The Washington herald., 1909-02-06

Congress has shown a disposition TO
want 10 know everything that is going
on at Panama, and each year one Of It's
committees journeys there and looks the
situation over. Last year II was the
House Committee on Appropriations that
went This year II was the Committee
on Interstate and Foreign Commerce
Besides being shown the progress Of the
rsork. this committee held extensive hear
ings. In the present instance the trip
vas made. primarily, TO settle the ques-
tons which have come I'D relative TO
the government OF the Canal Zone and OF
administration outside OF the Office OF the
chief engineer.
But that did not deter the members OF
the committee from probing deep into
every phase OF the work now being car
red On They took a trip over the site
OF the Gatua Dam. saw all Of the many
experiments that have been made, looked
down into the test pits to see what there
was underneath the soil. and peered into
things generally. Then. with Gatun Dam
plain In the minds eye. they had extern
Sive hearings relative 70 Il The multi
tude OF questions they asked shows that
they were bent On getting 20 the bottom
OF that subject. It IS true that some Of
the questions were not 70 the point and
few OF them showed q surprising igno-
rance OF the first principles OF engineer
Ing. but, On the whole, It was q thor
-ough investigation.
Once in q willis a civil engineer gets 10
Congress There happened 10 be one on
this e-Representztive Kennedy.
OF Ohio. When he came back from the
isthnus he stated 10 his friends that he
was persuaded that the problems to be
solved At Gatun are not those OF in
trlcacy, bit those Of immensely. Il IS
his opinion that the building OF every
skyscrsper IN New York represents more
engineering difficulties TO be overcome
than are encountered at Panama Il Is
only the Unapproached immensely OF the
problem that impressed him
When the average Congressional com
1aittse goes 10 Panama there is usually
some member who makes himself his
toriau OF the occasion Upon the Occa-
sion OF Speaker Cannon's visit there, !.
Hampton Moore, Congressman, and deep
waterway expert. acted IN that capacity.
His little book, with Speaker Cannon
Through the Tropics" printed for pri-
vate circulation, furnishes q highly an
PERTAINING picture of the Speaker and
his friends, and their doings on this trip
Imagine a lot OF schoOlboys OF On z
junket somewhere. and the picture VIII
be & good one OF q Congressional COM
rslttee sailing down the bounding main
to Panama They are Ike children when
school lets out
After they land at Colon they resume
the 6emeanor Of statesmen and trans
form themselves into human question
marks. thus providing themselves with
a fund OF information IN a very short
tine. Special trains Of the Panama Rail
road are at their disposal. and they are
carried down 70 the southern side OF the
isthnus 70 the beautiful Tivoli Hotel
where the government itself plays the
role OF bOniface on a scale that reminds
one Of the best places on the Boardwalk
at Atlantic City. The likeness IS carried
lust a little further than the hotel itself.
There they are now getting a seTen-days-
tn-the-week taste OF the Sunday closing
OF hotel bars at the seaside resort This
ripple Of the American prohibition wave
vas caused by Mr.. Taft. who, as Secre-
tary OF Var, ordered the closing CT the
Ti7oH bar.
These Congressional interrogation
points looked into everything. They IN
vestiEatsd thu question Of public lands.
OF criminal procedure, OF sanitation They
are wise n the ways OF the world, and
might reasonably be expected 20 find
the first trace OF weakness that shows
itself. yet so far as the actual engineer
Ing work IS concerned, not one Of them
brings back q single question against It.
Sometimes even these men have Occa-
sion 10 learn something about the rigid
enforcement Of the sanitary laws gov
ernfag the ports OF entry on the Zone
year OF two ago some COngressmen
were sailing around through the West
Indies, and came 90 Colon from a port
against which Colon was guaranteed
They wanted 70 land Immediately But
the quarantine officers said they could
not Threats Of q hundred Legislative
reprfssls cid not bring the quarantine tC
the point OF lifting. and Congress, through
It's duly constituted COMMITTEES. found Il
self under a temporary embargo that was
absolutely unrelentinE while II lasted 4
party OF United States Senators had 8
similar experience, but as soon Is Their
Tufied sensfbIlitiss were smoothed over
they came 70 cOncede the thoroughness
efficiency. and wisdom Of the quarantine
The hearings which were held on the
lsthmus last month brought out the faci
that Il IS desirable 10 relieve Col Goethals
Of all the burden Of administration out
side OF the engineering department itself
Few people can conceive Of the immense
mass OF detail that he has TO wade
through every day under the present
system-details relating to sanitation
civil government, municipal improve
ments. and everything else imaginable
Although he has an Office force OF IN
usual strength, the members are put OF
their mettle TO handle L all What the
Congressional committee seeks 70 DO Is
20 bring about such a coordination o.
the work outside OF actual construction
as VIII give Goethals the supreme CON
mand ard yet take the unnecessary de-
tails away from him
The national government Is pIaylne
land agent On the Canal Zone. and the
people who would Ike to get e little
banana plantation on reasonable terms
VIII hereafter have the opportunity. Il
IS Planning to lease the lands OF the Zone
at q nominal rent for twenty-five years
giving each lessee a little more than 2
hundred acres. Although the terms arr
advantageous. there seems 10 be little
danger Of any Rosebud reservation rusf
OF settlers 10 the isthmus, as establish.
ing q plantation there usually means tht
clearing out OF q primevaI tropical Jungle
Il Is not the rural districts that ars
receiving an influx Of population. but
the outlying sections OF Panama and
Colon The American parts Of these two
cities are known, respectively as AncoT
and Cristobal. It IS in these places thst
the crowds ara going. since most Of the
foreign population prefers 10 be undel
the jurisdiction OF the United state.
rather than under the domination OF tbs
doughty little half-breed police OF ths