The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-12-03
NATIVES WERE
GLAD HE CAME
Chairman ShontS Tells of
RooseveIt's Recent Visit to
ISthmuS of Panama.
CANAL WORK PROGRESSING
PRESIDENTS SIDE WIPE AT
PoULTNEY BIGELoW.

New York, Dec. president Roose-
welt took the Panama people by storm.
said Theodore p. ShOnts. chairman of
the Panama canal commission. who ar
rived on the Panama line steamer Colon
today from Colon. Mr.. Shonts spoke
enthusiastically of the recent visit Of
the chief executive and declared that
work on the canal was progressing I'M
der satisfactory conditions. During his
talk with the newspaper men. Mr.
ShontS took occasion to deny that his
daughter, Theodore, had become en-
gagged to a titled foreigner.
Chairman Shonts said that he would
proceed at once to Washington. He
was accompanied on the home trip by
Rear Admiral NJ. T. Endicott. also a
member of the canal commission; Rich
ard Is. Rodgers, general counsel to the
commission; Major John T Phillips of
the department of health of the canal
zone, and Joseph F. Ripley, a special
engineer employed on the canal.
Pleased the Natives.
Discussing the presidents visit,
chairman Shonts said:
Il President Roosevelt simply took the
/ people of Panama by storm. The set
ting aside of all presidents by the presi-
dent in his visit to Panama won the
instant admiration and respect of the
people of the Panama republic. Mr..
Roosevelt was familiar with the work.
theoretically, and saw and understood
more during his short stay than the
average man would in several months.
THE building of the canal is to
President Roosevelt as the building of
future home would he to any other
man. He looks on it as his own per
sOnal work, having been given carte
blanche by congress III the work.
Likened eigelow to a Fly.
During the presidents "trip through
the canal zone, one of the leading citi-
zens asked Mr.. Roosevelt what he
thought of the criticism as written by
POultney BigelOw. The president an
sweTed: Small people, like small
flies despOil large things and large en-
terprises.'
In the presidents speech at Colon,
the thing that won the hearts of the
canal workers and of the people, was
his statement: The men who are now
working on the canal and the citizens
of Panama who are assisting them will
so down to pOsterity like the veterans
of the civil war. When this great work
is completed, the men who have been
instrumental in its success will look
backward and say: I was part of it,
as do the veterans of the civil war
when they look with pride at the great
united nation.
This did more to endear the presi-
dent of the United States in general to
the people than anything else he could
have said
y Reports Untrue.
MIR. Shonts declared that the reports
of kabOr troubles in the canal zone were
absolutely untrue. He said:
THE work on the canal was never in
better condition. The men are con-
tented and the work is going ahead very
fast"
In regard to the reported enga cement
of Miss Theodore Shonts to the Due
De Chaulnes ct de Pioquigny, Mr.
ShOnts said:
"The reported engagement is abso-
lute.y untrue. Both the Misses Shonts
are/scarcely out of school and will not
mike their formal debut in society UNI
I D the eighteenth of this month, when
he open our new home in Washington.
Pic girls are no doubt great friends of
Xe Dues family and that may have
baen the foundation for the reported en-
gssement"