Omaha daily bee., 1906-01-30
MACOON TALKS OF CANAL
Work is Progr.ssiny as Rapidly as Gould b
Expected in spite of Draw backs
D. E. THOMPSON CALLS At WHITE HOUSE
President. settles south Dakota
squabbIe by Dividing the PATRON
age, the Consressmen Taking
the Postmasters.
From a Stan Correspondent }

gram. )-Governor c. h. Magoon OF the canal
zone and minister to Panama, accompanied
by ID. E. Thompson. ambassador to Mexico,
arrived in Washington this afternoon from
New York. Governor Magoon has fine
tropical tan and is the picture of health. lie
was greeted on his arrival at the Arlington
hotel. where these two well known Ne
braskans are stopping. by a number of
friends The governor seems to be well
satisfied with the progress being made on
the canal. He admits there have been draw
backs and contingencies have arisen which
could not be anticipated. but all together
he believes tho work is going on as rapidly
could be expected.
Speaking of the article written by Poult-
ney Bigelow in the New York Independent,
which has caused such widespread discus
sion. Governor Magoon said that Mr.. Bige-
lows visit to the strip was exceedingly
brief. He reached Colon at 10 O'Clock in
the morning on Thanksgiving day last"
said Governor Magoon. caught the train
that landed him in Panama City at Z
O'Clock, remained there an hour and half
and returned to Colon He left the isthmus
the next day at . O'Clock" As to diseases
on the strip Governor Magoon said that
malaria on the isthmus very bad. 1t
| is common disease" he said. "and. Of
! course, immunity is not acquired. 1t is not
| so severe, however, as the malaria which
developed in some of the western state
such Michigan and Illinois. when the.
were first opened up.
Work speaks for Itself
: There are now about l5Oo0 laborers en-
gagged in the canal work and 5000 other
employees" said Governor Magoon, in reply
to a question. Regarding work on the
.l,, a. q
self. That is outside my province. The men
> are all busy They, are paid from Il to p
cents an hour. silver. The men are housed
( in cleanly barracks, with 90 cubic feet
breathing space for each man. From
/ twenty-five to thirty colored men are
housed in one building. More white men
are allowed in u single building. but the
buildings are larger They sleep on sani-
I tary cots, some OF them double-deckers. 1t
is our purpose,in time to have them all sin
lgle-deckers. The floors in the new buildings
I are all water tight, most OF them being of
cement.
1T was necessary at first to use the old
buildings used by the French They were
first repaired. however More new build
ings going up all the time and IL will
not be long before the old ones will be en-
tirely abandoned
The governor expressed himself as beiing
pleased to be back among old friends, and.
judging from the number Of callers he had
Immediately after his arrival there were
I ssaay who were glad TO have hinr back.
Just when Governor Magoon viii be called
before the senate committee on inter
oceanic canals, which is charged with the
general investigation of the canal is not
known. 1t is, however, not expected thai
Il.
ten days unless the present program of tn,
committee is changed to meet Governor Ma.
goon's wishes.
Before leaving for the elisthmus Mr.. Ma.
goon expects 10 visit Nebraska.
Thompson's Arrival u Surprise.
Arrival Of Ambassador d. E. Thompson
with Governor Magoon was somewhat un
expected, the last advices received from
Mr.. Thompson being that he was in chi
cago and would come to Washington direc
from that city. Instead, however Mr.
Thompson having been advised of Judy,
Magoon's arrival in New York, Joined hi
fellow townsman and they came on t,
Washington together. Mr.. Thompson will
call on the president tomorrow mornin;
with Senators Millard and Burkett H
called al the White House fmmediatel'
after his arrival today and saw Secretar]
Loeb. The president. however. having hi
schedule for the afternoon made up fixe,
the time for Mr.. Tbompson's call tomor
row at 1850. Mr.. Thompson looked please,
and said he hoped to terminate his bust
ness in Washington, by which he mean
his business with the State department
and get away by Wednesday night q
Thursday at the latest. He viii go direc
TO Nebraska from Washington and expect
=, TO leave for his new post within a fort
night
President settles Fight
= The South Dakota ,delegatl ton locked horn
y today and a result of two month:
= wrangling the president issued an order t
the postmaster general that Representa-
tfyeS Martin and Burke would control IN