Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1907-07-04
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(FRoM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON, d. c., JUNE 29rH.


WASHINGTON, d. c., JUNE 29TH.
designations from the Panama Ca
nal Commission are predicted and it
seems probable that another general
uphcaval is to occur. When Col.
Goethals of the United States Army
was put in charge the President and
Secretary Taft were said to have
brcathcd a sigh of relief. Here at
last they had man who could not
resign. 1t was almost rs sure as for
a man to marry his cook in order to
keep her from leaving. Col. Gocth-
ais belonged to the army and he had
to obey orders. He could not leave
his post unless he resigned from the
service. But less than three months
after arriving at Panama the Colonel
applied for four months leave of alb
sencc. 1t is said that he is dishcart-
encd by the general apathy among his
subordinatcs and discouraged by the
immensely of his job. Three other
members of the Commission, Mcssrs.
Sibcrt and Gaillard of the Army and
ex-senator Blackburn are urging the
President to relieve them from furth-
err work on the Canal. There is dis
satisfaction on all sides and it is proba-
bic thatthc entire work will yet have to
be done by private contract. One
secret of the lack of success seems to
be that Senators, Representatives and
officials generally have blocked etlici-
ency by giving places to their rcla-
tivcs and friends without regard to
their ability or fitness. The Admin
istration is accused of being too lcni-
cnt with the political greed for Fed
cral patronage and the scramble for
desirable places at high salaries and
the jealousics arising from political
prcfcrmcnts have given rise to all
sorts of chaotic conditions. 1t is said
that the resignation of Chief Engineer
Stevens was caused by the Interior
cnce of politicians and it is easy to
see from the reports from the lsthmus
that the work has been steadily de-
Ginning since his departure. The cX-
cusc for this is the prevailing rainy
season but during the rainy season
last year Mr.. Stevens kept the work
I'D to a normal level and the real
cause is said to be the dissatisfaction
of the Commission and their inability
to agree on any program.
Engineer Ripley who was to build
the great dam at Gatun and entered
on the work with a flourish of trum-
pets is asking to be released and it
is believed that Col. Gocthals request
for four months leave of absence is
really the beginning of the end of
his connection with Canal matters.
Officials here are pessimistic about
the completion of the work. Even
the President and Secretary Taft, it
is said, are beginning to loose cour
age and the only relief in sight seems
to be a general back down and the
turning over of the Hcrculcan task to
private contractors, such as was con-
tomplatcd when William J. Oliver
and his associates made their low bids
for the work. 1t is doubtful if Mr.
Oliver would be ia 1ored now if there
should be such q Encouragement of
the work. His indignation was so
great when he host the contract orgi-
nally, and he expressed it in such
vulgar violence it is probable that he
would not be accepted. But there
are a number of other firms willing
to do the work and with reliable
backing; and it is probable that in
the Fall there will be another call for
bids.
A matter of interest TO all who
travel on railroads is the institution
OF suits against great number of
railways by the Department of Just
ice to recover penalties for violation
of the safety appliance law. The
railroads to be made defendants in
the suits number over sixty and the
number of violations charged against
them makes total of 1888. The in
dividual numbers of violations alleg-
ed against them range from one to
Take The Postmastsr's Word For Il.
Mr.. F. M. Hamilton, postmaster at
Charryvolo Ind kaana also q stock of