The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1906-01-11
Says Article Attacking Admins.
tration Of Affairs Is Erroneous.
ARE ACCUSATIONS UhFOUNDEDp
Chief Engineer Stevens Quoted as Authority
That lasanItay Conditions and PalltI-
cal Pull Do Not Prevail

Washington, Jan. 11.--Comprehensive
answer to the charges against the 18TH
mian Canal commission contained in AN
article in the Independent has been made
by Secretary Taft.
1t is In the form OF a letter to the Presi-
dent, who on January c. in communica-
! ton to the secretary. said his attention
had been directed to an article purporting
| 10 have been written by Poultney Bige-
| low, attacking the administration of
| affairs by the Canal commission and your
J self on the isthmus," and adding: "Will
/ you please advise me what basis II any
/ there is for these charges?"
| Secretary Taft briefly summarizes the
| charges as follows:
! Alleging that the conditions I'm Colon
are so unsanitary as To indicate great
neglect in providing for the health OF the
| employees OF the commission, alleged mis-
| treatment OF negro laborers. that persons
appointed TO the isthmus are incompetent
and have been given their places through
! political influence and official incompc-
tency or misconduct the latter involving
the charge that there is so much red
tape" necessary to bring about the con-
has come TO the laborers on the isthmus.
FEW LIVE IN COLON.
The secretary says that Chief Engineer
Stevens. now In Washington. is personal
! ly cognizant of the facts with respect 10
every local condition described by the
writer OF the article and n memorandum
OF comments thereon by Mr.. Stevens Is
appended TO the letter.
Discussing the conditions at Colon. the
secretary quotes Mr. Stevens as saying
that seHe- knows who ifsts been on tf1c
ground that the problem OF draining the
city is one OF extreme difficulty owing
TO the situation on an island surrounded
by the sea on one side and by a fresh
water swamp on the other.
Uncertainty as to the plans OF improV-
ing Colon has rendered impractical any
radical destruction OF insanitary buildings
Meantime, the secretary says, the sani-
tary conditions I'm Panama required much
more urgent treatment than those at Co
Ion, the death rate at Panama since the
government took charge OF the health OF
the isthmus being from % per cent to
80 l-S per cent greater than IN Colon
1t is not true. he says. that n large
number OF the employees on the isthmus
live I'm Colon proper, as Mr.. Stevens points
out, there are not to exceed 200 or 900 liy-
ing there
Bearing out the charge that there IS
today no water supply I'm Colon. Sec
retary Taft quotes from a dispatch from
Governor Magoon of >an. s, advising him
That of the two temporary reservoirs for
the Colon and Cristobal water supply
one was completed on Nov /, and the
other the latter part OF December. with
total capacity of 100000 gallons. am
ply sufficient for the present dry season;
10 r.sff l..
Colon; that permanent reservoir ca
pacity of 500,0oo,oo0 gallons. is under con-
structiOn. TO be completed April l.
The secretary says it is charged that
the chairman OF the commission and all
others wrongly look upon the tropical
negro laborer as poor labor
The conclusion OF Mr. Stevens and OF
every observer on the isthmus. ne de-
clared. Is to the effect that this labor
Is inefficient.
Regarding the statement that the ne
groes are leaving the isthmus i'm porten-
tous numbers because OF mistreatment.
Mr.. Stevens testifes, the secretary SAYS.
that just before the holidays great num-
ber of laborers returned to the islands
whence they came, as has been the Gus
tom ever since the beginning OF the
French construction.
The secretary shows that there are now
on the payrolls 1900 laborers.
As TO the charge that officials on the
isthmus were appointed through con
gressional or political influence, the sec
retary saya the chief engineer categori-
cally denies this. "and I am able. from
the standpoint OF Washington, also cate
gorically to deny It,"
Secretary Taft declares that the charge
OF delay by red tape" in the construc-
tion of buildings on the isthmus is shown
TO be untrue by the statement of the
chief engineer.
Secretary Taft says the charge that
quarantine officers construe the law and
enforce IL as far as possible To interfere
with commerce is utterly unfounded"
The isthmus Ia being freed from dan
gcrof yellow fever and other contagious
diseases. observes tho secretary, by an
effort unprecedented In the history OF the
world"
Secretary Taft repeats his former state
ment that the charge that boat load
OF black women were imported from Mar
Unique for immoral purposes is false.