The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-08
BRANDED FALSE.
President Roosevelt Declares
That All the Reports
DerOgatOry of the Canal Admin
istratiOn Are Untrue.
1T WILL BE A MODEL
he Believes for the People to
Look Back Upon.
Looks for Completion Within
Time and Cost Limit.
1T WILL BE A MODEL

Washington. Jan. 8.-Ihe letter OF
President Roosevelt. transmitting to
congress the annual reports Of the
Isthmian canal commission and the
Panama Railroad company together
with Secretary Taft's letter transmit
ting the same is as follows:
To the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives:
7 enclose herewith the annual report
of the Isthmian canal commission the
annual report of the Panama Railway
company and the secretary of wars
letter transmitting the same, together
with certain papers.
The work on the isthmus is being
admirably done and great progress
has been made especially during the
past nine months. The plant is being
made ready and the organization PER
fected The first work to be done was
the work of sanitation. the necessity
preliminary to the work of actual con-
struction and this has been pushed
forward with the utmost energy. In a
short while / shall lay before you the
recommendations of the commission
and of the board of consulting en-
gineers as to the proper plan to be
adopted for the canal itself together
with my own conclusions thereon. All
work so far has been done, not only
most careful and thorough manner;
and what has been accomplished gives
us good reason to believe that the
canal viii be dug in a shorter time
than had been anticipated and at an
expenditure within the estimated
amount All our citizens have
right to congratulate themselves upon
the high standard of efficiency and in
tegrity which has been hitherto main
tanned by the representatives of the
government i'm doing this great work.
To BE viewed With Pride.
IF this high standard of efficiency
and integrity can be maintained in the
future at the same level which 1T has
now reached. the construction of the
Panama canal viii be one of the
features to which the people of this
republic viii look back TO with the
highest pride.
From tiRle to time various publica-
tions have been made, and from time
to time in the future various similar
publications doubtless will be made,
purpOrting to give an air of jObbery,
or immortality, or inefficiency. or
misery, as obtaining on the isthmuS.
I have carefully examined into each
of these accusations which seemed
worthy Of attention. In every in
stance the accusations have proved to
be without foundation i'm any shape
OF form. They spring from several
sources Sometimes they take the
shape of statements of irresponsible
investigators of sensational habit of
mind incapable of observing or re-
peadng with accuracy what they see
and desirOus of obtaining nOtOrietv bv
widespread SANDER Most often they
originate with or are given currencE
by individuals with a personal griev-
ance. The sensation mongers, both
those who stay at home and those
who visit the isthmus may ground
their accusiOns on false statements by
some engineer who having applied for
service ON the commission had been
refused such service and now endeav-
ors to discredit his successful com
petitors or by some lessee or owner of
real estate who has sought action or
inaction by the commission to increase
the value of his lots and is bitter be-
cause the commission can not be
used for such purposes or on the tales
of isappOinted bidders for contracts
or of Office holders who have proved
incompetent or who have been sus9
pected of corruption and dismissed, or
who have been overcome by panic and
have fed from the isthmus.
Charges All False
Every specific charge relating to
jObbery. to immortality or to inehi-
cheney, from whatever source if has
come. has been Immediately investi-
gated and in no single instance have
the statements of these sensation mon
gers and the interested complainants
behind them proved true. The only
discredit inhering i'm these false ac-
CusatOns is to those who originate and
give them currency and who. to the
extent of their abilities thereby ham
per and Obstruct the completion of the
great work in which both the honor
and the interest OF America are so
deeply involved. 1t matters NOT
whether those guilty of the false ac-
cusatiOns utter them in mere vantOn
recklessness and folly or in spirit of
sinister malice to crafty some personal
mr. noIffiCa1 grr7IdUa
Any attempt to cut down the salaries
of the officials of the isthmian commits
sion or of their subordinates who are
doing important work would be ruin
GUS from the standpoint of accomplish
ing the work effectively. To quote the
words of one of the best observers on
the isthmus. Decentralization of the
service is certain if the reward for sue
pay"
A Gigantic Task.
eve are undertaking in Panama a
gigantic task-the largest piece of en-
gineering ever done The employment
of the men engaged thereon is only tenn
porary and yet it will require the high
est order of ability if it is to be done
economically. honestly and efficiently
TO attempt to secure men to do this
work on insufficient salaries would
amount to putting a premium upon in
efficiency and corruption. Men fit for
the work viii not undertake it unless
they are we'll paid. In the end the men
who do undertake it viii be left to
seek other employment with as their
chief reward the reputation they
achieve Their work is infinitely more
difficult than any private work. both
because of the peculiar conditions of the
froDicsl land in which it is laid and be-
cause it is impossible to free them from
fhe peculiar limitations inseparably con-
recfed with government employment;
while it is unfortunately true that men
tn ffa
devoted and disinterested their services
---a .-naet TO be made the objects of