The morning journal-courier., 1908-04-02
STEVENS EXPLAINS
 HIS CANAL VIEWS
tcontInucd from First Page.)

clippings from papers of various sec tons of the country in which the mat ter Was treated. Mir. Stevens read them for minute or two. and then looked up. ITO ten you the truth, ]" he said, '1 am tired Of talking about this canal affair The great trouble Is that your words arc so twisted about by different writers for the press that when they come back to you again you often do not recognize the thought as your own at all. I did not say that left the canal work for any such reason"
 What was your reason then. MT. stevens" 2"
 There seems little need of mo dis. cussing the subject al this late date. he said suffice it to say that this was not tho reason" Mir. stevens then swiftly changed tho subject. He said he had heard on some sides rn- mors of friction between General Goethas the present engineer. in chief at the canal and him Such hc said WIS far from being the ease He said he was in receipt of many letters from General Gocthals cach month and thnt he sent many In return He said he was on the best of terms with the general Mr. Stevens was told of the kind words of praise that Prof Lourshury reported General Guethnls as saving about him when he Ghe pro- fcSsorl was interviewed by this paper a fortnight ago There you see" he said how it s Rumors to the con- trary are entirely erroneous
 As an example of the universal mls. understanding of conditions in tho canal zone that obtain in tho states. Mir Stevens made mention of the healthful conditions there He said tho uortmen, engineers and soldiers universally found the district a hcalthful one Many of them have gone there in Ill health soon to find all their ailments flown away And still" ho said, 'you will hear atorlps of the awful fevors there and of tho general unhealthfulness of the place. " Mir. Stevens said he was still of the same opinion as when he was quoted before by this paper in reference to the probable date of the finishing of the work This he sets for January. 1915 or earlier He said he thought tho work done hy tho French com- pany before tho Americans were on tho spot was the best as far as 1t went lIc took exceptions with some of the estimates which have been ! made on the ultimate cost of the i canal some of these he said. have run up as high as $500. .00o.0 .0O0. He said he did not think the whole ! project should cost the government more than s25o ooo,OOO in tho end, in- ! cludlng inc amount paid over hy thIa government to tho French company | for It's property.
 Cuba and thc Cubana.
 Al this point Mir. stevens remarked again that he was tired of talking about tho canal question. Ask me ] something about Cuba" he said and ! l will talk as long as you please on ! it" MT. Stoyona has within the week 1 returned from Havana, where he was i the guest of Governor Maguon at | the palace there. Of the governor he 1 said he had nothing but the best to | gay. "Thc government did not mis- take when it selected Magoon Co go down there" he said "t believe he 1 has done wonders with the country, I Everything fig peaceful and quiet tHnrc now The so-callod rebel party in the ] interior is q nonentlty and the whole 1 island is prospecting commercially"
 Mir Stevens was asked what the ! prospects were for the evacuation of l the island by the Americans. He said ! Inc did not see anything to stand in | the way of the Americans getting out nt the time already appointed for so doing by President Roosevelt which is February of next year, which will ! bc shortly before President Roosc- yclt's term of office expires. He said
 he saw nothing in the way of It. The :. people have advanced he said, since
 the time of the government taking control of affairs Gown there perhaps
 better than could be expected for such