Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-12-18
In
THE MESSAGE
President Sends Congress Three
Special Reports ON Panama,
Navy and Land Frauds.

ton of its session.
Printed copies of the message, hand
somelv bound, were placed on the desk
of each senator, and the reading Of the
document was closely followed. Pre-
ceding the Panama message the presi-
dents recommendations respecting
public lands and the naval personnel
were received and read.
The house laid aside business to hear
the presidents message concerning the
Panama canal. The pictorial feature
of the message afforded an opportunity
for good natured comment. the innova-
ton OF cuts in a state paper being
looked upon with favor.
President Roosevelt sent three spe-
cial messages to congress dealing with
the Panama canal, the coal, timber
and mineral land frauds in the west
and the personnel of the United States
navy.
He praises the progress Of the Pana-
ma canal work n says conditions
on the isthmus are satisfactory, thinks
the big ditch will be finished in eight
years, that married men make the best
canal workmen and vigorously de-
nounces critics of the canal commits
sion. declaring that there is no evil
dence Of irregularities by any of the
high officials connected with the prof.
ect. Chinese wOrkmen are to be en-
ployed.
IL. oacn,,fu- H1n cool aud ftrrn1nr land
grabs in the far west must cease and
urges upon congress the necessity of
new laws to bring this about. He adj
vocates the leasing Of government
lands TO private individuals and corpo-
rations for operation, but under gov
eminent control. Mr. Roosevelt thinks
it imperative that the law be changed
so that younger officers may attain to
the highest rank in the navy, the pres
ent statutes being such that none but
aged officers are in positions of the.
greatest responsibility.
In regard to the muck rakers who
have attacked the methods Of the canal
commission he says:
There remains an immense amount
of as reckless SANDER as has ever been
published. Where the %slanderers are
of foreign origin | have no concern
with them. Where they are Americans
| feel for them the heartiest contempt
and indignation, because in a spirit of
wanton dishonesty and malace they
are trying to Interfere with and ham
per the execution of the greatest work
of the kind ever attempted and are
seeking to bring to naugllt the efforts
of their countrymen to put to the credit
of America one Of the giant feats of
the ages. The outrageous accusations
of these slanderers constitute a gross
libel upon a body of public servants
who for trained intelligence, expert
ability, high character and devotion to
duty have never been eXcelled any
where. There is not a man among
those directing the work on the 18TH
mus who has obtained his position on
n other basis than merit alone, and
not one who has used his position in
any way for his own personal or pc
cuniaryl advantage.
fHCIG COluDidilto dtG nOI IluuC
wantonly or maliciously they almost
always proved due to a failure to ap-
preciate the fact that time was neces-
sary in the creation and completion of
this Titanic work In a tropic wilder
ness. 1t Is impossible to avoid some
mistakes in building a giant canal
through jungle covered mountains and
swamps, while at the same time SAM
tating tropic cities and providing for
the feeding and general care of from
twenty to thirty thousand workers.
'"There seemed to me to be too many
saloons in the zone, but the new high
license law which goes into effect on
Jan. l next will probably close four
fifths of them.
1T certainly ought to be unneces-
sary to point out that the American
workingman has no concern whatever
in the question as to whether the
rough work on the isthmus, which Is
performed by aliens from one country
with a black skin or by aliens from an
business is to dig the canal as eff
ciently and as quickly as possible, pro-
vided always that nothing is done that
is inhumane to any laborers and moth
ing that interferes with the wages of
or lowers the standard of living Of our
own workmen. Having in view this
principle, l have arranged to try sew
eral thousand Chinese laborers.
II was struck by the superior com
fort and responsibility of. the lives of
the married men. 1t would, in my
opinion, be a most admirable thing if
a much larger number of the men had
their wives, for with their advent all
complaints about food and cooking are
almost sure to cease.
"a seven headed commission is, of
course, a clumsy executive instrument.
We should have but one commissioner,
with such heads OF departments and
other officers under him as we may
find necessary. We should be expressly
permitted to employ the best engineers
in the country as consulting engineers.
Those best informed believe that the
---u.1- lii 10 annnpIasOl To- about oiUl,f