Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-25

md TINT Mr.. stevens, the chtct cnHincer'
would he given the appointment, the
understanding being that he will main
tain n residence upon the iSthmus.
Secretary Taft today announced his
purpose of filling the four vacancies ex-
listing upon the IsthmIan canal COM
mission by the appointment of bureau
chiefs now in the employ of the COM
mission.
By Associated Press.
KANSAS CITY, Jan. 24,-Theodore
p. Shonts, who yesterday resigned the
chairmanship of the Isthmian canal
commission, was the guest or honor
here this evening at the monthly dln-
ner of the Knife and Fork CLUB OF ran
sas City. In an illustrated address he
gave q record of the work done to date
on the Panama canal.
"The creative period" declared Mr.
Shonts, has come to an end ana the
period of active construction has be-
gun. AS to the manner in which the
creative task has been performed we
are content to let the facts speak for
themselves"
In closing Mr.. Shonts quoted as fol-
lows from President Roosevelts mes
sage written after the chief executive
returned from the isthums;
1.-THE wisdom of the canal manage
ment has been shown in nothing more
clearly than in the way in which the
foundations have been laid"
Mr.. Shonts, who arrived in Kansas
City this morning, had earlier IN the
day denied that his resignation OF the
Craftsmanship has resulted from any
disagreement with President Roosevelt
or any member of the commission ana
declared that the best relations existed
between himself and all his canal asso-
ciates. He left for New York late TO-
night.
MIR. Shonts said in part:
"Mr. President Ladies and Gentle
men:
"You have honored me with an inVi-
tation to be here tonight and to talk TO
you as men of affairs interested IN all
public questions, about the Panama
canal. I shall endeavor to satisfy your
desire for information by telling you,
as simply and tersely as possible what
we have done and are doing on the
isthmus You are aware that any great
enterprise is divided into two stages,
the creative period and the period OF
actual operation. BY the creative
period I mean that of preparatory
work. In this it has been necessary to
create not only the system by which
the men who are to perform the LABOR
on the canal are to be collected, housed
and fed. but the broad policies upon
which the entire gigantic project is TO
mon which the canal itself is to be
built.
at need not say to you, who are pra2
tical men of affairs, that the first stage
of the work is at once the most dithcult
and the most important-thatl II IL pe
not we'll and thoroughly done IN every
mart the actual work which is baSed
tpon it will be handicapped at every
step. -.
"The present commission, during its
FIRST visit to the isthmus in July 1900,
decided that a considerable period must
be devoted to preparation before the
actual work of canal construction could
be carried forward. A form of govern
ment must be devised and put into ope-
ration to maintain law and order. In
other words we had to create state.
THE sanitation Of the isthmus must
be accomplished as thoroughly as pos
sible in order that it might be health
full place in which to work quarters
must be erected for employees and an
adequate and wholesome food and wa
ter supply provided. A plant must be
assembled with which to do the work OF
construction, and a railway system
must be built up that would enable the
railway to perform adequately ltf
functions as the chief instrument IL
such construction.
Certain broad policies were evolved
poses Among these were;
"That during the preparatory perioc
the work of canal excavation should D'
confined to putting the various levels
In the cut in perfect condition for tn
installation and operation OF the maxi
mum number of steam shoVels, and the
laying of railway tracks for the move
ment of trains with the spoil
THAT all available forces of laborer
should be concentrated upon sanitar,
work, the construction of quarters, am
railway enlargement. and the location
and erection Of dumping grounds TO
the spoil,
THAT the commission should opel
commissares at suitable places aloni
the line of the canal for the suppl!
of proper and wholesome food anC
arrangements should be made to Ohtail
such food from the United states.
"That the Panama railroad shoult
be dOube-traCkcd throughout its cntir
length; that new locomotives, fiat
dump and passenger cars should be or
dered; that terminal and switching
wards should be constructed and tina
existing docks should be enlarged am
new ones provided.
"These policies have been i'm opera
ton nearly a year and n half and dur
ing that period the preparatory Wor
has been virtually completed. It wa
so nearly completed within year tha
actual work OF canal construction be
gan in July last. as soon as congros
decided upon the type OF canal that W
were to build.
"In giving you an account Of wha
has been done during the greatly
period ! ask you to bear i'm mind cor
stantly that we were working two thOl
sand miles from a base of supplies,
a country that was literally destitut
of everything we needed Every FOO
of lumber, every bit of machiner,
every tool every nail, every pound {
paint, every skilled mechanic, evel
railway tie and rail, every locomotiy
fiat car, dump car. every piece of fuI
niture, every bit OF plumbing materia
and virtually every ounce Of food ha
to be brought two thousand miles.
eve had 10 build towns and village
under these conditions and to reCol
struct and enlarge a decrepit singl'
track railway fully a quarter of
century behind the times, making it
thoroughly equipped modern doubl