Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-09
SENATE TAKES UP
CANAL QUESTION
STRONG LETTER IS RECEIVED
FROM PRESIDENT
Roosevelt Defends Present Policy and
Invites Closest Scrutiny Into
Any Charges That Have
Been Made
BY Associated Press.

hy ASSOciateu BfeSS.
WASHINGTON, Jan. S.--Thc senate
today gave attention to the Panama
canal, the situation i'm Sauto Domingo
and the merchant marine shipping bill.
The canal question came up iu cou-
nection with a message from the presi-
dent In which, among other things, he
invited the closest scrutiny into all that
had been done by the government IN
the isthmus of Panama. Mr. German
made that utterancc the text for a
speech in which he criticised the sal
aries paid for work In connection with
the canal and urged congressional in
quiry He said that the president was
not so much to blame as congress for
his assumption of control on the 18TH
mus, and that the chief mistake had
been made when congress relea sed it's
hold upon canal affairs. Mr.. Hale
agreed with Mr.. German in urging the
position of the rights Of congress in
connection with the canal and said that
while congress had delegated the mat
ter TO the president, the latter prac-
tically had referred the whole matter
back to congress.
The Dominican discussion arose when
Mr.. Tillman's resolution making inquiry
Of the president concerning the status
of affairs in the island republic came
up. The resolution was made the basis
for q speech by Mr. Rayner which was
his initial effort in the senate. He
made an argument for non-interference
by the United States in the affairs of
other countries in the western hems-
phere except in cases involving efforts
to appropriate territory, and closed with
a plea for encouragement to the Rus
sian Jews in their struggle for their
rights in Russia. He had the closest
attention of the floor and the galleries
and when he closed was warmly con-
graduated by many senators of both
parties, and his colleague, Mr.. Cor
man. was the first to offer his congrat-
ulations.
Mr.. Gallinger opened the debate on
the merchant marine shipping bill, but
gave an extensive array of figures ia
support of that measure. He said that
the entire cost of the proposed subsidy
for the ten years contemplated would
be about $4S,0OO,000
The Presidents Letter
The letter of President Roosevelt
transmitting to congress the annual re-
ports of the Isthmian canal commits.
sion and the Panama Railroad COM
pany, together with Secretary Taft's
letter transmitting the same, is as fol-
lows:
ITO the senate and house of repre-
sentatives: / submit herewith the au-
nual report of the Isthmian canal COM
mission, the Panama Railroad commits
sion and the presidents annual letter
transmitting the same, together with
certain papers.
The work upon the sthmus is being
admirably done and great progress has
been made, especially during the last
nine months. The plant is being made
ready and the organization perfected.
The first work to be done was the work
Of sanitation, the necessary preliminary
to the work of actual construction, and
this has been pushed forward with the
utmost energy. In a short while j shall
lay before you the recommendations of
the commission and board of consult
ing engineers as to the proper plan 70
be adopted for the canal iself, together
with my own recommendation thereon.
All the work so far has been done not
only with the utmost expedition but
in the NOSE careful and thorough man.
ner, and what has been accomplished
gives us good reason to believe that
the canal will be dug in shorter time
than had been anticipated and at an
expenditure within the allotted amount.
All our citizens have a right to con-
tribute their services on the high stand
ard of efficiency and integrity which
has been hitherto maintained by the
representatives of the government in
doing this great work. If this high
standard of efficiency and integrity can
be maintained in the future at the same
level which is has now reached, the
construction of the Panama canal will
be one of the features to which the
people of this republic will look back
with the greatest pride.
From 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 job
berry or immortality, or inefficiency, or
misery, as obtaining on the isthmus.
] have carefully examined into each