The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-14
MAGOON GETS
 ONLY $17,5OO Has Many Offices in the
 Canal Zone. THE GOVERNOR AS A WITNESS Is Not Familiar With the Charges
 of PouItney Bigelow. He Will Read the Article Criticisins American Management of Affairs,
 and VIII Answer it Be-
 fore Committee.
THE GOVERNOR AS A WITNESS

Washington, Feb. Ex-Governor Ma goon. of the Panama Canal Zone tooay te stified before the Senate Committee on Jnter-ocenaic Canals that he had not read the Pocultuey Bigelow article criticising tho American admtnistra- tion of affairs on the Isthmus. The article was given him and after famil- iarizing himself with 1t he will com ment on the charges. The governor testified that his aggregate salary as canal commissioner. member of the leg islative council. governor of the Canal Zone. minister to the Panama Repub- lie and counsel on the Isthmus to the canal commission, is $$17.500 and that by reason of the concentration of these divers offices the government saves S17,50O year.
 Discussing living conditions on the Isthmus, Governor Magoon said that fourteen schools already have been established and that they are we'll attended. He said it had been diff cult to build houses rapidly enough to accommodate employees fin his de" partment he said there is not single person having family but would like to take 1t to the Zone. The American empioye he said Is not so apprehensive of dangers to health as is the medical force.
 During the height of the yellow fe- yer last summer the United States paid the entire cost of the sanitation, said Governor Magoon. for the reason that the Panamians were neither able nor willing to bear any part of the ex- pense.
 Fear of revolutions said Governor Magoon had discouraged agriculture on the Isthmus, but since the United States had taken over the Zone the fear had almost entirely disappeared. Eight-HOur Law.
 The eight-hour law was pronounced by the witness a blow at the efficiency of labor on the canal gone. and he rec commended that its application to the gone be suspended. At the afternoon session, Senator Simmons asked if there was any dis cussion among Panama people In favor l of an annexation. Governor Magoon saId that tho only discussion he had heard on the subject was last summer when A rtinnor was circulated that a ] union between Panama and Costa Rtca | was being arranged. The Panamanfans | then said that if there was to be a
 union with any government they pre-
 ferred 1t with the United States The
 witness said he thought the commits
 sion now was exercising all the func-
 tions it would be called upon to per- | form unless there was revolution. In 1 that event he thought the United | States woud be compelled to broaden | it's scope in governmental anairs. | Governor Magoon said he had ac-
 auainted himself during the day with | the BigeIow article and the best an
 swer he could make would be to en-
 dorse the letters of Secretary Taft and | Chief Engineer Stevens in that mat
 ter. Senators Simmons and Hopkins
 protested against dignifying MT. Bige- low in that manner and therefore 1t
 was agreed to continue the examina-
 tion without reference to his charges
 A large number of statements of for eign consuls, ministers of :he gospel
 and ahidavits from Martinique women 1 were offered bearing on the subjects touched upon by MT Bigelow. The
 acts of the administration were endors-
 ed by these letters. The statements
 denied the charges that women had
 been taken to the isthmus for immoral | purposes.