative Shackelford, of Missouri,
member of the house committee ON in
terstate and foreign commerce, will
throw bomb into the house Of the
fifty-eighth congress tomorrow In the
form OF resolution. The explosives
in the bomb were gathered while the
committee was In Panama looking
over the great Isthmian canal property
at close range.
The resolution to be introduced to-
morrow will ask congress to empower
the committee on interstate and
foreign commerce to investigate the
affairs of the Panama Railway Com
pany, going into every detail Of man.
agement, operation, condition OF prop
erty, franchises and to ascertain II
dividends have been paid to any stock.
holders not authorized by law. The
committee also desires to ascertain II
the Panama Railway Company has en-,
tered into q contract with any steam.
ship company or companies to monop'
oliZe traffic in restraint of trade. The
resolution will set forth that the
United states is the owner of 9S per
cent of the shares of capital stock OF
the Panama Railway Company. and
that congress should have knowledge
of it's affairs.
II Is understood that the proposed
resolution OF Representative Shackei.
ford Is based upon sensational dis-
closures made to the committee on IN
terstate and foreign commerce while
inspecting conditions In Panama. IL
ia understood that the United States
suffered to the extent OF $l5O,ooo III
the purchase Of the Panama Haiiway
and that the loss thus sustained was
the result OF a job perpetrnted upo,
this government by certain sfencl
stockholders. 1t Is claimed Snah =,
the United States had nexotiatoo 10
the nurchase of the railway in ques
tion. the old company declared divi
dends in excess of the gross recelpt'
70 the extent Of about S15O.00O. inis
is understood to be one OF the dis
closures which the committee pro
noses to show by its investigation.
That the whole Panama canal proJ
ect has been fearfully handled up 10
this time is practically the opinion OF
Representative +. c. Stevens, Re.
publican. of Minnesota, member OF
the committee on interstate and
foreign commerce. His statements
are sensational. He claims that the
estimates furnished up to date are not
worth the paper they are written on;
that no man can determine at this
stage of procedure what 1t Will cost
the United States to dig the canal
Anything like an intelligent idea oil
the yastness of the undertaking ana
the necessary expenditures, in Repre-
sentative Stevens opinion. cannot be
arrived at until Chief Engineer Wal
lace and Gen. Davis make their report
He thinks the canal Is just as liable
to cost a million million as 1t is $780,
900 900. He thinks that the lsthmian
Canal Commission as at present or
ganized is a failure, save as to Chief
Engineer Wallace and Gen. Davis
He thinks the commission should be
reorganized with view to better ser
vice.
In the opinion Of the Minnesota
representative there has been too
much sitting around in Washington
in dress suits, while the real exigen-
cies of the canal situation were al
lowed to suffer for lack of earnest of
fetal attention. In contradistinction
to this program he would have Pana-
ma divided into five districts, and
place one member OF the commission
in charge OF district. This arrange
rnent. he thinks, will facilitate the
work of Strengthening out the tangle
In the canal zone.