Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-22
At THE WHITE HOUSE
Conference With Mr.. Shonts
on Canal Affairs.
LOCK OR sEA-LEvEL PLAN
All Preparations Have Been Made for
the Former.
TO ATTACK THE STANDARD
Attorney General Moody to Bring
Suit Under Either the Sherman
or Elkins Law.
. ATTACK THE STANDARD

SHdi SHouIS OF the canal COM
mission was with the President some
time this morning. but he asserted that
his visit was on personal business and
had no important bearing on canal af-
fairs.
The President is deeply interested In
the canal status in Congress He is so
strongly committed to a lock canal that
the report of the Senate committee on
oceanic canals In favor Of a sea-level
waterway gave him much concern
The fight in the Senate promises to
be big one, with tremendous strug-
gle In the House also. Even IL the Sem
ate votes in favor of a sea-level ditch
the chances are Overwhelming that the
House will refuse to Join and. Will stand
for the lock canal type The prospects
would then be favorable to no action of
any kind at this session, and the whole
canal would have to stand still until an
other session. or the President would
nave to go ahead upon his own RESPONSE
bility.
All the preparations have been made with
the view OF lock canal. All the drawings,
all the plans, the purchases of machienry
and supplies have in mind a lock canal If
the Senate committees program is carried
cut by Congress all this would be spoiled
Speaker Cannon and House leaders, who
have conferred with the President have
given him to understand that the House
has no idea of standing for sea level
canal, as 1t is believed the construction of
such canal could not be concluded in the
lifetime of most people now living. This Is
the view of Representative Mann of ILL
nois of the House committee on interstate
commerce. Mr.. Mann has given deep study
to the canal question and has visited the
isthmus and watched operations there.
To Attack the Standard.
The secrecy Of the cabinet sessions pre-
vents any knowledge of whether the cues
ton of a legal attack by the Department
of Justice on the Standard Oil trust was
talked of at today's session, but there Is
an impression that Attorney General
Moody is getting ready to swoop down
on the octopus. He is expected to proceed
against the Standard not only for alleged
violations of the Elkins anti-rebate law,
but also for disregard of the Sherman
antitrust law. The department has been
accommodating evidence against the trust
for some time, and this is said to show
that the company has been maintaining
a monopoly and restraining trade dis
The President in his message to Congress
conveying the report of Commissioner
Garfield indicated that proceedings would
be begun against the Standard Oil, but he
did not specify what these were to be or
what laws were to be invoked. If the
present plans are carried out the depart
ment will go after the Standard from two
directions, and is confident of succeeding
in at least one and probably both
Attorney General Moody would not say to-
day what he proposes doing, but it is known
that he is going into the evidence and get
ting his batteries ready to open the engage
ment In anticipation of the fact that the
fight will probably be the greatest ever
known in this country in legal way the
Attorney General is proceeding with great
caution, as he does not care to make mis-
step He is said to entertain the view that
the chances of the government Will be bet
ter under the Sherman law than under the
ElkinS act.
Thinks the President Can Help.
Four men walked into the White House
today who were instantly eyed by the Sc
cret service and newspaper men. They did
not resemble the ordinary run Of visitors
They looked like foreigners who were farm
ing in this country. The two leaders of the
quartet were John A. Weaver and Daniel
OFT of Windber, Pa. Weaver is FARMER
and for six years has owned valuable
farm near Windber. While he was working
the top soil. though the Berwin- w mite Coai
Company was taking coal from under the
ground, Some years ago the ground began
to cave in and in many places sank fifteen
or twenty feet. The moisture could not be
retained and the farm became almost use
less besides being dangerous. weaver
brought suit against the coal company at
Somerset, Pa He started the suit four years
ago and has never been able to get 1t to
trial. He does not think he mas received a
SOMA re deal, So he ana -FOUR OF MS IfleHuS
got on the train and came TO Washington
to see If they could not find out If the Pres
fdent could help them in any way. Assist
ant Secretary Barnes received them ana list
ened to their story. He was unable to hnd
a way in which the President could take
part in the legal complications or hasten
the case to a hearing.
Activity in Wrecked City.
Representative Kahn of San Francisco
called upon the President before cabinet
meeting and introduced j. A. Dineen and
F. H. Hilbert, whom he described as two
of the men who helped fight the great con-
Migration" Messrs. Dineen and Hilbert ar
rived in the city last night, having left
Frisco last Thursday. They report the
greatest activity in the wrecked city.
Everybody was busy building temporary
buildings when we left" said Mr.. Hilbert
II never saw a people more hopeful. They
are building temporary one-story buildings
out of galvanized iron, redwood and other
material, which they have agreed to tear
down upon ninety days notice as soon as
the city is ready to begin the work of
building the new city.
There are still $4,000 people living in the
parks The tents have all disappeared and
now the people are dwelling in temporary
one-story wooden shelter houses, divided
off for families