Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-17
NOT IN CANAL RECORD
Vain Search for Final Panama
Stockholders.
PAUL CHARLTON'S REPORT
Transmitted to the Senate by Presi-
dent Roosevelt.
PARIS MINUTES ARE MISSING
Unable to Find Copy of Proceedings
at Meeting Held Just Be-
fore Transfer.
PARIS MINUTES ARE MISSING

President Roosevelt has transmitted to
the Senate letter from Secretary
Wright. inclosing a statement by Paul
Charlton. law officer of the bureau of in
sular affairs. regarding the documents
now in the possession of the government
concerning the purchase of the Panama
canal. Mr.. Charlton shows that there
never has been among the papers on file
in the various departments anything
which would show the names of the
stockholders OF the New Panama Canal
Company at the time of the sale of the
canal property to the United States.
The examination of the papers by MIR.
Charlton was made in accordance with
the direction OF the President contained
i'll letter written December to the
Secretary of War. in which the President
called for full information as to all the
papers in the possession Of the govern
ment on this subject. Mr.. Charlton had
already made one examination OF the
papers dealing with the canal purchase.
That was in May. 1905. Since then sew
eral other documents have come into the
possession of the government. and these,
as well as those then on hand, have now
been re-eXamined by Mr.. Charlton and
X. r. Rogers. general counsel for the
canal commission.
The special paper for which Mr. Charl-
ton and Mr.. Rogers We're looking in this
search was anything which would show
the stockholders of the New Panama
Canal Company at the time of their last
general meeting in Paris, April .3. 1904,
eleven days before the transfer of the
property to the United States.
No Copy of Minutes.
Il am satisfied said Mr.. Charlton in
his report, that | saw all the papers on
file with the isthmian canal commission
III Washington bearing upon this subject,
and among them was not contained any
copy of the minutes referred to.
The conveyance to the United
States included besides the property and
rights Of the New Panama Canal Com
panE It's archives. On my first eXamna-
ton of the documents of title which
passed to the United States, made by the
direction of the Secretary of War in May
1903. the only papers which / found, or
which are in possession OF the canal COM
mission today. which could probably be
brought under the designation archives
were the extremely voumino,Is and very
numerous technical engineering and me-
chanical studies made behalf of the
French Panama canal companies, con-
slsting of books of estimate and calcu-
ations and many thousands of blue prints
Besides these. properly to be classed
as archives, were notarial instruments
in Spanish and French, evidencing the
title of ownership of the French cana!
companies. the various plots and pieces
of land upon the Isthmus OF Panama
within what is now the Canal Zone and
IN the cities of Panama and Colon.
Neither a. the date of my first ey-
animation, in May. 1905, nor now. were
there among the records of the isthman
canal commission in Washington any
lists of stockholders either in the old or
the New Panama Canal Company, or any
minutes of the meetings of either of these
companies. except the formal minutes of
the New Panama Canal Company. au-
thoriZinS and directing its proper officers
TO make the conveyance to the United
States which was made
~ While not perhaps improper,
there was no necessity either for the
United States to acquire or for the Off
Gals of the New Panama Canal Com
pany or liqEidator of the old Panama
Canal Company to offer. as necessary
incident of the conveyance lists of such
stockholders TO the representatives of the
nited States. The affairs OF the old
company were being administers in the
courts through its iquidator, and the af-
ia irS of the new company were in the
control of its proper officers duly elect ed
by its stockholders. Nor. in my opinion
were the lists of stockholders, stock ledg-
ers or transfer books of either of said
combpanies, and particularly of the New
Panama Canal Company of such a ma
ture AS necessarily. even properly