The National tribune., 1907-02-14
ROUTINE BUSINESS,
BUT IMPORTANT.
The President Temporarily Quiet on New
fssues-The Isthmian Canal-The Big
Appropriation BiIIs-Graft ia the In.
dian Territory-Passes for Army Off
GERS.

Except for the japanese problem, th'
past week has not had much of genera
interest as far as Washington is con
cerned. The President has been taking
up few new matters. Cuba is causing
q little uneasiness. The trend of events
down there is not as favorable as the
Administration would wish. Gov. Ma
goon is a good man and is doing wei
probably, but he is not doing as wei
as the Administration would wish. i
IS great problem, and how the Gov
ernment is coming out of it no one can
yet tell. An effort was made in the
Senate by Mr.. Tillman and others to
interrogate leading Administration Sen
ators, but it failed to bring out any
definite information.
A lot of the Presidents time has been
devoted TO the Isthmian Canal and to
deciding whether or not a contrac,
shall be awarded for digging it. Just
at present it looks as tho the contract
would not be awarded. altho the cur
rent prints have it the other way. But
w J. Oliver. OF Knoxville, Tenn, who
has formed new company to prosecute
the work, must undergo another scru-
tiny. Those on the inside say that Mr..
divers partners cannot stand this
scrutiny. Not but what they are great
business men and great also in the con-
tracing world, but, according to au-
thoritative reports, they have not the
facilities and the money to dig a great
canal.
There May BE No Award.
The upshot will be, say these wise
men who are on the inside, that there
will be no award at all. The Govern
ment will have to decide to go on with
the work as it has been doing. The
Oliver combination will be unable to
satisfy the requirements laid down by
the Government. The MacArthur-Gil-
lespie bid of 1875 per cent on the cost
of the construction is too high in the
popular mind. The President might be
disposed to accept it, but he fears the
criticiZm that might result, because of
the claims that the bid was high. The
Macarthur Gillespie combination was
the only bidder of whose financial re-
sponsibility and of whose facilities for
doing the work the President was fully
assured.
the canal is not far enough advanced,
and the plans are not sufficiently ma
tured to enable contractors to figure on
# closely. 1t is impossible for any man
or set of men living to approximate the
cost of the project, and that is an i'm
portant item But it is pointed out
that if the present Chief Engineer, Mr..
John F. Stevens, is allowed to continue
the construction for a year or so he
will be at a stage where he can tell
definitely what the plans for construc,
ton will be; what kind of material has
10 be excavated, how far it must be
hauled, and so on thru an important
list.
Congress, too, has been looking into
canal matters, but this has been con-
fined to hearings before committees
about appropriations for the work dur
ing the next fiscal year. Secretary
Taft, who is much at the Capitol and
personally sees Senators and members
TO inform them of his wishes, has been
heard before committees regarding an
appropriation of s25, 900, 900. The canal
authorities estimate that that amount
of money can be expended on construc-
ton work between July l next and
June go, 1908. The money will be voted
without doubt, for there is no DISPOSE
tton in Congress to "skimp" in appro-
priations for the canal.