Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-12-18
A APICTURED MESSAGE
President Sends Congress Three Special Reports.
ON PANAMA, NAVY AND LAND FRAUDS
Handsomely Bound Volume Telling
 .s of Roosevelt's Visit to Canal Zone, A4 Beautifully Illustrated, For Each Senator.

WASdlNGlON, Dec. 1c.- A pc torially illustrated message from Presi- dent Roosevelt. portraying conditions as he found them on the isthmus of Panama during his recent visit, occu- pied the senate during the greater DOT ttcn of its session.
 Printed copies of the message, hand aomely bound, were placed on the desk of each senator, and the reading of the document was closely followed. Pre- ceding the Panama message the presi- dents recommendations respecting public lands and the naval personnel were received and read,
 The house laid aside business to hear the presidents message concerning the Panama canal The pictorial feature of the message afforded an opportunity for good natured comment, the innova- ton of cuts in a state paper being looked upon with favor
 President Roosevelt sent three spe- cial messages to congress dealing with the Panama canal the coal, timber and mineral land frauds in the west and the personnel of the United States navy.
 He praises the progress of the Pana- ma canal work and says conditions on the isthmus are satisfactory, thinks the big ditch will be finished in eight years, that married men make the best canal workmen and vigorously de nounces critics of the canal commis- sion. declaring that there is no evi- dence of irregularities by any of the high officials connected with the proj- ect. Chinese workmen are to be en- ployed.
 ! He asserts that coal and timber land grabs in the far west must cease and urges upon congress the necessity of new laws to bring this about. He ad- vocates the leasing of government lands to private individuals and corpo- rations for operation, but under gov ..ernment control. MT. Roosevelt thinks git imperative that the law be changed 60 that younger officers may attain to tbe highest rank in the navy, the pres ent statutes being such that none but aged officers are in positions of the greatest responsibility.
 In regard to the muck rakers who have attacked the methods of the canal commission he says:
 There remains an immense amount of as reckless islander as has ever been published. Where the slanderers are Of foreign origin I have no concern with them. Where they are Americans I feel for them the heartiest contempt and Indignation, because in spirit of wanton dishonesty and malace they are trying to interfere with and ham, per the execution of the greatest work of the kind ever attempted and are seeking to bring to naught the efforts of their countrynen to put to the credit of America ons cf the giaat feats os the ages. The outrageous accusations of these slanderers constitute gross Nbel upon body of public servants who for trained intelligence, expert ability. high character and devotion to duty have never been excelled any where. There is not a man among those directing the work on the isth- mus who has obtained his position on any other basis than merit alone. and not one who has used his position in any way for his own personal or pe- cuniary advantage.
 Where complaints are not made wantonly or maliciously they almost always proved due to a failure to ap- preciate the fact that time was neces- sary in the creation and completion of this Titanic work in tropic wilder ness. It Is impossible to avoid some mistakes in building giant canal throusn jungle covered mountains and ewamps. while at the same time sani- eating trop:c cities and providing for fhe feeding and general care of from twenty to thirty thousand workers.
 There seemed to me to be too many saloons in the zone. but the new high license law which goes into effect on Jan. 1 next will probably close four 0fths Of them.
 "It certainly ought to be unneces- sary to point out that the American workinsman las no concern whatever in the question as to whether the rough work on the isthmus. which is performed by aliens from one country with q black skin or by aliens from an- other country with yellow skin Our business is 10 dig the canal as efi- ciently and as qliekly as possible. pro vided always that nothing is done that is inhumane to any laborers and noth- ing that interferes with the wages of CT lowers the standard of living of our own worknen. Having In view this principle. I have arranged to try sew ersl thousand Chinese laborers.
 Il was struck by the superior com fort and responsibility of the lives of the married men. It would. in my opinion. be a most admirable thing if a much larger number of the men had their wives. for with their advent all romplsints about food and cooking are almost sure to cease.
 "A seven headed commission iS. of course. a clumsy executive instrument We should have but one commissioner. with such heads of departments and other officers under him as we msy find necessary. We should be expressly permitted to employ the best engineers la the country as consulting engineers