The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1906-05-07

tnras? And II is too bad that. after
all, he did get aeasick coming down
from Key West.
It might be appropriate here, in this
mission Of fact-fnding. to report that
all along the line. among the minor
officials, residents, and even the lab
orers, have discovered distressing
lack Of confidence in Mr.. Shonts. He
has done many little things, one OF
which have cited above, that have
incurred for him the III will OF the
people. Another case in point which
have from half dozen steamship
agents az Colon, occurred last Aug
ust, when Mr.. stonts made one OF his
weekend trips to the Canal Zone. Ac-
coriing to their testimony, Mr.. shonts
desired to leave Colon two days be.
fore the scheduled sailing date. So
be ordered the captain to stop taking
on cargo ana get up steam. There was
some demurr,ng, but a repetition ol
the ordcr, coupled with suggestion
that somebody would get fred,
brought the ships officials around
and the boat left according to Mr.
Shonts' desire. But several cars ol
perishable fruit that rad been shippeJ
to Colon, to go via that steamer tC
New York, were left high and dry OF
the dock, and the shipper lost a ses
sons profit
Also Mr. shonts' statement to tho
Senate committee on Interoceanic can
ials that he would resign his princely
job II compelled to take his wife tC
the Isthmus has not tended to in
crease confidence in the heathful pro
perties Of the Canal Zone atmosphere
and i is with poor grace that the car
penters and maohinists and clerks anC
engineers are urged by the commits
sion TO bring their families with them
No Faith In shonts.
or course we may be making noun
ta.ns out Of mole hills, but wiz ssy
as an unimbellished statement Of fact
that not ] per cent of the people on
the Isthmus believe Mr.. Shonts is a
necessary attribute to the canal al
mInistration He arrived here last
Sunday morning. spent an hour driv
ing around the best streets of Colon
in the handsome victoria OF Mr.. Tub
by chief of the Bureau of Materials
and Supplies, and then was ushered
aboard the private car of the Panama
railway and hurried OF to some place
where the mains were not filled with
salt water.
Leaving the question of whether OF
not Mr. shonts is an expensive luxury
we win consider some of the other
Instances Of apparently inexcusable
governmental extravagance. made
"a second trip to the site for the Colon
ftandpipe that was to have been com
pleted April 1. according to Secretary
raft's statement. found ragged
hole in the ground, two feet deep. and
flfteen feet or more in diameter. filed
with green slime / was accompanied
by the foreman that had been in
charge Of the digging, and from him
| learned that the site had been con
demned.
'Why2" | asked
Because when they dug down elgh.
teen inches they encountered water
and a shifting coral foundation he
replied, Mr. Stevens personally con
demned the site"
Looking around me / observed bar
rel upon barrel Of cement. forty car.
loads Of sand, piass Of pipe and vari-
Gus and sundry other material that
was to have been used on this muchly-
advertised standppe. this grim April
fool Joke Of the canal administration.
But Why did they bring all this
stpff here II they condemned the
sitter" ! asked my friend. the former
foreman
Oh, that was brought here before
we even broke ground was the as
founding reply 1T cost the Govern