The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-12-03
ROOSEVELT TOOK THE
PANAMIANS BY STORM
CHA1RMAN sH0NTS, OPINION on
THE PRESIDENTS RECENT
VISIT.

DaoA from the Isthmus and is En-
tnusiastic Over It-Declares work nm
the Canal is Progressing Under So
isfactOry Conditions--Takes occns,o,.
to Deny That His Daughter Is n,-
gagged to Titled Foreigner.
New York, Dec. 2.-"President Rnose.
welt took the Panamains bv storn, J,
said Theodore Shonts, chairman ~ tha
Panama canal commission, who arr-,vAd
to-day from Colon. Mr.. shonts spoke
enthusiastically of the recent visit of
the chief executive, and declared that
work on the canal was progressing un-
der satisfactory conditions. During his
talk with the newspaper men, nfr.
shonts took occasion to deny that his
daughter, Theodore, had become engag.
ed to titled foreigner.
Chairman Shonts was accompanied on
the home trip by Rear Admiral NJ. i.
Dndicott, also member Of the canal
commission; Major John 7. Phillips of
the department. of health of the canal
zone, and Joseph Ripley a special Ten-
gineer employed on the canal.
Discussing the presidents visit, Chair.
man shonts said President Roose-
welt simply took the people Of Panama
by storm. The setting aside of all pre-
cedents by the president in his visit TO
Panama won the instant admiration
and respect Of the people of the Pana-
ma republic. Mr.. Roosevelt was fan1i-
liar with the work theoretically, ana
saw and understood more during hts
short stay than the average man would
in several months
The building of the canal Is to Pres
ident Roosevelt as the building of a flI-
ture home would be to any other man.
lie looks at 1t as his own personal
work, having been given carte blanche
by congress in the work
During the presidents trip through
the canal zone one of the leading citi-
zens asked Mr. Roosevelt what he
thought of the criticisms as written by
Poultney Bigelow: The president an
swered: Small people like small flies
despoil large things and large enter
prises.'
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
go 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 president
and the United States In general to the
people than anything else he could have
said"
Mr. shonts said that the reports OF
labor troubles in the canal zone were
absolutely untrue. He said THE work
on the canal was never in better con-
dition. The men are contented and the
work is going ahead very fast"
In regard to the reported engagement
of Miss Theodore shonts Ito the Due DE
Chaulnes ct de Pioquigny, Mr. Shonts
said:
The reported engagement is abso-
lutely untrue. Both the Misses Shonts
are scarcely out Of school, and win not
make their formal debut in society un-
til the eighteenth of this month, when
we open our new home on New Hamp-
shire avenue, in Washington. The girls
are, no doubt, great friends of the Dues
family, and that may have been the
foundation for the reported engages
ment."