Daily Kennebec journal., 1905-12-06

made during the past year and especially
during the past four months. inc great
er part of the necessary preliminary Work
has been done. Actual work OF eXcaVa.
ton could be begun only on limited
scale till the Canal Zone was MADE
healthful place to live in and to work in.
The Isthmus had to be sanitated first.
This task has been so thoroughly accom-
plished that yellow fever has been virtual
ly extirpated from the Isthmus ana gen
eral health conditions vastly improved
The same methods which converted the
island of Cuba from :: pest hole, which
| menaced the health OF the world. INTO
healthful place of abode, have Dcen APP
! piled on the Isthmus with satisfactory
| results. There is no reason to doubt that
when the plans for water supply, paving,
and sewerage of Panama and Colon and
the large labor camps have been fully
carried out the Isthmus will be, for the
tropics, an unusually nc2ltny place or
abode. The work is so tar advanced now
| that the health of all those employed IN
canal work is as well guarded as II Is ON
similar NWork in this country and else
where.
In addition to sanitating the isthmus.
satisfactory quarters are being provided
for employees and an adequate system OF
supplying them with wholesome food at
| reasonable prices has been created Hos
pitals have been established ana equipped
that are without superiorS OF tfeir kind
anywhere. The country has thus been
| rrlde lit to work in, and provision has
| been made Tor The welfare ana comfort
tho past year a large portion of the plant
with which the work is to be done has
been ordered. 1t is confidently believed
| that by the middle of the approaching
year Il sufllcltnt proportion C1 inns plant
Will have been installed to enable us IN
resume the work of excavation on Il large
scale.
What is needed now and without delay
| is an appropriation by the Congress to
meet the current and accruing expenses
| of the Commission. The first appropra-
| tion of $lO0CO,WO out of the Sl3o.OOO,G00 au-
thorlzed by the SpOoner Act. was made
three years ago. 1t is nearly exhausted.
| There is barely enough of it reniiining to
carry the Commission to the end of the
year. Unless the Congress shall appropri-
| ate before that time all work must cease.
To arrest progress for any length OF time
now. when matters are advancing so sat
| isfactorily, would be deplorable. There
will be no money with which to meet
payroll obligations and none with which
To meet bills coming due for materials and
| supplies, and there will be decentralization
| OF the forces, here and on the lsthmus.
now working so harmoniously and effec-
| lively, if there is delay in granting an
emergency appropriation. Estimates OF
the amount necessary Will be found in the
accompanying reports of the Secretary OF
War and the Commission.
THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.
I recommend more adequate provision
than has been made heretofore for the
work of the Department of State. Within
n few years there has been very great
| increase in the amount and Importance OF
| the work to be done by that Department.
both in Washington and abroad. This
has been caused by the great increase OF
our foreign trade. the increase of wealth
among our people, which enables them 10
travel more generally than heretofore, the
increase of American capital which is
| seeking investment in foreign countries,
and the growth Of our power and weight
| in the councils of the civilized world.
There has been no corresponding increase
of facilities for doing the work afforded
to the Department having charge of our
foreign relations
Neither at home nor abroad is there n
sufficient working force to do the busi-
| ness properly. In many respects the sys-
ten which was adequate to the work OF
twenty-five, or even ten, wears ago. is in
adequate now, and should he changed
Our consular force should be classified
and appointments should be made to th.,
several classes, with authority to the E,x-
ccutivc to assign the members of each
class to duty at such posts as the inter
tStS oil the service require. instead of the
appointments being made as at present u
specified posts. There should be an ade-
quate inspection service. so that the De-
partmcnt may be able to inform itself
how the business of each consulate is be-
| ing done, instead OF depending unon
casual private information or rllnor ,rh
| fee system should be entirely abolished
and a due equivalent made in salary to
| the officers who now exc out their sub
| s:stence by means Of fees. Sufficient pro
visions should be made for n clerical force
| Iii every consulate composed entirely OF
Americans, instead of the Insufficient pro-
vision now made, which cOmpcs the EN-
ployment of great numbers OF citizens of
foreign countries whose services can hc
obtained for less money. At 4 large mart
I OF our cOnSulateS the office quarters and
the clerical force are inadcollate to the
performance of the onerOIis duties i'm
posed by the recent provisions of our in,
migration laws as well as by our increas-
ing trade. In many parts Of the world the
lack OF suitable quarters for our cmbas-
sizes. legations, and conSulateS detracts
from the respect in which our officers
ought to be held, and seriously irlnairS
their weight and influence.
Suitable provision should be made for
| the expense Of keeping our diplomat tic
| officers more fully informed of what is
| being done from day to dav in the pro
gress of our diplomatic affairs with other
countries The lack of such information.
caused by insufficient apprcpriat tiOns
available for cable tolls and for cIeric3I
and messenger service. frequently puts
our ohcerS at n great Disadvantage AMI
detractS from their unSfuIncSs Tho
salary list should be readjuSted 1t does
not now correspond either to the import
| ance of the service to be rendered and the
degree of ability and experience renn!red
| in the different positions, or to the diff
ference in the cost of living In many
cases the salaries are quite Inadequate
THEODORE ROOSEVF.LT.
The White House. December j, 1905