Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-08
DENOUNCED AS FALSE
The President Scores Defamers
of Canal Administration.
NO. CHARGE FOUND TRUE
Work on the Isthmus Declared to Be
Well Done.
OUTLOOK PRONOUNCED BRIGHT
Appeal Made for Fair Treatment of
Officers and Employes-Niggard-
illness Opposed.

The letter of President Roosevelt trans
| mitting to Congress the annual reports of
! the isthmian canal commission and the
| Panama Railroad Company, together with
| Secretary Taft's letter transmitting the
| same, is follows:
| ITO the Senate and House of Represen-
| tatves:
II inclose herewith the annual report of
| the isthmian canal commission, the annual
report of the Panama Railroad Company
and Secretary Of Wars letter transmitting
the same, together with certain papers.
| The work on the isthmus is being ad-
| mirably done, and great progress has been
made, especially during the last nine
months. The plant is being made ready
| and the organization perfected. The first
work to be done was the work of SANTA
| ton, the necessary preliminary TO the work
| of actual construction: and this has been
pushed forward with the utmost energy
and means. In a short while / shall lay
DeIore you the recommendations of the COM
mission and of the board of consulting en-
gineerS as TO the proper plan to be adopted
for the canal itself, together with my own
recommendations thereon. All the work 60
| far has been done. not only with the ut
most expedition, but in the most careful
and thorough manner, and what has been
accomplished gives us good reason to be
| lieve that the canal will be dug in a shorter
time than has been anticipated and at an
expenditure within the estimated amount.
All our citizens have right to congratu-
late themselves upon the high standard Of
efficiency and integrity which has peen
hitherto maintained by the representatives
OF the government in doing this great work.
If this high standard of efficiency and in
tegrity can be maintained in the future at
the same level which 1t has now reached.
the construction of the Panama canal will
IA nj ny,tra tot
of this republic will look back with the
highest pride
T., Charges Denounced as False
From time to time various publications
| have been made, and from time to tin,estn
the future various similar publications
doubtless will be made, purporting to give
an account of jobbery, or immortality. or
inefficiency, or misery, as obtaining on the
iSthmus. l have carefully examined into
each of these accusations which seemed
worthy of attention. In every instance the
accusations have proved to be without
foundation In any shape or form. They
spring from several sources. Sometime.
they take the shape of statements by ire
| sponsible Investigate tors Of sensational
habit of mind, incapable of observing or re-
peating with accuracy what they see. and
desirous of obtaining notoriety by wide
spread SANDER. More often they originate
with, or are given currency by, individuals
| mongers, both those who stay at home and
| those who visit the isthnus, may ground
their accusations false statements by
some engineer who having applied for
service on the commission and been
! fused such service, now endeavors to dis
credit his successful competitors; or by
some lessee or owner of real estate who has
sought action. or inaction by the commits
| sion to increase the value of his lots, and Is
| bitter because the commission cannot be
| used for such purposes; or on the tales of
| disappointed bidders for contracts; or of
office holders, who have proved incompetent
or who have been suspected of corruption
| and dismissed, or whoshaye been overcome
| by panic and have fed from thes sist thmus.
Every specific charge relating to johbery,
| to immortality or TO inefficiency, from WHIST
ever source it has come, has been immedf-s.
Lately Investigated. and in no single In
| stance have the statements Of these sensa-
| tion-mongers and the Interested complain
| ants behind them proved true. The only
discredit inhering in these false accusations
| Is to those who originate andFgiye them
llcurrency, and who 70 the extent of-the'rs
abilities thereby hamper and obstruct tho
| completionsof the great work in which both
| the honor and the interest OF America are
| so deeply involved. 1t matters jf0t whether
/ those guilty of these false accusations utter
! them In mere wanton fecklessness. or folly
| or in spirit of sinister malice 70, crafty
some personal or political gfudges
Proposed Gut in Salaries.
| ANY attempt to utSdoaxn tho salaries OF
! .the officials of the isthnrian c5rmission or
|. of their subordiifa4es who are doing irnpor-
| tait work would be ruinous from fhc stand
| point of ACCOMPLISHING the work. effectively.
To quote the words of one of the best oo-
servers on the ist haius Decentralization OF
! the service Is certain If the reward for sue
| cessful endeaver is reduction of pay We
| are undertaking in Panama azgigartic task
the largest piece of engineering ever done
The employ rnent of the men ged there
| on is only temporary, and yet 1t will re-
quire the highest order of ability If 1t is 20
| be done economically, honestly and efii-
ciently. To attempt to secure men to DO
| this work on insufficient salaries would
amount to putting premium upon ineff1-
| cheney and corruption. Men fit for the
| work VIII ir3t undertake it unless they are
well paid. In the end the AMEN vino do un-
| dertake 1t will be left to seek other en-
1 pieymeft with as their chief reward the
| repnta items they achieve Their work IS IN
/ itflnitely more difficult than any private
work, both because of the peculiar coTidi-s
tions of the tropical land in which it is laid
and because 1t Is impossible 10 frea them
| from the peculiar limitations inseparably
| connected with government employment:
Il while 1t Is unfortunately true that men en-
/ gagged IN public work, no matter how de-
tsvoted and -disinterested their services, must
expect to be made the objects OF misrepre-
sentatton ana attack. AT best, therefore,
1.-the positions are not attractive improper
! tion to their Importance, and among the
| genuine sense of public Spirit and eager to
| 60 the great work forsthe works sake can
lybe obtained, and such men. cannot he kept
| If they are to hs treated with nggardliness
| and parainony In addition to the certainty
| that false accusations will continually be
brought against them.
work Being Done Admirably.
81 repeat that the work on the isthmus
| has been done and is being done admirably
I The crga MI zatfon is good The mistakes