The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1908-10-28
TAFT THE BUILDER
His Directing Hand Has Insured
Success of the Mammoth
Project.
Raised Wages of Isthmian Laborers
by Longevity Order While War
Secretary.

lican administration.
AS Secretary of War. Hon. William
H. Taft personally assumed the respon-
sibility of ipaugurating the work ana
Systematically shaping up the practical
operations until degree of efficiency
has been reached that may well as
tonish the nations of the earth.
Mr.. Taft has applied to this world
project and history making enterprise
those same qualities of careful, thought
full investigation, penetrating judgment
and absolutely fair dealing, which have
made him so signally successful in the
performance of all those duties of state
which have brought him to the high
eminence he now occupies as one Of our
greatest living Americans.
Must Know Personally.
Like the Philippine project and other
great work laid upon him, he has
studied the situation at Panama at
close range and trusted to no second
hand information with which to in
sure his success. There has been about
ninety million dollars expended on the
work to date and Mr.. Taft has had to
approve every dollar of this eXpendi-
ture He has not been satisfied with
a single visit to the isthmus, but has
made the long journey every year so
that he might direct the work more
economically. The result is that he has
changed the situation there from an IN
hospitable region to a locality where
Americans can live in healthful Sc
curity without the fear of plaques or
dread of contagious diseases. The rate
of mortality on the isthmus is about
the same as it is in our American cities.
Stages of the Work.
Work on the canal has passed
through two stages, those of planning
and preparation. 1t is now in the third
and final stage, that of construction.
Both Of the earlier stages required the
presence Of a large working force,
necessarily CHARTERED in temporary and
make shift accommodations Because
of these conditions, inevitable at the
outset, early critics of the enterprise
mistook the initial and temporary out
fit for permanent equipment.
Throughtful About Labor.
Mr.. Tafts chief concern has been the
proper care Of the laboring man on the
isthmus. Under his patient and ap-
proved methods the terrible scourg
of yellow fever, against which the
French struggled in vain, the filthy and
pest breeding state of the principal
Panamanian towns, the rough Tabor
camps, and other pioneer hardships of
the two first eras, have been eliminated
He has accomplished these things
| through the activity of the Department
| Of Sanitation, the Department of Mu-
nicipal Engineering and the Building
| Department To-day we find yellow
fever driven from the isthmus. the
deadly stegomyia mosquito thus rem.
dered innocuous, malaria and pneu
monia greatly reduced and q high
average Of health prevailing.
Mammoth Construction Project.
President Roosevelt appointed "a spe
cial commission to examine the 18th
milan situation last spring, and it re
ported Aug. g, 1908. According to this
special report there were at work a.
the Isthmus April 80, 1908, 26,11S mer
for the Isthmian Canal Commission ant
7,O75 at work for the Panama railroad
a total of SO, 1913 men all told. Housins
this industrial army in quick time
with due attention to sanitation anf
hygiene, was problem which would
have been beyond most men. But Mr.
Taft did it successfully.
To keep the machinery and toels IL
condition, three large machine and re
pair shops, two shipyards and numer
Gus warehouses are maintained Wher
we recall that this enormous plant Is
operated at distance of 1882 mile,
from it's nearest base Of supply, New
Orleans, and 1875 miles from its mair
base Of supply, New York, we can es
innate with more Justice and accurac,
the magnitude and complications Of the
ohoSA IdhAhS MA 4d1L las COuQucCo0 81
well.
/ Workingmen Appreciate Taft.
He has succeeded in impressing labo,
ens the Isthmus with his kindly inter
est in its behalf. On this point the sne
cial commissions report says: "Fron
the outset we were strongly impressed
by the spirit of good will and loyalt,
Of the employees The genera
sentiment of the workers was expressed
in the words Of mechanic, in one nj
the conferences which we held Will
representatives Of different trades. Saif
he: we want it understood that w.
are American citizens and that we arr
proud to have share in this grea,
work. We believe the government i.
treating US right, and we are as muct
interested to see this thing a success.
as anyone This spirit Of loyalty anf
interest In the work was evidenced or
| vnonv ncca Sious and ahonId 10