The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1909-05-20
CONGRESSMAN JAMESON VISITS
THE PANAMA CANAL.

The arrangements were being made
for congressional party to take an
inspection trip to the Panama canal
to look over the work and see how
things were going in the biggest enter
prise our government has on her hands
at this time. l was invited to be one
OF the party, the assurance being given
me that while the trip would be hard
one, yet it would also be interesting; it
was also pointed out that it was up to
me to give particular attention to this
part OF my work, because | would be
compelled in my position to help APP
propriate money for this enterprise,
and to help pass laws concerning it,
and that l should avail myself of every
opportunity to become familiar with the
canal affairs l was as busy here in
my office as | could be, day and
night, looking after correspondence
and pension matters and thousand
other things that one can do here if he
wants to properly look after the inter-
ests of the people of his district, or
which he can let slip if he is willing to
neglect his people. But having good
secretary and stenographer and having
their assurance that the necessary de-
tails of the office would be looked after
in the best manner possible to them, |
concluded that it was not only my
privilege but my duty to 20 on this in
spection trip and see for myself how
the many millions of dollars which this
work is costing us down there, was be.
ing expended. And it is costing us a
lot of good money, too. If the people
of the Eighth district pay their proper
tionate share of the taxes of the federal
government, and am inclined to think
they do, this canal is costing us in our
one district almost million dollars.
This means cost Of about $4,000 for
each of the eleven counties of this dis
! trict, on an average. So you see it is
a tremendous ITEM of cost to every
county in the district. 1t is your canal
and as your representative l thought it
was up to me to take look over things
down there. This was an unusually OPP
perfume time, because the tariff bill was
out OF the way of the house for the
present, having gone over to the senate,
so as far as legislation was concerned
we had nothing to do for some weeks
Consequently | decided to take the
trip.
1t was wonderful trip, too. The
wife went NTH me and it was the first
time either of us had ever seen the
ocean. We had fine boat, the "Pan.
anna" one Of the four boats the govern.
ment owns and runs regularly between
New York and the canal. The first night
out of New York was very rough one
SO you can imagine the effect it had or
us in sea sick way. Nearly everyone
of the twenty-six congressman were
sick, as were the most of the other pas
sengers Of the boat. will not take
the space now to describe the sickness
to you. In fact in telling about sea
sickness one should only do it by word
of mouth, in order to put the body
through the proper gestures and con.
tortions and to make the proper faces
to begin to describe it. That sea sick
business would make the worst dead
beat in the country "cough" up. And
the worst part of it is that it just won't
quit. even when you yell enough
And other mean thing is that the fell
lows who see you go to the rail and
feed the fishes and try to get at the
bottom of your feet from the inside
just stand back and laugh at you. If
there is case on record of real SYM
pathy for a sea sick fellow, | have
failed to find it. Some other time |
must tell you about this sea trip. We
were on the water six days in going
down, six days in coming back and were
on the isthmus for six days, 80 you see
We had an Is days. trip from New York.
But the canal. had read about it
and heard about it and all that, but
had no conception of it until was on
the ground and actually saw the work