New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-27
CANAL BIDS REJECTED,
Continued from arst page.

! sthmian work with his usual frankness. he
mas made plain his position on practically all
/ the subjects connected with the construction Of
the canal. and. more than all else, has enapha-
sized the fact that no matter how many minor
changes are made in tie personnel or the details
Of the work the digging is to go on without
cessation. Commissions may come and commits
sions NAV go, but work the Panama Canal IS
70 he prosecuted vigorously until the waterway
! IS completed.
/ It was mainly for the reason that the Presi-
dent desired continuity of work that the army
engineers were selected to finish it. While the
v-o~l, was in its inception as it has been dur
ing the last year or so; while the executive
clerical and operative forces were being or
eanized. and while the type of canal itself was
still under discussion the President wanted
t1,e biggest engineers obtainable to be at the
| head of things After they had started things
and started them right the work could be taken
IN and carried on 20 completion better more
| ef7cientlv and more economically by army enSl-
| peers than by any other class of experts.
Mr.. Stevens leaves the service well organized
! and with all the wheels and cogs O. ne machine
! in splendid working order.
1
| able to saw precisely what led Mr.. Stevens TO
! ree;qn hut it is suggested in administration
circles that possibly Mr.. Stevens has received
an offer Of considerably greater remuneration
! than he now receives; that he is exceptionally
| "th,n skinned" and that therefore. he regarded
, the questions put to him by Democratic mem
! hers Of the Interoceanic Canal Commission as
| highly insulting and that this thin skinned
ness doubtless had much TO do with his res
gnation.
RUMOR ABOUT RESIGNATION.
In Senate circles where reasonably close at
| tentfon is paid to canal affairs, an explanation
! is offered with considerable posiuveness' It -
there declared that on the day after the Presi-
| dent advised Mr. Oliver that he would have ten
DAYS in which to perfect his bid, cable dis
| match was received from Mr. Stevens saying
| that Mr. Oliver was far from congenaI, ana
| that we're he to receive the contract ne
fStevens) would resign. Furthermore, II Is salu
| that the next mail from the isthmus brought
letter from Mr. Stevens confirming his caoIe
! dispatch asserting his own ability TO construct
| the canal. and declaring that he should be per
| ,,t+tAd 70 con1plete the work he had instituted
| and that no contract whatever shouid De
awarded The tone Of the letter was, according
- Senator'S such that the President resented it.
| and replied to it with cable dispatch the char
acter of which can only be surmised, but which
brought Mr. tevens's resignation as soon as
| the ca BILE could fash TO Washington This re-
port is OF course unconfrmed. and IS given only
for what II is worth. although it would appear
TO accord with the assertion. that MI Stevens IS
too thin skinned"
Whatever may be Mr.. Stevenss motive IN
leaving. the President does not withhold the
praise that is justly due him for the spiehuid
service he has performed
1aFr on iStlUuS stevens
leaves it with magnificent organization in fine
running order" the President IS quoted as hay
ing said when recently pratsing the work of
the retiring engineer
zone advantage that will be gained by hav-
ing experienced army engineer officers do the
work" said an official of the administration to-
dav, will be that they will go ahead and build
the canal whether they attacked by poll
ticians or not Their work viii be done. and
done right up 20 the handle, even If every po-
liticaI kicker in the country said his say under
their very noses. Building great works is
regular, everyday piece of work fer the army
engineer. and no matter what It's magnitude or
what lis difficulties you'll find them there with
the goods
1T IS Quite likely that after Major 'Goethals
gets down TO the isthmus and makes a careful
| personal investigation of the existing Condi-
tons he will decide 10 let out the work by con-
| tract. But whether he Will tnlnE II PETER 10
let the work in sections, or as a whole, with the
| form Of contract recently presented to the pub
| lie or with a totally different plan or pro-
| gramme that will be left entirely to his judg-
ment The army engineers are in the habit
/ Of letting out big jobs 10 the contractors who
! car best Go the work or deliver the materials
needed and they will ir all probability, handle
| the project on the stnmus with the same care
and the same judgment and success that have
] characterized their work in every section of the
| United States"
THE PRESENT COMMISSION.
The nominations of the present commission
| now pending before the Senate include Messrs
Shonts, Stevens Hams. Endicot-. Herrcd. Cor
| gas and Jackson Smith. Their confirmation is
! desired in order TO remove all doubt 70 the
| legality Of certain acts they have performed II
| retirement of Messrs Shcnts and Stevens vii
| letve two vacancies. so that there will be two
| more retirennents necessary TO make way for The
! three army officers and Senator Blackburn
| The President for the last six weeks, will
| Secretaries Taft and Root and the officials o
| the Canal Commission, has been canvassing tn
BIDS received january y for the construction o
! the canal. The advertisement in that cas-
brought forth four bids, namely William J. oil
yer jr OF Knoxville. in conjunction with Ansol
| II Bangs of New York, at 675 per cent upon
| the estimated cost of the canal: George PIERCE 4
| Co of MasSa chusetts at rs per cent; Tn
! North American Dredging Company, Of Califor
nit. at IS per cent, and the MacArthur-Gille
Company, % New Jersey, ut 1873 per cent MI
/ Oliver modified his bid soon after bV drOppinl