The National tribune., 1906-03-29

OF course. the Panama Canal reSfg-
nation is about due. and this time 1T is
Chairman Shonts, who heads the Com
! mission who is going to get out, be
cause of i'll health" MIR. Shonts is after
that rumor with n big stick. He says
it isn't so, and he ought to know. Mr..
Shonts has been here about two months
on business with the Government re-
garding the Canal schemes and to tes-
tify before the Committee on Inter-
Pcpperman, is also here. and the Canal
seems to be getting along pretty well,
thank you.
1T really looks as though things were
getting down to a business basis down
there. Chairman ShontS has received
from Chief Engineer Stevens the fol-
lowing report of the way dirt is flying
and its decreasing cost to remove:
Since October three times as much
yardage is removed month. and at 4
cost onehalf as great. In October So
$40 cubic yards were taken out at a
cost of s1.2s9S yard; November. Co.
$40 cubic yards at S1.052S yard; De-
ccmber 1850 cubic yards. 80 cents;
January. 10000 cubic yards. II cents:
February, 16S,410 cubic yards at cost
of 61.S cents cubic yard.
Charles s. Francis. of Troy. N. Y.
has been appointed by the President
to succeed Bellamy StOrer as Embas-
sadOr TO Austria Hungary.
Col. Francis was formerly American
Minister To Greece, and is a close friend
of former Gov. Black, of New York.
He is at present editor and proprietor
of the Troy Times. and has associa ted
himself with the State reform move
ment.
He acted as secretary to his father,
who was Minister to Greece under
Grant, and while there mastered thor
oughly the continental languages. Dur
ing the last few years he has attended
closely to his newspaper work in New
York, and has been Chairman of the
National Republican Editorial Asso-
citation.
There seems to be story back of
the appointment. Bellamy Storer, the
present ambassador. is an uncle by
marriage of MIR. Longworth, husband
of Miss Alice Roosevelt, Mrs. Storer
being Mr.. Longworth's aunt. and they
have been priced friends of the Presi-
dent All of a sudden, for no reason
that anybody can give, Mr.. Storer is
recalled. One story is that Mr.. Storer
was negligent in attending to state af-
fairs and that this displeased the Pres
ident. but this does not SEEM plausible.
Relations between Austria Hungary
and the United States have been friend
lS, Dut not OSeFcOTuidl LOT year Ut
two. The investigation made by Mar
Gus Braun, a special immigration In
spector. of the alleged policy Of the
Hungarian Government in stimulating
immigration to the United States. was
urt to the liking of the Government at
} ~6dapest.
The report made by Mr. Braun.
charging the Government with influ-
encing immigrants to make money in
the United States, refrain from becom-
ing American citizens, and carry their
earnings back to the fatheriand was
even more offensive to the Hungarian
authorities. The Commissioner-General
of immigration desired to publish Mr..
Braun's report, but the State Depart
ment thought it inadvisable. 1t was
finally sent to Congress in response to
resolution of inquiry.
Another report has it that Mrs. Stor
er, who is a devout Catholic. had mixed
affairs of church and state in q man.
ner to embarrass the President. She
wanted another Roman Catholic Car