Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-04-28
THEODORE SHONTy
MAN SELECTED BY PRESIDENT
TO HEAD CANAL WORK.
Another Western Man That Comes to
the F~ore-Brief Sketch Of His
Career-Friend of Chief
Engineer.

Although President Roosevelt failed
TO get n of the $500, 900" men he had
his Y on-Elihu Root, Henry Frick,
Col. John Byrne-it is thought he is to
be congratulated upon the final choice
of, and acceptance by, MIR. Theodore
P. Shonts.
Mr.. Shonts, of course, comes out ca
the west. He was born in Pennsylvania,
but spent his boyhood years in Iowa MS
family moving from the east to Center
vile, in hat state, when he was a small
child of four years. He received his edu-
cation at one of the numerous small col
leges for which the west is noted; his
school the college at Monmouth, Ill.
An interesting coincidence is that John
F. Wallace, chief engineer of the canal
commission, was one of his school
mates, and Wallace, at that time, pres
ident of the college.
The two men that were boyhood
friends to-day are close chums, address
each other as Teddy and John. They
look forward with pleasure to their as
ISOLATION in the great work of building
the isthmian canal; the man that is the
chief engineer and the one that is chief
executive.
Mr.. Wallace and Mr.. Shonts are of
about the same age; the former is 80 and
the latter 40 years old. Mr.. Shonts is a
rich man. not at all dependent on the
salary 1926, 000) that accrues to him as
head of the canal work. Since 1881 he
has been active in railway matters, and
a year ago became president Of the To
ledo. Peoria e Western road. 1t is said
that he was recommended for the place
by Paul Morton, who is a personal friend
and thoroughly acquainted with his
work.
AS many a man that later rose TO
honors, Mr.. Shonts engaged in school
teaching in very early life; and it is re-
membered that he was a decided ucces
as schoolmaster. Walter Wellman.
writing in the Record-Herald, thus
speaks of his talent for organization:
MIR. Shonts' executive ability and
power to manage became known when
he was a boy Of 10. AT that early age he
taught q district school in the farm re.
gions of Iowa, and brought up the stand
ard of the institution to a degree never
before known. He has great faculties
for getting at the bottom of things i'll
his quest for knowledge, and possesses
innate power to organize. These quail
ties, his friends say, have brought him
success
Criticism has been made that the pres
ident has taken for work on the stu
p%endously important waterway an en-
gineer who has had almost his whole ex-
perience with railroads, very little with
hydraulic work; and for administrator
a mar that has handled little else han
a prairie railroad" Others declare the
president has shown wisdom in selecting
men of unusual administrative rather
than technical ability, men of marked
energy. Doubtless the energy PROPOSE
ton appealed to the strenuous presi
dent, who likes to see things accom-
plished without loss of time.
But to return to Mr.. ShOnts. After he
left college he studied law and prac-
ticed it awhile in C~enteryille, but left
this profession to enter the railroad
business. His first work in this field
was assisting in the construction of a
line in the central part of Iowa. He at
once won recognition as an able and ris-
ing man, and was given a position on the /
Illinois, Indiana & Iowa railroad. For
four years he acted as general superin-
tendent OF this road, and rose to the Of
flee Of general manager and finally that
of president.
Associated with Paul Morton, Mr..
ShOnts began operations for extending
the line to Toledo and Detroit. This, of
course, was distasteful to the Wander
bilt interests; they made negotiations to
have the three is turned over to them,
aud it was 50 done at no small profit to
Mr.. Morton and Mr.. Shonts. After a
period of rest and recreation, Mr.. Shonts
again returned TO executive labors in
the railroad world, became president of
the Toledo, St. Louis e Western road.
Mr., Shonts thoroughly understands
construction and management, most i'm
portant knowledge for a mar in the po
sition to which he has just been called.
And admirers say the part of the 18TH
milan work he does not understand he
will soon master.
CHRISTOPHER WEBSTER.