New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-11
NETWORK DAILY TRIBUNE THURSDAY JANUARY IL 1906.

negro labor the heaIthfulness OF city. the proper
place to put aredges the proper amount of capacity
to obtain from steam shovels, the character or the
administration of justice proper position onotels
along the line Of the road, the question whether
sewer system should be adapted to Panama at all
or whether the sewer system as established was
sufncient for the purpose. Nor does 1t seem TO
offer the abundant opportunity for examining OPP
posing witnesses controverted issues which the
writer of the article assures us that he had. The
many things on the spot which he says he was
able to examine must, therefore be taken with
some qualification In view of the time which this
critic-a with knowledge of engineering
whateyer-took to decide all the questions which
arise in the construction of the canal and pro-
nounce them of altogether vanishing difficulty, he
should not take exception to the eight days
which twelve of the most distinguished engineers
in the world in canal construction devoted to the
same task
But the writer of the article will answer, Il did
not depend upon my own observations alone but L
consulted Witnesses; and he certainly did. Two
witnesses are able to identify. The others are
unnamed, and most of them negroes from the
West Indies, whose names, history character, repu-
tation profession the writer of the article In all
probability did not know. The two witnesses whom
identify are Mr.. Tracy Robinson and Mr.. John
Lundie. and propose now to examine the impair
TALLY and the freedom of bias of these witnesses
Mr. Tracy Robinson is the owner of property in
Colon. 1 do not charge that the rents he collects
are too high; do not know am renaDly IN
formed that he is one of those who has raised his
rents on the ground of improved conditions in
Colon. He is, however pecuniarily interested In
having invested in Colon much government
money possible, to improve his holdings In that
city. He has lived forty years in Colon, and most
of 1t when the town was in condition far worse
than it is His animus against the government
is devoted its first attention to the ex-
penditure OF money in Panama and thus raised the
value of property in that city, and, secondly th'
in the enforcement of the health regulations oy
the sanitary department in Colon he found II net
essary to complain that his vested rights "eie
being interfered with, although what ne was re-
uuired "a do was only that he should observe the
necessary rules of hygiene on his property, ne Is
willing to have sanitary regulations elloiOeu
against his neighbors. Thirdly, Mr. Robinson ap-
piled to the former chairman of the commission for
an appointment with not less than SoOOV a year Sal
ary: was offered the mayoralty of Cristobal at
81 800 but declined it with indignation as beng
unworthy his talent and social standing he again
applied TO Governor Magoon for a position anu
was informed that there were no vacancies. sun
seauently he asked to be made superintendent Oh
schools of the zone. and was not appointed because
Governor Magoon thought his age ard temperament
unified him for the position. Mr.. Robinson is an
elderly gentleman. with nothing to do but 10 col
lect rents and to talk to strangers VINO WISH ms
town. and is the source of many preJuclceu re-
ports against the government coming from the
isthmus.
The other witness whom we can identify Is MI
John Lundfe.
MOTIVE BEHIND CHARGES.
NJ T,nd;a ts the chief engineer of the ice ana
s1ectric nIant II has capital of s250OOo. which wa"
furnished partly by Americans ana parity w 49,.
manans Mr. Lundie understood, corIec'iS'
the government expects TO erect at Colon us own
refrigerator plant. and that 1t proposes u IN -,
;ts own electric light. believe that Mr. lnhoie ;
connnany now derives some business from inc gov
eminent MI Lundie objects seriously " NV
ernment's furnishing its own light ana ICE iiU -
ssts that it is the duty to patronize his COMPANY!
was to enter this protest that he wrote TO me "l
7 roc an tho isthmus When he found that his argu-
ments upon this point thought not to De "eisS
enough to prevent the government from Cal y7
out its plan he wrote to you. Mr. president d e'I7i
which exhibits the spleen and lnsolence ol we mon
and the extent to which prejudice will carry MIN III
making unfounded statements. ] append his letter
to YOU together with his correspondence with me
and with the canal commission. 1t is noteworthy
in this connection that not only are the statements
of fact contained in this letter repeated IN the
magazine article under discussion. but some of the
reckless and impudent vocabulary of the letter ap-
pears in tire article without change This makes 1t
quite certain that copy of Lundies letter 10 you
was shown the writer of the article Inc writer
Willingness to draw his facts from SUCH FOUNTAIN
of manifest malice injured vanity and disappointed
ambition as Lundie's letter completely refutes his
good faith in asserting his wish to find and state
the truth
The writer of the article says that he proposes 10
state the truth from the standpoint neither of an
oficeheder nor an office seeker. much less that OF
disappointed contractor OF an invalided laborer ;
that 'he has had abundant opportunity to near the
views of opposing witnesses and was in position
ito examine on the spot many things so far con-
spicuous for their absence In socailed official and
authoritative reports 1t will be observed that
from the beginning to the end of the article the
writer shows that instead of seeking evidence from
the officials responsible for the work on the sthmus
he deliberately avoided consulting them or giving
them any opportunity whatever to state their
knowledge or explanation of the facts which he
saws had attracted his attention When the actual
facts are compared with the statements in this
article it gives rise to doubt what the real ex-
PLANTATION Of the article s-whether it was written
from such wanton motive actuates pure SEN
sation monger or whether it arises from the eXag
gerated eecentricity of mind which furnishes both
an excuse and an explanation. Very respectfully
yours VIM. H. TAFT, Secretary OF War.