Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-09-26

over the question of sovereignty, the
Jurisdiction of the courts. the issues
Of the tariff. postage. customs and cur
rency. until II was deemed advisable
for Secretary Taft In person to visit
the isthmus to arrange a working
agreement on these differences.
Secretary Taft arrived on Nov. ~.
1904. and remained until Dec. Z. On
the question Of sovereignty. which
seemed to be especially delicate to the
republic. the treaty was peculiar In
that It did not cede the canal zone final
ly to the United States. but gave the
Americans all the powers they would
exercise III they were sovereign"
Panama contended that fnal SOW
ereignty was vested in It, and Secre-
tary Taft. being after the substance
rather than the form. did not quibble
over this distinction without differ
ence, but later expressed the opinion
that Panama sovereignty over the ca
nal zone was barren ideality." Ger
tainly It has proved so to be. The ID,
sue passed OF in talk.
An agreement was reached on the
currency question whereby the United
States would accept the money of Pan
anna at one-half the value of American
currency-that Is, the peso. worth In
trinsically only 40 cents. would be ex-
changed with United States money Mt
80 cents, although 1t was In size and
face value the same as our dollar. The
same system was In vogue In the Phil.
ippines. To meet the needs Of the ca
nal paymaster the circulation Of pesos
was increased from 100000 to 1000
600. Out of this grew the custom IN
the canal zone Of referring to United
States currency as gold" and to Pan
anna currency as SILVER" and In the
stores articles are priced in both cur
rencies.
Stamps were selling in the canal zone
for slightly less than In the postofaces
of the republic, with the result that
the republic was losing revenue. Sec.
retary Taft settled this just complaint
by arranging for the canal zone to buy
it's stamps from the republic for 60 per
centum Of their value. the 40 per cent
um remaining to the profit Of the canal
zone Offices.
On June "a. 1904. President Roose-
velt had made the Dlngley tariff ap-
plicable to the canal zone. This work
ed badly. and Secretary Taft agreed to
have the order revoked. so that the ca.
nal zone ever since has enjoyed the
freest Of free trade. All other issues
were cleared up without the United
States yielding any freedom Of action
as to importing materials, executing
Justice, operating ship terminals and
supplying canal employees with the
necessaries of life through commits
saries and hotels.
While Secretary Taft and Chief En-
gineer Wallace were working In their
spheres, Governor Davis was institut.
Ing the various departments Of civil
government which today are noted
with admiration by the tourist Chief
of Police Stanton was engaged In rid
ding the canal zone Of its bad men
and bringing population long without
restraint under the control Of regula-
tions that the Americans considered
essential. to. orderly existence.
From the first Mr.. Wallace had Kept
close tab on the cost Of excavating dirt
in the Culebra cut. The type to be
chosen being still an unknown factor.
he was In some measure working In
the dark. except that the material re-
moved would be useful for any type.
provided the dumps were selected 30
as later not to get In the way OF any
route chosen. In 1912 the Americans
had to remove a French dump near
Culebra to prevent Its slipping down
Into the cut. He finally announced a
unit cost of 80 cents cubic yard Tor
either a sea level or lock type canal.
Messrs. Parsons and Burr. the engi-
peering committee Of the commission.
after a personal inspection Of the canal
zone and taking Mr.. Wallace's esti.
mate, recommended a sea level type OF
canal. It was to cost. exclusive of Inn
provements In Colon and Panama and
civil government in the canal zone.
$3.50. 100000 Mr.. Wallace had caused
surveys to be made for lock type OF
canal, and he estimated the cost OF
such q canal. with summit level OF
sixty feet elevation, to be S17S.013. .4O6.
All estimates missed the real cost OF
the respective. types widely. Mr.. Wal
lace's estimate rof so cent? yard for
excavation was far too low. AS mat
ter Of record, the cost reached 50 cents
under Chief Engineer Stevens, rose
to 81 cents under Chief Engineer
Goethals and only once fell below
the fifty cent estimate, in March, 1911,
when it fell to AZ cents yard. The
average for the period from 1904 to
1911 was SS cents. The mistake was
made because solid rock underlay the
surface, necessitating continuous blast
ing before II could be bundled by the
steam shovels. while the working day.
which had been ten hours under Mr.
Wallace. was cut to eight hours under
Messrs. Stevens and Goethals. aud
wages rose sharply as well.
Persistent and vigorous complaints
from Mr.. Wallace about the hindrances
of governmental methods Of doing
business found receptive ear In Pres
ident Roosevelt The executive was
Just as eager to make the dirt 6y as
Mr.. Wallace and readily agreed that
a commission Of seven members was
an awkward and III working manage
ment for the peculiar conditions OF the
Job at Panama. Accordingly drastic
action was decreed.
Secretary Taft ON March 20. 1908.
asked the entire commission to resign.
Mr.. Wallace was In Washington. and
the Dresident and Secretnry Taft fol