The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-07-08
CREDIT TO THE
ARMY IN LABOR
REGULATIONS AND OPERA.
TIONS SHOW EFFICIENT
RULE.
Officers Who Have Achieved Re.
markable Success in the Canal
Service Noted for Modesty

Washington. July 2.-Washington
has had ten days of 100 degree wealth
er. The heat has had its effect on
the Senate moving it to more voting
and less vocal action. The erd of
the tariff discussion, however, is not
yet in sight. The more hopeful say
that August 1909, will be calendar
history by the time the bill is passed.
1t is long way from the senate to
Panama, and it is hot in both re-
gicns, and it may be that it was a
look at the thermometer in the Penn
sylvanca avenue weather kiosk that
moved an army officer to say: Isn't
this a good time 10 write something
about the isthmus?"
The army has been given due credit
for rapid and satisfactory digging OPP
erations ON the canal zone, but IT is
violating no confidence, perhaps, to
say that army officers, especially
those of the engineer corps, feel that
the country does not appreciate thor
oughly all that the service has done
since it took control of things on the
isthmus. 1t is very likely that the
army officers are right
Sanitary Record Extraordinary.
Recently the newspapers of the
country have paid passing attention
to TIE report of Colonel and Sur
eeon W.. c. Gorgas of the army.
The army doctors returns show that
cut OF 43,sOO canal employees only
tifty-nine died in the last year. 1t
needs no capital letters to emphasize
this extraordinary record. a record
that is due to the sanitary precau
tions and to the regulations OF life"
which the american soldiers OF the
line and staff fixed for the conduct
of men and affairs on the isthmus.
Occasionally army officers return
to the United States from Panama
They take seemingly as matter of
course the results that nave been OBJ
tanned by disciplinary methods in the
canal zone The beauty OF the thing
is that the 4O,0OO-odd civilians who
were at work under the alternating
sunshine and transforms on the 18TH
mus OF Panama do not realize that
they are under military discipline.
The army knows how to secure dis
cipline in the uniformed ranks II
was another problem which confront
ed Colonel Goethals and Lieutenant
dClonefs Gaillard and Sibert when
MIR. Taft as secretary OF war ordered
them to take charge OF digging oper-
ations. Colonel Goethals, by the way
celebrated "Wednesday his fifty-fourth
birthday
Modesty of the Engineers.
| None of these three engineer Of
icers ever has rold the story OF what
was done in Panama. They did it,
and having done it they were salts
fed with the knowledge OF it and car
ed nothing apparently for the praise
that was due.
Taere was huge force OF work
men 10 be controlled. There were
men OF many 1rationalities IN the ser.
vice The occupations ranged from
department heads to ditch diggers
and in the employed force there were
men accustomed TO many varying
conditions of hfe 1t was what som
one has called silk stocking, a cot
ton stocking and no stocking army
Not one per cent of the workmen
on the isthmus had seen army SER
vice. Army discipline therefore was
unknown 10 them, and an attempt TO
egulate the habits and the amuse-
mems OF such men was likely to re-
suit in discomfort, perhaps in serious
trouble and possibly in mutiny
The army officers went to work and
brought changes about by such easy
gradatlons" that the isthmian subor-
climates did not realize that little by
little they were being led into a reg
ular course OF life. course OF eat
ing, bathing, playing and sleeping
that was regulated with precision.
Workers in Disciplined Army.
The workmen finally became a well
disciplined army, and they did not
feel the hand OF discipline They
seemed simply to know that they had
come into new and strange method
OF life that was exceedingly COM
Portable and that made for satisfac.
ton and actual happiness. The whole
thing was done effectively by army
officers who realized that they were
dealing with civilians and that the "do
this which brought instant results in
The army could not be employed
The medical corps of the scrv'~'
looked after the sanitary re- s::sS: -.
while the engineer Offices looked aftel
the work and the conduct regulation.
The same general plan was followed
| by doctors and engineers and it lee
in both case 10 the end OF success.
Date of Opening May Surprise.
There is every reason to believe to-
day from what one learns indirectly
and from the chance official word
that the engineers will turn the com.
pleted canal over to the people at Z
day so early that it will surprise the