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

| Qency to CRITICIZE the canal as much a.
| possible. He feels that it is doing
| harm, rather than good. Probably
some weIl-intentioned people would
differ with him on that His trip tc
! Panama last November was designed
| chiefly to check the prevalent criti-
| cisms. He thought that if he looked
| into everything he possibly could, pro-
nounced it all right, and came away
telling the American people SO, they
would believe him. Hence the care
| with which he disseminated his views
| on what he saw. 1t was really a gi-
| gantic reportOrial journey, only the
| President went with facilities to report
| such as no reporter or correspondent
| ever had. He sailed on ship of war,
| sent stenOgraphers and assistants and
| photographers on ahead to gather ma
| terial, and all that he gathered was
embodied in that illustrated message
| to Congress which is still talked of in
the corner groceries.
CRITICISM LESSENING.
Since the President published his
story-which is the newspaper term for
an article-there has been less criti-
cism of the canal than ever before.
1t remains to be seen, however, how
long the press will remain silent. 1t
is impossible that in such a tremendous
undertaking everything should be
above criticism. Numerous Congress-
men are preparing to make jaunts to
the Isthmus this spring with the clos
ing of the session. They will see things
and it is very likely they will criti-
oiv will
men to the Isthmus during the spring
and summer-men trained by years of
experience in observing and judging.
They will write their articles, and the
millions of readers will have chance
to form conclusions.
There has been little debate this
winter about the canal, but all this
material will be available at the long
session of Congress next winter. The
minority party will be ready to criti-
ciZe, and their assertions, if well es-
.tablished, will be good campaign ma
terial. Secretary Taft, too, greatest of
cabinet travellers, is going to Panama.
He will have some observations, made
on the spot, with which to uphold the
program of the administration. Incl
dentally, he is also going to Cuba and
to the Philippines, so that by the time
of the next Congress he will be a re-
pository of fresh information about all
the insular possessions.
Will the government dig the canal?
That has not been determined. The
weeks of work in securing bids from
private contractors has gone to naught,
for the President has rejected all the
bids. For the present the government
will do the digging. Encouraging re-
ports are made of the progress in TAX
ing out dirt. Maj. Goethals goes to
the Isthmus under instructions from
the President to make very careful
Inquiries and to spend five Or six
months in forming his recommends
tons as to whether bids shall again be
invited In his own mind the Presi-
dent is undetermined. He recently
said that the canal would probably be
dug by private contract. It is thought
unlikely that the entire project will be
let out to one contractor or associa-
ton of contractors, as was planned
under the recent scheme of bidding.
It is more likely that sections of the
work will be let out to contractors,
and this will be much as work on riv-
ers and harbors has been let out. The
contractors will get an award for re-
moving a certain amount of clay, or
rock, or other kind of earth, at SO much
per cubic foot, or will agree to build
concrete structures or to erect a dam
or a portion of dam at SO much.
The President has thought about en-
ploying the contractors in a capacity |
of supervisors and that may be done
eventually. The government would |
furnish the material and the men and |
foot all the bills for given portion of
the project and pay the contractor 5 |
per cent. of the cost, for example. This |
iaea was commended to the President |
as the result of his Investigations into |
the Oliver bid and into the qualifica-
tons of Mr. Oliver and his associates. |
1t would do away with the necessity of /
the contractor furnishing large guar
antee. In a responsible bid it seems
that this matter of guarantee is an i'm
portant factor of the cost. A success
full bidder was required to furnish /
bond for 81 600, not to mention other
financial considerations, which made
an enormous interest
charge that would go to bankers.
A BREATH OF SCANDAL.
There is much in the air about scan
dial in connection with the recent re-
lection Of all bids. It is apparently I'M
founded. Perhaps the President did
not give Mr.. w. J. Oliver the embod-
ment of a square deal. The latter
spent close to $40, 900 in perfecting an
organization which he was led to be-
lieve the President would regard as
and reliable and capable
The MacArthur-G Gillespie combination,
which entered a bid of II 1-2 per cent.
for the work, had connections in Wall
Street. Trust lawyers We're engaged
among them Paul Cravath an asso-
ciate of Secretary Root, who took over
his corporation work for Ryan and
others when Mr. Root came back into
the cabinet. 1t is charged that they
worked for the undoing of Mr.. Oliver
and unduly influenced the President
against him. Probably there is some
foundation for that, but it still re-
mains that Mr.. Oliver and his asso-
GATES were apparently unable to make
good to the extent the President was
warranted in requiring of them. A