The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-03-18

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promptly arranged that Mr.. Stevens
should be the whole cheese" on the
isthmus. No more gilded fUnctionaries
TO stay in Washington and lord II
around, while the real workers occu-
pied subordinate positions along the
big ditch. The excavation reports were
glowing. Mr. Stevens was the right
man in the right place.
But il seems that Mr.. Stevens while
he was doing good work began TO keep
his eye too much on Washington and
to attach too much Importance 10 the
brag talk around the hotel corridors.
He disliked Mr.. Shonts heartily, prob
ably with reason, and Mr.. Shonts dis
liked him. Along last November, the
Canal Commission began To draw plans
for awarding the work TO private con-
tractors. Mr.. Stevens had recommend
ed IT, He was consulted in drawing
the pecif1cations-bulky document on
which many days Of valuable legal
and professional time was spent. The
contractors by long and laborious
processes brought themselves TO the
point of bidding and at last the bids
were opened ". J. Oliver, Of Knox
vile. Tenn, was the lowest at s.
per cent. on the estimated cost Of the
work To an outsider il looked like
"cinch' for Mr.. Oliver. He thought
he had responsible people associated
with him He thought he had the
money and the facilities at command
TO do the work. 1t would require a
small volume TO detail all that was
done in investigating and consulting
AT the White House, at the War De-
partment and elsewhere over Mr. Oil
ver's bid.
But the impression grew that Mr..
Oliver would get the bid, even after
his associate Mr.. Arson NJ. Bangs
was rejected and Mr.. Oliver was given
ten days in which TO gather new asso-
ciates. But Mr.. Oliver had been grow
ing a little 'chesty." The canal germ
seemed to be working in his gray mat
ter Oliver was to be ernbained IN
the pages of history.
Although he was many thousand
miles away, Mr.. Stevens was not In
ignorance Of what was going On in
Washington Mrs. Stevens, a Yankee
woman, smart as a steel trap, was here
and she had ways of finding out
things. Mr.. Stevens also had other
friends here, alert TO his interests. BY
cable and by letter all the information
was conveyed 10 him. He knew that
Oliver was Dragging And if divers
boasts came true, what would the
country remember about Stevens?
Apparently there was never much
prospect that Oliver would get the
contract. Old and substantial men in
the contracting business asserted from
hz S4a rr n
not as good as the public had been
led to believe. He had done much
contract work. chiefly plain railroad
building and under sort Of protec-
torate from the Southern Railway. He
had had none OF the severe tests which
the constructors of great northern
projects have. Neither the President
nor Secretary Taft were aware Of this
at first and they probably gave Mr..
Oliver more encouragement from the
very beginning than he ought TO have
been given. At one time they thought
he was going 10 qualify for the under
taking, but the more they investigated
the more they saw that the original
statements of the older contractors
were true.
In the meantime, however, Oliver
had done little Dragging, his frineds
in the South had done more and it
had all reached Chief Engineer Stew
ems. He forthwith cabIed the day af-
ter the President decided TO give Oil
yer ten days in which 10 gather about
him some new associates, that he could
not work with Oliver. Il would be i'm
possible for him to continue as chief
engineer If Oliver were awarded the
contract. The President might have
apparent to him that Oliver could not
win, but Mr.. Stevens followed his
cablegram with an impairment letter.
He reiterated his determination not to
work with Oliver, criticized the Pres
ident's policy, said he has too hostile
10 the railroads with which Stevens
had been associated much Of his work
ing life. that he was tired Of residing
on the isthrnus any way and was will
ing to be relieved.
President Roosevelt simply. called
the bluff. He rang for Secretary Loeb
and dictated a reply, accepting Mr.
Stevens resignation. This was not
done until after he had reread the
letter three times and taken in fully
the meaning Of the Chief Engineer
rernarka Bile statements And so il turn
ed out that Mr.. Stevens, soon 10 en-
ter as II had seemed upon the full
fruition Of his ambition 10 be the chief
man on the canal-chairman Of tie
Commission, chief engineer, complete
master Of the job-was as much sur
prised as any one on the America
continent. He thought the bluff would
work. that the President would never
consent TO his resignation and that Re
would be more than ever dictator II
The construction Of the ditch.
Mr.. Stevens viii not quit immedi-
ateIy. The President Is carrying out
his original intention Of making Mr..
Stevens chairman OF the Commission
and he viii remain IN that capacity
temporarily, while army engineers
hasten To the isthmus under directions
10 famfliarize themselves with the
work as rapidly as possible General
expressions Of regret at NJ. Stevens
action are heard Employees on the
canal have petitioned him not 70 leave
them. Commercial bodies have re3ter-
ate5 their confidence II him His as
sociates. the civil engineers o. the
country. are disguised with his course.
They had great professional pride in