Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1907-03-27
OLIVER IS AGAINST
RED TAPE METHODS
Contractor Regrets Action OF
President Roosevelt.
ARMY METHODS WILL NOT AVAIL


Says Army Engineer VIII Be Ham
pered in Their Work on the Panama
Canal by DictatorraT Methods OF
OFFICERS.
New Orleans, March 26.-At Mon
day nights session of the southern
states and gulf coast Panama canal
conference w. ]. Oliver, the contrac-
tor, made the following criticism of
the canal work:
1T is greatly to be regretted that
the administration has decided to
place the construction of the Panama
canal in the hands of army engineers
instead Of committing its fate to con-
tractors. No matter how capable
the army engineers may be, their
training has not been along the lines
Of construction and direction on a
large scale. They are totally with
out organization to draw from and will
tape. Army methods will not avail i,
for civilization always has one more
right than a soldier-he can quit
and the high spirited American citi-
zen Will certainly exercise that right
when he comes to face the arbitrary,
dictatorial methods of army"
The conference has adopted the fol-
lowing resolutions:
l. The natural economical route for
large part of the United States for
passengers and materials intended for
Panama is via the ports of the gulf
of Mexico
2. The isthmian canal commission
has been operating what is practically
a government-owned steamship ser
vice from New York to Havana, and
this exclusive service via New York
places the industries of the south, the
gulf states, the Mississippi, Ohio, Mis-
souri,, Alabama and Georgia valleys
and contiguous territory at a prohibit
tive disadvantage
8. The southern states and gulf
coast Panama conference represents
to President Roosevelt that at least
two Of the governments steamships
should be operated out of a gulf port,
because of its closer proximity, by
some 600 miles, to Colon than New
York.
4. We strongly protest against the
univ ,i,,a oF ha Z, Il
partment Of the Panama Railroad and
Steamship line. whereby the large
majority of orders are confined to the
eastern states
We see in this virtual monopoly of
the present canal trade the gravest
danger to the future prosperity of
sections of the United States, partic-
ularly the southern and gulf coast
states, as the persistent diversion
of trade to eastern potts will have the
certain tendency to establish and
maintain channel of commerce In
that direction from and though the
Panama canal when 1t shall have been
completed, thereby cutting off the
natural ports from successful compe-
tition.
The resolutions concluded by petit
tioHing President Roosevelt for the
government controlled ships and also
to investigate "the reason why the
preponderance of pasoh, asses for ac-
count of the Panama steamship lipA
are made in the eastern states"
Former Senator Joseph Blackburn,
of Kentucky, member of the canal
commission, and representative Of
Secretary of War Taft at the meehng,
said that II the government ala not
maintain It's own tine of steamers, as
at present, the United States would
be at the mercy OF two foreign owned
lines in transporting supplies to the
itshmus. He said also that the YES
sells could not be divided between New
York and a gulf port without impair
ing the service to the detriment Of the
workers on the canal. He said there
is no discrimination against the south.