Gilpin observer., 1906-12-20

protected. In place which has BEEN
for ages a byword for ulhea ssfuIness
strangers suddenly put down and set to
hard work there will now and then be
outbreaks of disease. There will now
and then be shortcomings in administra-
ton; there will be unlooked-for acci-
dents to delay the. excavation of the cut
or the building of the dams and locks
Each such incident will be entirely nat
ural, and, even though serious. no one
extra delay or trouble. Yet each, when
dlscoyered by sensation mongers and re-
saree saIlea 10 10 dlmid foR Of Of little ~ faith faith Will
the whole work is being badly managed.
Experiments will continually be tried in
housing, in hygiene, in street repairing.
in dredging and in digging earth and
rock. Now and then an experiment will
be failure; and among those who hear
of it, a certain proportion of doubling
Thomases viii at once believe that tha
whole work is failure. Doubtless here
uncovered; but to this, have to say
that after the most painstaking inquiry
ape person who had so much as heard
OF any serious accusations affecting the
resnons,b1d nones5y Of the commission or of any
letter dealing with the most serious
en- 'ge, that of the ownership of lots in
CO... the charge was not advanced by
leSs II is not too much to say that the
Sreathes honese Fl he
and energy. Above all, the work has;
been been kept absolutely clear of politics.
spoils politics in connection with it,
have investigated every complaint
brought to me for which there seemed
to be any shadow of foundation. In
two or three cases. all of which L
have indica ted in the course of this
message. l came to the conclusion that
there was foundation for the com
plant; and that the methods of the
commission GO in the respect complained
In ha ty
stances the complaints proved abso-
iutely baseless. save in two or three
instances where they referred to mis-
takes which the commission had al
ready found out and corrected.
SANDERS and iipelers.
So much for honest criticism. There
remains an immense amount of as
lilshed. Where the slandcrers are OF
foreign origin have no concern with
them. Where they. arc Americans. 1
feel for them the hearticst contempt
and Indignation: because in Il spirit
Of wanton dishonesty and malice.
| they are trying to interfere with and
hamper the execution of. the greatest
| work OF the kind ever attempted. and
are seeking to bring to nausht the eff
forts of their countrymon to put to
| the credit of America one ut the giant
feats Of the ages. The outrageous
stitute a gross libel upon a body of
| public servants who. for trained intel
ligence. expert ability. high charac-
/
| been excelled anywhere There is not
a man among those directing the work
| position on any other basis than merit
alone. and not one who has used his
position in any way Cor his own per-
! sonal or pecuniaEy advantage
Plan tc Build by Contract.
After most careful consideration we
work by contract. If we can come to
! satisfactory terms with the contract
ors. The whole work is of a kind
people, and our people have devel-
oped the type of contractor best fitted
to grapple with it. It is Of course
| much better to do the work in Itrge-
| part by contract than TO do il AL by
the government. provided y i, pos-
| sible on the one hand to Sc,.,r. e.. the
contractor sufficient reuiEW ration
to make it worth while for .-:apon-
undertake the work; and provided on
| the other hand it can be done terms
which will not give an excessive profit
the government. After much con-
sideration the plan already rromul-
gated by the secretary of war was
and thorough study and considera ton.
by the chief engineer. Mr. Stevens.
who. while in the employment Of MIR.
Hill. the president of the Great North
this very type OF contract: Mr.
stev~'ns then submitted the plan to
| rre chairman or the commission. Mr..
shontt who went carefully over it
with Mr.. Rogers. the legal adviser of
The, the ,r,7-Ilission. to see that all legal
| ted c2Nos of the plan to both Secre-
tary Tat and myself. Secretary Taft
su5mistcd II to some, of the hest ccun-
| sci - the New York bar. and after
! tr'ar6s I went over 1t very carefully
! irith pr. Taft and Mr.. Shonts, and we
before Nr Root. NV conciusion is
That 1t combines the maximum of ad-
vantage with the minimum of disad-
vantage. Under it premium will be
put upon the speedy and economical
c"7struction of the canal. and pen
nlPu ns promnlgated is tentative:
doubtless it will have to be changed
IN some respects before we can come
s~Hnsihle contractors-ncrhaps even
after the bids have been received: !:
can not come to a agreement in which
case the govern-"ent will do the work
itself. Meanwhile the work on the
isthmus is progressing steadily and
without any let IN.
Single Commissioner Desired.
seven headed commission is Of
course n clumsy executive instrument.
We should have but one commission
and other officers under him ns we
may find necessary. We should be
expressly permitt'd t. employ the
best engineers n the country con-
sult!ng engineers.
l accompany this Darer with n map
showing substantially wh"t the c"nal
will be like when II is finished. when
! the culebra cut hos been wNde and
the dams built df they are huilt as at
present proposedl there VIII then he
at both the Pacific and At,antic ends
cf the canal two great f-esh-water
lakes. connected hv n broad channel
running at the bottom OF rlvine.
across the backbone OF the Western
Hemisnhere. Those best informed be-
lieve that the work will be completed
in about eight years; but II is never
safe to prophesv about such work
as this. esrer!ally In the trnuics.
Confident Of Ultimate Success. :
OF the success OF the enterprise I
am as well convinced as one can be
Of any enterprise that Is human IL