The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-04-21
BY ZACH MGHEE.

neighbors to out tho grain. and having been unable to hire men to do 1t, nad declared to hts son that he and they would. on the morrow, come ana cut 1t themselves, the old bird cooked ner astute head to one side and told her little brood that they must prepare to move, for at last the farmer meant business.
 And so there is now, for the first time a real confidence that the wren, if there be any wrens there. and If not then the snakes and lizards and earth worms-perchance mosquitoes-whic have their homes/i in the pathway or the Panama Canal must prepare to take their abode somewhere else. For, after waiting for something like half cen tury, for his neighbors to dig dftcn across this Isthmus, and after then try ing for some three years to hire ser wants to do it, the old farmer. some times affectionately called Uncle sam, has finally announced his intention to dig that ditch himself, with his own strong right arm.
 Uncle Sam has a strong right arm, strong, supple, well-discfplined ana energetic. Moreover. it Is obedient, standing not only ready but eager to do his work This right arm Is the army, and if he had put it to work digging this canal in the beginning. there would not have been this long wandering in the wilderness, and this wild-spread lack of confidence in the early completion of the work.
 Reason for Changes.
 It is not that the army engineers are abler men, or abler engineers than civ ilian engineers that the American peo- pie, those of them who really approci- ate the character of the work and the method of the army engineers, havc more confidence that the canal now will be dug. George W. Goethals, Da- vid D. Gaiilard and William L. Sibert may not be better engineers than John F. Stevens, or John F. Wallace, but Stevens and Wallace have quit. Wal lace threw up the job in disgust and went back to railroading. The Presi- dent did not like 1t, and he promptly elected Wallace member of his fam ous Ananias Club. Still Wallace quit. Stevens found the golf links in the ca nal zone bad, and he decided to hold out and drive for another Tee. The Presi- dent did like that apparently, for he made no protest, nor conferred any es- pecial honor upon Stevens. Again, Chairman Goethals may not be bet ter administrative and executive of- hcer than Theodore P. Shonts. But Shonts has quit. He says he has better job, and he is reported to have said that the canal zone is no place for a white man to live.
 Now if Goethals or Gaillard or Sibert should find the golf links bad, or come to the conclusion that Panama is no place for a white man to live, or for any other reason, or on any other &C., count become displeased, discouraged, or disgusted, he will quietly communi- cate his dissatisfaction in the bosom of family to his wife and a few of his in timate friends, and go on digging the canal with increased energy and de- termination so as to get through with or go somewhere else.
 If either of these three should quit, for any very good reason, like that of death or insanity or some act "un- becoming an officer and gentleman, he will be able to get back to this country without any great sensation, without an extra session of Congress, per interviews. and without and brain storms at the White House. The Chief Engineer of the Army will quiet ly detail another officer of his corps, who will take the next steamer, go down. take up the work where 1t was left off, and continue digging the ca- nal without any brass band.
 Engineers to Estimate.
 And SO also when Congress makes an appropriation for the canal work. these army engineers will have a con- ference, decide exactly how this money Is to be spent during that year for the furtherance of the work, and then pro- ceed to spend 1t.
 When called upon to make estimates of the amount needed for the next year, they will make the estimates, stating exactly how much will be needed to do certain portion of the work Congress will appropriate about two thirds of the amount neces- sary, and then Colonel Goethals and his two assailants will go ahead. cut out one-third of the work proposed. and do the other two-thirds: then make their report. They will not send back to Washington any lobby to urge that more money be given. They will not wire or write to their friends in Congress urging more money or urging anything else. They will just quietly do what is told them to do, no more, no less. This is what they have been trained to do, and what they have been accustomed 70 do.
 Engineers working for railroads or other corporations have been accus- toned to do quite differently. A rail- road engineer is accustomed to hayc the president of the road and possibly a small board of directors tell him to make an estimate of the cost of a cer- tain piece of work, the whole cost. If the president and the board of dl- rectors decide to do 1t. they tell the engineer to go ahead and do it. He Is assured that the money will he forthcoming; when he gets out of the money given him at one particular time, he calls for more, and he doesn't have to wait until Congress meets to get It. When army engineers are directed to make estimates, they make the estimates and if they arc told to do the work they begin 1t with what money they have, generally spreading out the work to cover the year till Congress may meet again and make another appropriation. When the money gives out. they stop and wait.
 Some "Cues" Congressman.
 Civilian engineers. like Wallace and Stevens, for instance. are not accus- toned to this kind of thing. nor are they accustomed to other kinds of things which army officers have to put up with and are schooled to put up with. Civilian engineers who have been working for corporations or pri- yate parties are not accustomed to having Congressional committees or Congressional 1unketinE parties come home, making campaign speeches or writing campaign literature about 1t. The ins and outs of politics. the ups and downs, the many sided and much varying kaleidoscopic viewpoints of politicians who are bosses, Or think they are bosses. of all government offi cials cause men like Stevens and Wal lace to chaff and fume and perchance to "cuss."