Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1906-01-11
No POLITICS
IN BIG DITCH
SAYS TAFT
Exposes Finishes Of the
Charges Made
PLENTY OF WATER FOR
WORKERS ON ISTHMUS
Engineer Stevens Arraigns Misrep-
reservations of Enemies of
Canal Management,

Washington, Jan. 10.--An elaborate
and comprehensive answer to the
charges against the isthmian canal
commission contained i'm an Article in
che Independent, has been made by
Secretary Taft 1t is in the form of a
letter to the president, who on Jan
uary 6, in communication to the sec
retary, said his attention had been di-
rected to an article published purport-
ing to have been written by Poultney
Bigelow, attacking the administra-
| ton of affairs by the canal commission
and yourself on the isthmus, and ad-
ding:
'Will you please advise me what ba-
| sis, If any, there is for these charges?"
In his reply Secretary Taft says that
! Chief Engineer Stevens Is now in
/ Washington and is personally cogni-
zant of the facts with respect to every
| local condition described by the writer
of the article, and a memorandum of
| comments thereon by Mr.. Stevens Is
appended to the letter as an exhibit.
Discussing conditions at Colon, the
secretary quotes Mr.. Stevens as say
ing that everyone knows, who has
! been on the ground that the problem
of draining the city is one of extreme
! difficulty, owing to the island being
surrounded by the sea ON one side and
by fresh water swamp on the other;
that the land average Is not more than
! l y feet above sea level. Uncertain
ty as to the plans of Colon has ren-
| dered impractical any radical destruc-
ton of unsanitary buildings, most of
which are on lands owned by the rail-
road company and leased on short
terms to middlemen. Meantime, the
secretary says the sanitary conditions
4 In Panama required much more ur-
gent treatment than those at Colon
The death rate at Panama since the
| government took charge of the health
of the isthmus, the secretary says, Is
! from 20 per cent to 33 1-3 per cent
greater than in Colon.
! Regarding the charge of indiffer-
ence as to food supplies for the labor
ers, the secretary refers to the reports
on the market contract and says the
very dligent efforts made in this re-
gard are sufficiently set out there,
as already published.
Bearing on the charge that there
/ is no water supply in Colon, Secretary
Taft quotes from dispatch from Gov
ernor Magoon of January Z. advising
| him that there is no scarcity of water
| in Colon; that a permanent reservoir
with capacity of 500, 600, 600 gallons
Is under construction with two perma-
nent standpipes, under contract to bo
completed April l.
I Secretary Taft declares that the
rate of wages is we'll advertised
throughout the West Indies as ten
cents gold an hour for a day of eight
hours, which may be increased by dill
| igent work to 3 cents an hour. 1t IS
also untrue, he says that a great pre-
| judice exists against negroes in the
railroad management.
No Politics I'm IL.
| Political influence. the secretary
says, has played no part whatever In
the selection of appointees.
| Secretary Taft says the charge that
quarantine officials construe the law
and enforce 1t as far as possible to in
terfere with commerce Is utterly un-
/ founded" The isthmus is being freed
| from danger of yellow fever and other
contagious diseases, observes the sec
retary, by an effort unprecedented In
the history OF the world. Being sur
rounded ON every side by disease
| breeding ports 1t is OF the highest inn
| portance, II the work done on the
/ isthmus is to remain permanent. that
the quarantine be strictly enforced.
| Secretary Taft continues:
Charges Against Taft.
Finally, | come to the charges spe-
cifically made against the secretary OF
war They consist in a refusal to ac-
cept the guidance of Tracy Robinson
in visiting the purlieus of Colon and
refusal to have an Interview with
John Lundie chief engineer of the
electric and refrlgerating plant IN
Panama.
ITO the first charge / plead guilty"
be given that Mr. Lundie's application
for an Interview was made I'm the in
terest of the negro laborers on the
| isthmus, and declares that the corre-
/ spOndeEce shows "how unfoundod
this is, and that i'm fact Mr.. Lundie did
not ask for an interview at ALL"
Secretary Taft states that the writer
OF the article containing the charges
arrived I'm Panama November 30 and
left December l. and that II is not un-
fair to say that his opportunities for
observing were limited to twenty-elght
/ hours, including day time and night
time"
Engineer stevens Comments.
/ Appended to Mr.. Taft's letter is n
memorandum of comments by Chief
/ Engineer Stevens on these charges.
/ He takes up specifically various state
ments and denies their druthfulness.
Mrs. Stevens also makes a general ar
raignment of parties from whom he
alleges emanate constant and appar-
emily systematic Misrepresentation"
-N
on With His Head.
/ Reval, Esthonia, Jan. lU.-A tailor
named Schultz. who had been elected
president of the Esthonia republic, has
been captured and executed by the
soldiers.
/ -
Eight Artillery Officers Arrested.
London, Jan. l0.---A dispatch from
St Petersburg to a new London paper.
The Tribune. reports the arrest o.
eight artillery officers of the st. Peta