The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-24
PANAMA BILL PASSES SENATE
AFTER GLOOMY REMARKS BY
MORGAN ABOJT HOT POT iTOES.
His Amendment That tho President shall
Not Appoint Commissioners In the
Recess OF Congress Rejected Job
VIII Take at Least so Years, He says.


VIII Take at Least so Years. He says.
WASHINGTON. Feb 23.--The Senate to-day
passed the Panama Canal bill after re-
iecting the amendment offered by Mr..
Morgan providing that il the President
should remove any of the Isthmian Canal
Commissioners. or if there should be va
cancies in the commission. tho President
should not make any appointments during
the recess Of Congress.
The Canal commissioners are appointed
during good behavior and until the canal
is completed said Mr.. Morgan. that
means for life | should be happy, II those
gentlemen wish to live, that they shall
live until the canal is completed 1t will
be at least fifty years before the canal is
completed.
Mr. Morgan caustically criticised the
Canal Commission for not spending moro
time at Panama. We pay them a bonus
Of SIS a day" he said but even that fails
to keep them there, I'm surprised they do
not take their lives in their hands and get
that additional SIS day
It's because Of the mosquitoes, sug-
gested Mr.. Burrows soto voce
oh, the mosquitoes" replied Mr.. Nor
gan. All, they have been the insidious foe
Of canal construction ever since l was
boy. The first mosquitoes We encountered
were the Mosquito Indians Laughter.
The sole reason for the existence of the
pending bill was to kill off the Canal Coma
mission, said Mr. Morgan. That WAS the
reason, he said, why he offered his amends
ment in order to prevent the President or
anybody else from suspending operations.
Il want TO force the continuation Of opera
tons at Panama. don't intend 10 permit
anybody to drop this hot potato. We all
know that the Isthmian Canal Commission
does not work TO the advantage OF canal
construction" said Mr. Morgan The
President says he might get along with
five, but prefers three. ! prefer none.
] want TO put all the power in the hands
of the President I'd rather leave the
power in his hands than in the hands OF
any commission that could he named
Mr. Morgan spoke at length regarding
the Chagre- River, and was interrupted
by Mr. German. who whispered s'anething
TO him
My friend suggests that the time is
short spoke up the venerable Alabama
Senator amid laughter Mr. German
blushed and joined in the laugh. Yes,
the time IA compared with the time IL will
take to build the canal i very short.
Laughter 1t is a wrostle with nature.
No dam can be maintained at Bohio that
will ever restrain the Chagres River. The
great landslide5 there have covered up
the machinery OF the canal works and you
can see dump carts and all kinds Of machin-
cry sticking up like the skeleton of a masto-
don. | may be timid, but ! confess | am
scared at the idea OF trying TO build canal
there. But that will not prevent me from
voting money 10 try TO build it."
Mr. Morgan declared that he held him
self ready. whenever the Senate wanted
the facts, TO prove that the shift from
Nicaragua TO Panama was made by Con-
gress through a dcal between the trans
continental railroads aud certain rich and
powerful men.
Mr. McCouas withdrew his proposed
amendment requiring that all supplies for
the canal be- carried in American vessels
A. amended the bill places the military,
civil and judicial control Of the Canal Zone
in the hands Of the President until tho
adjournment OF Congress in 800. author
ICES him to construct the canal, to acquire
by condemnation the outstanding stock
Of the Panama Railroad and to deposit
not exceeding sl.jOH,OOJ in the Panama
branch Of an American bank