Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-21
Senatorial Appeals to Presi-
dent Begin Spirited Con-
test in Engineer Corps.
CALLERS ARE REFERRED
TO SECRETARY GARRISON
Representative Bremner Confers Over
Bill for Bureau of Industrial Safe.
ty-Other Callers.

| The start was made at the White Hous
today in the hottest fight the Enginee
| Corps of the army has known in wears
1t involves the successor to Gen. W. II
Bfxby. chief of engineers, who will re
tire in December next
| Senators Johnston of Alabama an,
Ransdell of Louisiana, representing tn,
| congressional delegations of those tw,
states. saw President Wilson to urge hin
10 select Lieut.. Col. William L. Sibert o
the Engineer Corps as the successor I,
Ten. Bixby. The President was told O
the eminent services of Lieut. Col. Siber
as engineer in charge of the Atlanti,
division of the Panama canal, where h,
has directly superintended and planned
the construction Of the great Gatun dan
and locks, one of the features of the
canal
The President sent his callers to Sec
relary Garrison. whose recommendations
Will eventually govern.
The suggestion of Lieut.. Col. Sibert
| who will have strong backing from
many directions. brings to light the
long existing jealousy In the Canal Zone
| that has been done there. Col. Sibert
and his friends in the zone have claimed
that the engineer officer has been de-
mense undertaking in and around Gatun
and that all the credit has gone to
Col. Goethals, the engineer in charge
Col D. D. Gaillard. a South Carolinian.
who has been the engineer officer in
charge of the Pacific division of the
canal. where the Pedro Miguel and Mila-
flores locks are being constructed.
Congressional and other visiting dele
cations to the Canal Zone for the last two
years have all come away with stories
of the warm feeling that existed between
the partisans of Col. Goethals and those
Of Lieut.. Col. Sibert. with the friends of
Lieut.. Col. Gaillard claiming that his
work has been brilliant and Of a char
acter deserving reward.
Recognition Of Goethals.
There has never been a disposition,
however. to deny to Col Goethals, the
chief engineer of the work. the credit for
his achievements in the zone. Congress
sional visitors have pointed out that he
has not only had to give his approval to
all plans and designs, but he has had to
take personal charge ofthe administrative
details Of the great undertaking. super
intending an army Of over 1900 en-
ployes and selecting the men to do the
work.
The Taft administration recognized
the difhcultieS of Col. Goetha1s and
there was never a doubt that IL Mr..
Taft had been reelected or Col. Roose-
Welt again made President the next
chief of engineers of the army would
be Col Goethals, wholly in recogni-
ton of his meritoriOus services and his
renown the world over as an engineer.
President Taft greatly deplored thu
jealousies existing among the higher Of
flcials in the Canal Zone. and often
could find no solution beyond that o.
holding at their respective places the meE
responsible for making a success of the
scheme upon which the United States will
ultimately spend close to half billion
of good money.
The whole army and half the states
men and politicians will be drawn into
the chief of engineers fight. 1t is pre-
dicted. Col. Goethals. who is generally
conceded the credit for what has been
most useful, is seventh on the list OF
colonels in the Engineer Corps.
Seniority Of Service Claim.
II the successor of Gen. Bixby should
be named because of seniority of serv-
ice. none of those now connected with
the canal would be considered. Among
the six colone1s with seniority rank
ing Col. Goethals are Col. William T.
Russell. at one time connected with
the engineer department of the Dis
trict government, and Col. William NJ
Black. former Engineer Commissioned
of the District, the latter having a
great engineer record in all parts OF
this country. Cuba and elsewhere.
On tie list of lieutenant colonels of the
Engineer Corps. Col. Gaillard stands thirG
and Col Sibert fourth. with all the lis,
OF colonels ahead of them in point of serv-
Ice. In the event that either is named
chief of engineers he will, OF course
he Jumped over the whole list of colonel!
above him.
President Tafts plans were to name
Col. Goethals as the first civil governor
Of the Canal Zone and permit him te
organize the civil government there. nam.
| ing him in December next to succeed
Gen Bixby. These plans were abandoned
because the hint reached Mr.. Taft from
| the Senate that the working out oi
| civil government in the zone must be left
| to President Wilson. who Is not yet
| ready to take up the work. and may
not do so until he visits the canal In
August, as he now expects to do Col
Goethals, in the meantime. will continue
to be the whole thing in the zone.
Bureau Of Industrial Safety.
| President Wilson conferred today will
Representative Bremner OF New jersey
about bill Mr.. Bremner has about com
pleted for introduction in Congress-. pro
viding for the establishment of burea,
Of Industrial safety within the Depart
ment of Labor and. in connection with 1t
a vast museum for the exhibition OF ap
proved devices for the safeguarding O.
the lives and limbs Of those employed IL
great industrial enterprises. Presiden
sVilson is committed to the establishment
OF a bureau and museum Of this kind
| and will give his approval to the bill o
Mr. Bremner II it meets with his views
| as is said to be likely.
| Mr. Bremner has studied the subjec
| with much care and finds that all the la
\ Dor unions and employers OF Tabor. all tn
) life and accident insurance companies ant
/ the public generally indOrse the schem
| as a good one.
/ The bureau of Industrial safety woult
/ gather and exhibit. in motion and a
| ployes in all fields Of labor that are con
| sidered dangerous. such as mines. fac
tories, machine shops. railroads. etc.
] Indorsed for Governor Of Hawaii.
The Mississippi delegation in Congress
has candidate for Governor Of Hawai-
in f.. NJ. Watson. practicing lawyer a
Honolulu. Senator vardaman and othe
members of the deiegation called on tn
President to urge the nomination of Mr.
! Watson. They had called on Secretar.
Lane. they said and had been referred b.
him to the President. ..+