Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1906-12-22

The following is the text of President
Roosevelts special message to congress
on the subject Of the Panama canal:
To the Senate and House Of Representa-
tives;
In the month of November I visited the
Isthmus Of Panama, going over the
Canal Zone with considerable 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 its agents, exercises control for
certain sanitary purposes | chose the
month Of November for my visit partly
because ii Is the rainest 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 department Of the French Canal
company found most unhealthy.
Following the introduction to the mes
sage the president gives resume OF his
programme during the days he was on
the sthmus, and then says:
Al the outset l wish TO pay tribute
10 the amount Of work done by the
French Canal company under very diff
cult circumstances. Many Of the build
ings they put up were excellent and
houses are now getting out OF repair and
are being used as dwellings only until
other houses can be built, and much OF
the work they did in the Culebra cut.
gr giu 1U,e Eas a ol 'e a, Woth my @ udd IN u,5-
This country has never made better
Investment than the SiO00O0OO which ii
paid to the French company for work
and betterments, including especially the
Panama railroad.
bGrbt of the rainy, soaeor so,',nl a. az o, ono
vince me of the wsdon1 os congross ro eoi,, IN
refusing TO adopt either a high level or
sea-leyel canal. There seems to be a
Competent 10 i1dge tbat Tho az pm pVop'e Ine
s19eror soGg yhe one o act1ay chosen, Is much
DarIen routes.
FreiInlnaTy WORK 6elng Done.
The wisdom of the canal manaqarnant
has been shown in nothing more SIeariv
than in the way in which the FONDA
tiOus OF the work have heen Iafd1 10
have Welded 10 the naturaI irnDa tience
Of Hl-informed outsiders and begun ali
kinds Of experiments in wnrlt nrior ~ 70 81 a
thorough sanitation of the Isthmus and
10 a fairly satisfactory working out Of
the problem of getting and keanIng a
sufficient labor slipply. wouId have heen
disastrous. The various preliminarv
measures had to be taken first: and
these could not be taken so aa 70 allow
us TO begin the real work Of constr,ic.
ton prior TO January / Of the nresen,
year. Ii then became necoeeery, @ ~ ' JSene hara
the tyne of the canal decided and Tho
only delay has been the NECESSARY DELAY
until the 2gth day Of .June the date
when the congress definitely and wisely
settled that we should bave on $500
level canal. Immediatelv aftor that tbe
work began in hard earnest and has
been continued with Increasing vigor
ever since. ana II vim continmee 90 ,eVl
progress I'm tbe future WIN ',,iIg tha 50 cono W
tracts are let the conditions win he snch
as to insure a constantIv incraaeing
amount of perfornance
M d..
,,,tot to ulst Breat problem TO be solved,
uPoh tue soluuon OF which the success of
une rme Iest OF the work depended, was the
~ {boO'eu! Vi sanitation This was from
Wy w outset under the direction of DR..
w, Z. HorBas, who is to be made a full
r,,,,a,l ,,,v,,uel oi lne commission. 1t must be
agn,tU!D9ered that his work was not mere
o3,''a.59l ,,,. s.5,9Il as the term is understood In
oIt q, ,uIlary municipal work. Through
Pana@ma ma "Ume auS Gi anu IN the Two cities OF
sa,itattlta ',ia,tla ana Iolon, in addition to the
SS|"tl9l!V1h Sl9 work proper he has had to
w. aI lne work that the Marine hospital
..g.'ive u9es as regards the nation, that
,.,, w-g yea nealtn department officers do in the
yyaIi9us states and cities, and that Col.
Narlng did in New York when he
S,ri SSenieu lts streets. The results have
ueyu astounding. The isthmus had been
n ny"oId Tor deadly unhealthfulness.
Go", aiter two years Of our occupation
yc gohutlons as regards sickness and
uIe ueath rate compare favorably with
IItNSolapiy healthy localities in the
6Gmled states. Especial care has been
ugyoteu 10 minimizing the risk due to the
meSehce OF those species of mosquitoes
mngn nave been found to propagate
maiiarlal and yellow fevers. In all the
se'ueinents, the little temporary towns
Y. cues composed of the white and black
eWployes, which grow up here and
e2ete in the tropic jungle as the needs
Vi me work dictate the utmost care is
SNercised to keep the conditions healthy,
ElYerywhere are to be seen the drainage
Sllches which in removing the water
nave removed the breeding places of the
mosquitoes, while the whole Jungle is
cut away for considerable space around
ue habltatons, thus DESTROYING the
IIaces In which the mosquitoes take shell
Ter These drainage bitches and clearings
are in evidence in every settlement, and,
together with the invariable presence OF
mosquito screens around the piazzas. and
ot mosquito doors to the houses, not to
speak of the careful fumigation that has
gone on In all infected houses, doubtless
explain the extraordinary absence of
Ag