, 1906-12-17

Washington, d. c., Dec. 17.-Tht
president sent to congress today tn,
nrst OF a series OF messages whlcL
Will be sent in during the week. TO
DAY S message is In regard to the Pan
anna canal. He recommends the reduc
ton of the canal commission from
seven to one, n insists that that one
shall be Theoaore z. Shonts. The
president says:
A Clumsy instrument.
"a seven-heaued commission is a
clumsy executive instrument. We
should have but one commissioner,
and he be permitted to employ the
best engineers in the country as con-
sulting engineers"
The president then describes his
trip to the isthmus. He investigated
carefully the various phases of the
work and the conditions surrounding
the daily life of the men employed,
and he reaches this conclusion:
Convinced of Success.
"Of the success of the enterprise, /
am as well convinced as anyone can
be of any enterprise that is human.
1t is a s%tupendous work that Is being
well done. The men are doing some
thing that will benefit the whole
world, and which will last for ages to
come"
Favors Contract Work.
The president thinks the work
should be done in large part by con
tract, believing it combines the max
imum of advantage with the minimum
of disadvantage. He pays his respects
to the knockers of the enterprise, and
says the complaints have been investi-
gated n found to be malicious.
There must be Mistakes" he says,
now and then in building a giant
canal through jungle-covered noun
tains and swamps while looking after
the sanitary features of tropic cities
and feeding from 10000 to 80, 900
workers.
Praise for Commission.
The president gives great praise to
the commission and thinks they have
moved as quickly as prudent. He
thinks minor rascality may occasion
ally be uncovered, but that scandal
mongers will find little that is real to
criticise. The great work, he says, is
being kept absolutely out of politics,
and the laborers are of all kinds and
shades.
As to Alien Labor.
Says the president: "The American
workman in the United States can
have no concern whatever in the ques-
ton as to whether the rough work on
the isthmus, performed by aliens, in
any event, is lone by aliens from n
country with a black skin or by aliens
from another country with a yellow
skim"
A Tribute to the French.
The message ends with a tribute to
the French for the amount of good
work they did under difficult circum-
stances.
Wants Younger Officers.
In a second special message to con-
gress today-he sent three in all
President Roosevelt urges the enact
ment of a bill to create naval captains
at As and rear admirals at SO. He
shows the present law as archaic, Eng
land having captains at 80, Japan at
3S, Germany at AZ and France at As.
while in this country the youngest is
55 years.
The Third Message.
The presidents third special mes
sage to congress today was on the
question of public lands. He says
gross frauds have been committed, and
while he does not specify any indlyid-
ual cases, he shows that many wrongs
have been proven against government
officials, and demands that rigid inqui-
ries be continued and any persons
found guilty be punished.
Due to Lack of Inspectors.
The president maintains that the
frauds are due to the fact that we
have not enough land inspectors and
mining inspectors. and wishes congress
to consider this need at nee and take
proper action.