New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-27
LIE PANAnA CANAL.


Mr.. Shonts retires from the chairmahbnlp
Of the Isthman Canal Commission MI sue
yanq resigns his place as chief engineer Of the
copeI and tbe President decides to reject all
bids for the construction of the canal and to
abandon for the present at least the contract
scheme No lover of sensations could Wen WISH
for a more striking budget of news than that
all three incidents taking effect pracllcany 10
retber though the first was announced some
time ago and the third has been expected
Beyond doubt their coincidence marks some
thing like a new epoch in the varied ana Ora
matte story Of the canal. Upon the retirement
of Mr. Shonts we have already commented. IL
was effected after deliberate consultation with
+he President and with the Presidents fun
and ready assent and was not therefore, SUD
iect 10 inyidous criticism. Al Stevens s reslg-
! nation comes unexpectedly and is apparently us
sudden as was that of Mr.. Wallace Moreover
the very same criticisms which We're passed
upon Mr. Wallace will seem to some persons
to be applicable in the present case; Tor GER
taInlv no man in such place could have had
everything conceded to his demands more fully
than had Mr. Stevens. The plan Of the canal
in general and in detail was made to conform
TO his peculiar notions and it was made clear
that he was to have the freest Of free hands
In the whole enterprise. That just as every
thing was arranged precisely as he wanted it,
he should suddenly resign must in the absence
OF fuller explanations be regarded as eXuaor-
binary.
The public will be most interested, however,
in the decision of the President not TO let out
the work to contractors, but TO continue doing
il through the direct agency OF the War De
partnent That derisien, az we have said, is
not unexpected. and the Presidents lucid ex-
PLANTATION makes the reasons for 1t appear con
Yincing The response made 10 the call for
bids showed that the aim OF the government in
seeking contracts was not likely TO be fulfilled.
Indeed 1t was practically sure not to be full
filed The government can get all the en-
cheering skill It wants by paying for it, and
il would not have TO pay as much as 1t would
have had to pay under the proposed contract
As for the capital, the President rightly has no
mind TO pay private capitalists high percent
ages for what the government can itself pro-
vide at a much lower rate. It may be that
hereafter some other chief engineer VIII be
able to devise q better form of contract than
that which Mr. Stevens drew up, and that I'M
der It the remainder Of the work will be faTmed
out. Meantime It is gratifying TO know that
the enterprise Is proceeding prosperOusly, with
an encouraging prospect Of completion by the
government engineers in case contractors are
not employed.
1t has been recognized from the outset that
there was something to be said both for and
| against the contract plan, and we are inclined
| to think most people would have preferred to
see the work done by the government without
any resort to contracts, if there were assur-
ance Of its being done in that way as eKpedi-
tlously as by private enterprise. Confidence in
the honesty and substantial character Of gov
eminent works Is high: though a few such ex-
amples the Harlem Ship Canal have caused
some persons to doubt whether army engineers
fuy fob 10 7p1a via,
or0usy as do the interested managers Of great
private corporations We can, however, CON
ceive no convincing reason why the government
should not be able to get the work done as
promptly as contractors could do it, and we
shall hope that it may, through the agency of
whomsoever it shall select for its third chief
engineer.