Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1906-12-19
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
ON PANAMA CANAL
ANOTHER IMPORTANT STATE DOCUMENT
PRESENTED TO CONGRESS.
President Roosevelt Describes His Recent
Visit to the Canal Zone. the c .nditions
Prevailing, and Makes Recommen.
dations as to Present Needs.

To the Senate and House Of Repre-
sentatives:-In the month of Novem-
Der | visited the Isthmus of Panama,
going over the canal zone with consid-
cradle care; and also visited the cities
Of Panama and Colon, which are not
in the zone or under the United States
| flag, but as to which the United States
government, through it's agents, exer-
cises control for certain sanitary pur-
poses.
| The U. S. S. Louisiana, on which
was, anchored off Colon about half
past two on Wednesday afternoon,
| November IA. I came aboard her,
| after my stay on shore, at about half
past nine on Saturday evening, Nov.
ember II. On Wednesday afternoon
| and evening l received the president
! Of Panama and his suite, and saw
! members of the canal commission, and
various other gentlemen, perfecting
the arrangement for my visit, so that
ONCly hOul NAdt Woo doAOlC-hOt q
| sufficient length of time to allow Of
an exhaustive investigation of the
| minutiae of the work of any single
| department, still less to pass judg.
ment on the engineering problems,
but enough to enable me to get a
clear idea of the salient features of
the great work and of the progress
! that has been made as regards the
sanitation Of the zone, and the actual
| digging of the canal. The zone is a
| narrow strip of land, and it can be
! inspected much as one can inspect
! fifty or sixty miles of a great railroad,
at the point where it runs through
| mountains or overcomes other natural
obstacles.
I chose the month Of November for
my visit partly because. it is the rain
| lest month of the year, the month in
which the work goes forward at the
greatest disadvantage, and one of the
| two months which the medical de-
| partment of the French Canal compa-
| nysfound most unhealthy.
Immediately after anchoring on the
| afternoon of Wednesday there was a
| violent storm of wind and rain. From
| that time we did not again see the
sun until Sunday morning, the rain
continuing almost steadily, but vary
| ing from fine drizzle to a torrential
downpour. During that time in fiji.
/ teen minutes at Cristobal Los inches
Of rain fell; from l to a. M, Novem-
Der 16, 3.2 inches fell for the twenty
four hours ending noon, November 16,
! 4.6S inches fell, and for the six days
ending noon, November 16, 1924
inches fell. The Chagres rose IN flood
| to a greater height than it had at
tanned during the last fifteen years,
| tearing out the track in one place.
| 1t would have been impossible to see
the work going on under more I'M
| favorable conditions. On Saturday,
! November II, the sun shone now and
then for few minutes, although the
day was generally overcast and there
were heavy showers at intervals.
First Day Ashore.
On Thursday morning we landed at
about half past seven and went slowly
over the line of the Panama railway,
ending with an expedition in a tug
| at the Pacific entrance of the canal
out to the islands where the dredging
for the canal will cease. We took
our dinner at one of the eating houses
furnished by the commission for the
use of the government employes-no
warning of our coming being given.
inspected the Ancon hospital, going
through various wards both for white
patients and for colored patients. I
inspected portions of the constabulary
| Zone police), examining the men in
of the schools and saw the school
children, both white and colored,
speaking with certain of the teachers.
In the afternoon of this day was
formally received In Panama by Pres
ident Amador, who, together with the
government and all the people Of Pan
anna, treated me with the most consid-
crate courtesy, for which i hereby ex-
tend my most earnest thanks. was
driven through Panama and In q pub
lie square was formally received and
welcomed by the president and other
members of the government; and in
the evening l attended dinner given
| by the president, and reception,
which was also government func-
ton. I also drove through the streets
Of Panama for the purpose Of observ.
ing what had been DONE We slept at
the Hotel Tivoli. at Ancon, which 10
on q hill directly outside of the city
of Panama, but in the zone.
The Second pay.
On Friday morning we left the hotel
at z o'clock and spent the entire day
going through the Culebra cut-the
spot In which most work will have
to be done In any event. We watched
the different steam shovels working;