New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-17
THE CANAL. BILL PASSED.
LIVELY SENATE DEBATE
Dir. Hale Says Press agency" VA
Be Discontinued.
fRr The Assoolatsd Press. l


Speeches were made by Mr.. Bacon in advocacy
Of his amendment requiring estimates for Canal
Commission salaries: by Mr. Allison. who de-
voted himself largely to the details OF the bill.
by Mr. Culberson who criticised the employ
ment OF Mr.. Bishop by Dir. Stone. who eF1ti-
cised the purchase of American ships to carry
Panama supplies in face of the announced de-
termination 20 go abroad for vessels under the
conditions then existing. and by Afr. Newlands,
who expressed the opinion that the construction
OF the canal should have been intrusted to the
Geological Survey.
A substitute for Mr.. Bacon's amendment Of
fered by Mr.. Hale was accepted It specifically
requires that Congress shall be supplied with
regular estimates of all salaries. except those
paid 20 laborers, skilled and unskilled- Otherwise
the bill passed reported from COMMITTEES
Mr.. Hale made an authorized announcements
that Mr.. Bishops duties a press agent
would be discontinued.
When the Panama bill was taken up, Mr..
Bacon took the floor in support Of his amend
ment requiring quarterly estimates Of the
salaries and other expenses OF the Canal Com
mission. He said that under the present sys-
TEN Congress was deprived OF the opportunity
for proper scrutiny of the salaries paid. although
! there really stronger reason for such esei-
mates in the case of the canal employees than IN
| the regular departments Of the government
Such course, he said. would go far toward
! preventing the extravaganza now practised n
! the commission work. He commented on the
! fact that Mr.. Shonts's salary was more than
/ twice as much as that paid to the Chief Justice
| of the Supreme Court, and said it was not the
! policy of the government to emulate the hga
/ salaries paid by private corporations Even tne
4 auditor of the commission gets $4,000. he said
/ while the man who paTses upon MS work re-
ceives only $4,000, and the executive head OF inc
/ department the Secretary of War. only SS.OOU-
! 5,,doT he said the man
/ does not live whose personal services are woSth
/ $4,000" He said in reply to Mr. Spooner, that
/ he thought the $4,000 paid the chief engineer OF
the commission too great II would not pay any
of them more than the chief justice IS PAID
the Georgia Senator declared
! Mr. Spooner expressed the opinion that th9
President ought to have sufficient latitude on
the subject of salaries to obtain the best pos
| sihIe engineering talent. saying that the com
1 petition among railroads for such talent was
such that it could not be procured for sn1aA pay
THINKS sUBoRDINATEs ovERPAID
Mr. Bacon said that he regarded the salaries
maid the high officials as the least important
feature because there were so few OF theTn com
pared to the subordinates. but the faet ina
these positions bring honor and fame snoai1 %
4atse,, INTO consideration IN estimating thelF
oor,,ra,osatfon. To his mind the alarming fact
was that suoordinates were paid e1or0ltdNs
saIsries for services that be rendered. oS
hundreds and thousands of others he re
ferred to Mr. Bishop as the press agent anu
said that while he was only one there was
srrau army in the canal work whose pay "a'
out u proportion to the allowances 20 o'As.9
MI Allison replied to Mr.. Bacon He agree't
nth the Georgia Senator as to the desiraoiilty
Of attaining estimates Of the funds necessary
for canal salaries, but he urged that the BILL as
# stands made ample provision for such eSu-
mates to be supplied by the President nIllssii
He considered Mr.. Bdcon's provision nrlli's
ito, rather than an enlargement upon the re-
o1itements of the bill as it stands. SpeaAlhs -
rarAraI Of the canal salaries, Mr.. Allison salc'
+bir,, the canal can be constructed
hzis suggested by the Senator IIonl
On ~ + least as respects the higher places
~. soid that he had had personal kno"leos7 =
80, ro4rsals on the part Of engineers 70 sI1ees
~ +ba canal work. and he had understood 'l.se
~. stevens had refused to take the pia'7 10
less than S3O0Oo rs,,.- that what
was needed in the constructor u -
nan of executive ability
AIieon agreed that a business naH "e7
aadad and said he believed that was "ll1' -
1,.si5anf had in mind when he ernploys1 - -
eLo,+s He referred to the salary Oh Si''ooe'
Ia governor Magoon. and said ths la %
due to the fact that he held the TIP 80,
ton Of commissioner Governor q ''-'
md
Ao - Nragoon appears to be very Versalu7
remarked Mr.. Culberson VINO
--,a+har .ehe is the same gentleman Wn0
as 80 opinions on the colonial questlon'
one side and the other on the otaer-
~, 1iI<eIv,' responded Mr. ALISON | nA
- ,a1r1,ars to give opinions on both sides o.
49,, ,as+ions It is true ne adosos uA@
o''i0 49,, i a very versatile man. ana II =
l'l- 80 that he is a very accomplished man
sis' ,a1,- controversy followed as to the ness
IS obtaining the check. Mr. Haze sus-
iotil 80, - substitute provision requiring thas
ser+T,,ates in the House bill shall cover az
on,,,aI salaries for persons empioyed IN .l''
a.,,aI- work excepting laborers and sklliea ~
b,rerz." and this was agreed to oy the o7iiS''7
DEFENDS sALART ROLL
,-.,,tnea- said that he had believed Mr.
MI -, vas too high. and he was GER
~ ,he $4,000 paid Mr. Bishop as
80 -. cent. was beyond reason With these
- .awb.ns 2 few other exceptions he peiieFsa
,sa,,rol, reasonable. He especially deIendrl
The s1oe00 payments to the auditor ara t's
purchasing agent
Mr. CuIherson in support OF ms aiie'l di''7He
orovidfrg that no part OF the money 2ppfo-
nria3ea be paid for the maintenance OF q hteEslY
pl'a-se sat9 II was not aimed al individual.
and that he believed Mr. Blsnep % Dc an a'''s7s.
a.ata and straightforward man, and ne had
80 ,,r, more frank in defining his duties than
- .acretarv Taft or Mr.. Shonts had Aeeii.
,,,,l1erstood he said. that direct assurance
go nean given by the administration that
- rosition occupied by Mr Bishop would Be
anolisIea. and with that assurance in view
- r,o,,ld at the proper tire withdraw the
NJ Hale spoke of the difficulties in dealing