The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-02-02
WANTED: 100000
MAN TO DIG CANAL
President Roosevelt Is Looking
for a Dictator to Make Pan
anna Dirt Fly. .@ :
Special to The Journal.

Chicago, Feb. 2.-Walter Wellman,
in Washington special to the, Record
Herald, says: s:@>. : ~. -
Is there a man in the United States
whose services to the government would
be worth a salary of 100000 a yeara
ing the Panama canal.
President Roosevelt is looking for
such man or soon will be. There is
little doubt congress will pass the bill
abolishing the present Panama commits
sion and turning absolute authority over
to the president. Probably President
/ Roosevelt is. the only man we have
had in the White House in many
years who would be willing to under
the carrying out of the greatest en-
cheering enterprise the world has
ever known. But Mr.. Roosevelt is
willing. He is built that way. He
shrinks from nothing in which he may
be Of service to his country. He
does not enter upon this task light
Iheartedly or without full appreciation
Of the enormous difficulties that lie in
his path: These he knows as well as
any living man, perhaps better than
any other. .... &. =.
,- Has Had Trouble Enough.
The president has already had
trouble enough with canal boards and
canal engineers. and canal schemers, to
enable him to gain a most adequate
idea Of the proportions Of the job con-
gress apparently intends to put upon
1t is no secret that matters are not
going we'll on the isthmus at present and
that President Roosevelt is dissatisfied
with the management. Nor is it. any
secret that as soon as the national
legislature places full power in his
hands he intends to have shaking up
of the dry bones and reorganization
of the whole business.
If matters are not going right, It is
the president g purpose to make them
20 right or know the reason why.
He wants action; he wants progress;
he wants to "make the dirt fy.'
Above all, he wants no scandal.
If there is a living man who
personiies the American spirit of
energy and Of achievement and of
"doing things,' in a big way and with
a firm hand, it is President Roosevelt.
Wants 100000 Man.
Evidence of this is found in the fact
that the president is already looking
for the man who is worth 100000 a
year. Mr.. Roosevelt believes that
where there is a great work to be done
there must be great man to do it.. He
has the American instinct which leads
him to put faith in the principle that
if the right man can be found, the
methods and movement will come east
ly afterward. His instinct, too, true
to the national model, runs in the d.
rection Of Capitalization of power. He
has more faith in a man than in men,
provided the one be Of the right stamp.
Five thousand dollar men and $40, 900
men may be picked up at every street
corner. But this is a giant task, which
demands giant to do it. This
is a. Job running into hundreds Of mil.
lions Of dollars, and the right man at
100000 salary would be cheap, or $780,.
900, or any other sum within reason that
| is necessary to procure the services of
the man big enough for the big work.
Powers Of Dictator.
Into the hands Of such man
President Roosevelt would like to place
the powers of dictator. He would
like to be able to say to him: "You
are master Of the whole enterprise
Go ahead and do your work. Call tt
your aid the best engineers, the ablest
and most experienced contractors, al
the technical counsel and staff organiza
tion you need. You are general il
command Of the canal army and yor
may do anything you like. I will stan6
by you. Your only responsibility is K
the country for results achieved. Now
20 ahead.'