The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-18
HAPPY ADJUSTMENT OF
 PANAMA DIFFERENCES

cent tax gold on all e1poIts oi soio coin from the republic This tax has always been a burdensome one to the Isthmian merchant, and its aoohtion Is hailed with pleasure
 The Panama government must fur nish suitable facilities for transport ing the malls between postofiices on the Isthmus, and postoficss in the United States.
 There arc ono or two other minor stipulations, one being the repair and maintenance of that section of the road to the summer resort of La Sabana," lying in the Zone limits, pro- viding the Panama government takes the same steps in regard to that sec tion of the road lying outside. and an- other paragraph looking to the con- struction of hospitals for the treat ment of leprosy. etc, on land out side the Zone, providing the Panama government donates the land for sites and agrees to pay reasonable charge for each patient who is citizen of Panama.
 In the midst of deliberations. tho social side of Secretary Taft's visit was not overlooked. Chief among the functions were the reception at the American legation. reception at the
 Presidents palace reception at the home of Chief Engineer Wallace and
 trip down the bay on Sunday. the 4th. to the Las Perlas" islands. ninety miles from Panama. the scene of what was in former times one of the largest pearl fisheries in the world. The industry Is still carried on to some extent. and diving ex- hibition was given for the benefit of the visiting party. Mrs. Taft was made the present of a fine pearl. This pearl was procured from a shop in Panama. but the innocent deception was practiced in a diver bringing up an oyster with 1t inside.
 The open air speech of Secretary Taft on Monday night was made the occasion of a great demonstration, in- cluding torchlight parade. and a fireworks display. MT. Tatts remarks were confined to a ten minute ad- dress. but he managed to place pretty clearly before his Panamanian audi
 tors what the attitude of the United States would be in the future toward the newborn republic. His gov- ernment. he said. did not covet one cent of Panama's money, or one acre of her land but in the face of probable outlay of $500. .000, ,000, 1t
 was absolutely essential that a thor
 ough and close understanding be main
 tained between the two governments.
 Furthermore, he allowed it to be under stood that no one man power would be tolerated; that the Government of Pan- anna was not to be ruled by the arts of war, but by the arts of peace. that no army was necessary because the United States had guaranteed protection from every foe. In closing he spoke the words. "Vive la Republica de Panama" but created great merriment and ap- plause by stumbling in his Spanish.
 
 Panama Is now face to face with her destiny. With her contentious granted. with the one heretofore dominant dis cordant factor, the army. in the back ground. glorious future awaits her in the sphere of prosperity and pro- gress. Her natural resources are ines timable. She has 30.0o0 square miles of territory about which she has no further knowledge than to know it is there. How many people in the Unit ed States. geographical students in- cluded, have ever heard of the Rio Tuira, and yet 1t is a river twelve miles wide at the mouth, or twice the width of the Mississippi before 1t en- ters the delta. Here Is a country ca- pablo of sustaining 5.0o0.00o inhabit- ants. peopled by a paltry 2s0.00o, less than the total population of Milwaukee. Yet. her destiny awaits her.
 One of the first questions the visitor to the Isthmus puts after his arrival is, When will the actual work on the canal commence" The story of 3O,OO0 and 10000 laborers has interested them. Right here I will give Advertiser read ] CTS a pointer. Modern machinery is to build the big ditch. not the pick and shovel of other days. If the pick and shovel was to do the job, I'd pity that $500, ,000, ,000, especially after a good hard look at Culebra Mountain. There is nothing like keeping everlastingly at it," may be a good maxim. but it has no place in this undertaking. One big 1 ninety-ton steam shovel has just been 1 set up at Culebra cut. It Is destined | to do the work of a gang of 300 dig gers and work possibly every hour out | of the twenty-four. It compeltely fills a flat car at one lift of its mighty jaw, and 1t can do 1t at the rate of one ev- cry two minutes. Two more of these | shoyels have just arrived, and twelve | more have been contracted for, with | the possibility of as many again being | ordered before the work is well under | way. It is true a good many ,faborers | will be employed. in fact a small army, but not the number often mentioned in | the papers. At the present time there | are about 1000 laborers on the pay | roll and the number is increasing each | day. Secretary Taft went on record | in his speech the other night in favor l of a sea-leveI canal, and in my opinion | such will be the engineering plan ul- | timately adopted.
 The actual laying of sewer pipe was | begun today. The work will progress | rap pidly from now on.