The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-11

of the article containing the charges ar rived in Panama November 30 and left December l. and that it is not unfair to say that his opportunities Tor observing were limited to twenty-eight hours, in cluding day time and night time."
 In view of this statement, the secretary says the writer should not take excep- ton to the seven or eight days which twelve of the most distinguished en- gineers in the world in canal canstruc- tion devoted to the same task. But, re- marks the secretary, the writer will an- swer that he did not depend upon his own observations, but consulted witnesses. Two witnesses we are able to identify Tracy Robinson and Josie Lundie." He adds the others are negroes from the West Indies. Secretary Taft says MT. Robinson Is the owner of property in Co., Ion.
 Actuated By selfishness.
 His animus against the government is," says MT. Taft, "because of its first attention to the expenditure of money in Panama, and thus raised the value of property in that city, and secondly that in the enforcement of the health regula- tions by the sanitary department in Colon he found 1t necessary to complain his vested rights were being interfered with.
 Thirdly" the secretary says, MT. Robinson applied to the former chairman of the commission for a position at $3O00, declining the position of mayor of Cristo- bal at $500, and that he applied to Gov ernor Magoon for a position but was told there were no vacancies. MT. Lundie," the secretary says, "is an electrical engineer, who was employed to visit the isthmus to superintend the construction of plant for the generation of electricity and for the manufacture of ice by a private cor poration. MT. Lundie," he says, made application to become a member of the advisory board and urged his appoint men with great vigor, but his application was rejected. MT Wallace appointed him as a consulting engineer to make report on oils and fuels on the isthmus, but Mir. Shonts disapproved the appoint ment, and it was not made" Secretary Taft charges that MT. Lundies Objects seriously to the governments furnishing its own light and ice" and insists that 1t Is it's duty to patronize his company, that he protested to Secretary Taft while the latter was on tho isthmus and later wrote the President a letter. The secretary says 1t is quite possible that copy of Lundes letter to the President was shown to the writer of the article, in view of similar slanguage used, and sharply ar raigned on this score the good faith of the writer of the article.
 MT. Taft declares that no engineer in by MT. Lundie and referred to by MT. MT. Stevens.
 In the letter addressed to the President by MT. Lundi and referred to by MT. Taft, the writer says: .
 Lundle Uses Strong Language.
 'I have never seen such a piece of mis- management and utter demoralization as exits today on the Isthmus of Panama He referred to MT. Shonts in uneompli- mentary terms, who he says seems to dic- tate the physical and moral tone of what Is done on the isthmus. The United States, he declared, under such influence would become the laughing stock of the world.
 Appended to Secretary Tafts letter is a memorandum of comments by Chief Engineer Stevens on these charges. He takes up specially various statements and denies their truthfulness Mir. Stew ems also makes a general arraignment of parties from whom he alleges emanates constant and apparently systematic mis- representation"