Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-01-08
WORK ON |SIHNUS
ADMIRABLY DONE
President Roosevelt Praises It
Highly, But Scores Accusa-
tions Without Foundation
MUST MAINTAIN HIGH STANDARD
CONSTRUCTION Of Canal Promises to Be
That Upon Which People Of This Re-
public Will Look Back With Pride
Any Attempt to Cut Down Salaries
Would Be Ruinous.

Would Be hutnouSs
washington, Jan. s. - President
Roosevelt in his letter transmitting to
congress the annual reports of the
Isthmain canal commission and Pana-
ma Rairoaad company, today, says:
.-The work on the Isthmus Is being
admirably done, and great progress has
been made, especially during the last
nine months. The plant is being made
ready and organization perfected. The
first work to be done, was the work OF
sanitation, necessary preliminary to
4 the work Of actual construction, and
tfis has been pushed forward with the
utmost energy and means. In short,
while shall lay before you the recon- :
mendations of the commission and
board Of consulting engineers, as to the
proper plan to be adopted for the canal
itself, together with my own recon-
mA3laations, all the work so far has
been done, not only with the utmost
puB inJeIBo lsoW w lnq 'uoH!pedxs
thorough manner. What has been ac-
complished gives us good reason to be-
lieve that the canal will be dug in
shorter time than had been anticipat-
q, and at an expenditure within ting
tetimated amount. All our citizens
have right to congratulate themsel-
4 yes upon the high standard of efficien-
cy and integrity which has been hith-
erto maintained by the representatives
j OF our government, in doing this great
work. If this high standard of eff1cien-
cy and integrity can be maintained in
the future. at the same level which 1t
has now reached, the construction Of
the canal will be one Of the features to
which the people of this republic will
look back with the highest pride.
Sensationmongers Scored.
"F'rom time 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 account of the
jobbery, immortality, inefficiency and
misery, as obtaining on the isthmus
Ighave carefully examined into each OF
these accusations which seemed worthy
OF attention. In every instance, the
accusations have proved to be without
foundation In any shape or form. They
spring from several sources. Some
times they take the shape of state
ihents by irresponsible investigators
Of sensational habit Of mind, incap-
able of observing or repeating with
accuracy, what they see and desirous
OF obtaining notoriety by widespread
slander. More often they originate
with or are given currency by, indi-
viduals with personal grievances. Sem
sation mongers, both those who stay
ct home and those who visit the 18TH
mus. may ground their accusations on
the false statements by some engineer,
who. having applied for service on the
commission and been refused such SER
vice, now endeavors to discredit his
successful competitors; or by some
lessee or owner Of real estate, who has
sought action or inaction by the COM
mission to increase the value of his
lots, and is bitter because the COM
mission cannot be used for such pur-
poses; or on the tales of disappointed
bidders for contracts; or of officehold-
ers who have proved incompetent or
and dismissed, or who have been over
come by panic and have fed from the
isthmus.
Every specific charge relating to
jobbery, immortality or ipefficiency,
from whatever source it has come, has
been Immediately Investigated. and in
no single instance have the statements
of these sensationmongers and inter-
ested complainants behind them proved
true. The only discredit inhering in
these false accusations is to those who
originate and give them currency, and
who. to the extent of their abilities,
thereby hamper and obstruct the COM
pletion of a great work, in which both
the honor and interest Of America are
SO deeply involved. 1t matters not
whether those guilty Of these false ac-
cusations utter them in mere wantor
recklessness and folly, or in spirit OF
sinister malice, to crafty some person
al or political grudge.
'Any attempt to cut dow the salaries
OF officials Of the isthmian commits
sion, or their subordinates, who are
doing important work, would be ruin
GUS from the standpoint of accomplish
ing work effectively. To quote the
words of one of the best observers on
the isthmus, Decentralization of service
is certain If the reward for successful
endeavor is a reduction of pay
Rewards Must Be Ample.
eve are undertaking in Panama, a
gigantic task, the largest piece of en-
gineering ever done economically. hon
estly and efficiently. To attempt to
secure men to do this work on insuffi-
cient salaries. would amount to putting
a premium upon inefficiency and cor
ruption Men At for the work will not
undertake 1t, unless they are well paid.
In the end the men who do undertake
1t will be left to seek other employ
rnent with, as their chief reward, the
reputation they achieve. Their work
is infinitely more difficult than any
private work. both because Of the pc
culiar conditions OF the tropical land
IN which II is laid, and because II Is
Impossible 70 free them from the Pc