The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-12-18
THE NEW PANAMA SCANDAL.


manager for the Panama canal, has
accepted commissions from contractors
who furnished supplies will cause
sensation by the very fact that 1t is
the first suggestion Of scandal N con-
nectiou with the American construction
work al Panama The government is
conducting an Investigation and 1T may
transpire that the commissary manager
is accused unjustly.
The American people have good rea-
soD to congratulate themselves upon
the handling of the Panama canal up to
date, Some have complained that the
administration of Colonel Goethals has
been an absolute depotisnl, but no one
can deny that it has been benevolent
depotism. Critics Of government agree
that where the despot is highly intel,
Gpeut, benevolent and able, a despotic
government can achieve remarkable re-
sDIts 1or SOou, dDu the duhiAuc'i" "''o"
Of Colonel Goethals has been one Of the
most shining demonstrations of this
theory.
The absence of scandal in connec'
tion with the construction OF the Pan
anna canal BY the United States viii
make The charges all the more striking,
and viii, of course, recall the gigantic
scandal which marked the French AT
tcmpt TO build the canal. The French
scandal Nas one of the most notable:
picturesque aud extensive scandals IN
the history ot the world. 1t cast a
shadow upon the great name of de Les
seps, who achieved the triumph of the
Suez canal aud who tried TO repeat this
triumph by greater one, that Of the
Panama canal II wrecked some Of
lhe most notable regulations in France.
Great men and men who had been
deemed of unsullied probity went down
into the common wreekage OF this
great moral disaster. All the world
wondered At the brilliant names that
were blotted from the scroll of fame.
In almost every respect the French
operations in Panama we're tragic. En-.
minent engineers were employed to ear.
" out the vast design aud not word
can be said against their scientific at.
fainmeuts. Thcy were quito on a par
work which is now on the threshold of
success. Their estimates. their plans.
and their work proved that they were
men OF the greatest ability and good
judgment Bu, there was something
Iroyidential in their failure aud our
success. All their efforts were set al
nsught Or the intermittent feyers and
;ho terrible plague of yellow fever. 1t
is doubtless true that the financial re-
sources at the disposal OF the French
promoters were insufficient 10 win
success but ell the money in the world
would havc proved futile in tho face Of
the plaques.
Shortly after the Spanish American
war William Crawford Gorgas, now as
sistaut surgeon general, and then sur,
geou with the rank Of major, became
chief sanitary officer Of Havana and
discovered methods Of combating vel.
low fever that eliminated that disease
He ascertained that yellow fever WAS
Z communicated by means Of certain
type of the mosquito. and it became
= merely question Of annihilatiug this
species so far as Havana MRS concerned
III order 10 blot out the disease. He was
appointed chief sanitary officer of the
Panama canal March l, 1904, and a
member Of the 1sthmian canal commits.
sion March 4, 1907 AS the result Of
his measures the yellow fever and the
intermittent fevers were stamped out
of tho isthmus and the demon which
had baffled every effort of the French
company was exorcised. Colonel Cor
gas is now continuing his humanita nan
labors in South Africa, where he has
taken Up the task Of eliminating the
diseases that destroy SO many lives
in the mining districts. He has been
borrowed, so to speak, from the United
states government by the govcrume mt
of Great Britain, and he is repeating
for the benefit Of mankind labor that
made possible one Of his country 8 most
daring and brilliant achievements.
Even if the charges against Commits
NIunnncr RnrL, sha,,Id r.rx.-o A..