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President Roosevelt cannot believe that the enclosed pamphlet falls under the auspices of the Republican Club of New York. He believes the pamphlet is an attack upon his administration, particularly regarding canal construction. The signer is a man who argued in favor of the men Roosevelt dismissed last year during the Brownsville affair.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-09-11
President Roosevelt thanks Joseph Bucklin Bishop for his letter and believes Colonel George W. Goethals is glad that Bishop has come to the Isthmus. Roosevelt concurs with Bishop’s letter and states he will “back up the Colonel on all points.” The president also informs Bishop of some political business in New York State and asks Bishop to send “a not too long rough draft” about the Panama Canal that Roosevelt could include in his annual message.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-09-11
Isthmian Canal Commission Secretary Bishop updates President Roosevelt on his family. Chairman and Chief Engineer of the Isthmian Canal Commission Colonel George W. Goethals requested Bishop’s presence on the Isthmus to have a channel of communication to Roosevelt, and Roosevelt’s recent letter pleased him. Bishop says the only major issue is the arrogant behavior of Jackson Smith, the Head of the Department of Labor, Quarters, and Subsistence on the Panama Canal Commission. Additionally, the engineer Joseph Ripley created incorrect blueprints and has been proven to be no expert on locks, but Major William L. Sibert is excellent. Bishop thinks the Republican Club of New York’s motives for disparaging Roosevelt’s canal policy are political. In response to Roosevelt’s suggestion to include local events in the new paper, Bishop explains that it may be hard to keep current, but he will try his best.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-09-03
Secretary of War Taft presumes that President Roosevelt has seen the criticism of the Panama plans by Lindon W. Bates. Taft encloses a memorandum from Theodore P. Shonts which shows the character of Bates’s evidence and the motive of his criticism.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-12-14
Major General Hains responds to allegations made by Lindon W. Bates in The Crisis at Panama, claiming the criticisms are exaggerated and unfounded. For example, despite the reference to a lock canal in the original resolution passed on June 29, 1906, the Consulting Board of Engineers provided alternate solutions that have been selected for construction. The resolution passed by Congress focused more on flexibility rather than locking engineers into one type of canal construction, as evidenced by the flurry of changes that were made at the turn of the twentieth-century to the canal. The Isthmian Canal Commission also worked to eradicate the poor sanitary and housing conditions that plagued the workers there. Hains argues that Bates does not understand that before any work is to be done, a large amount of money must be spent on the plant itself. He also writes that Bates’ characterization of everything from the lengths of the locks to the location of construction does not consider best practices.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-12-11
Theodore Roosevelt sends a letter of personal thanks to Reverend Mortensen.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1912-07-08
Theodore Roosevelt thanks J. D. Smith for his assistance. He thinks Smith should get in touch with Lindon W. Bates to find out what is proposed for the Manhattan political campaign.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1912-06-25
President Roosevelt requests a meeting with Secretary of War Taft early next week regarding the engineers associated with the Panama Canal.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-03-14
President Roosevelt returns a letter and a memorandum to Secretary of War Taft and shares his thoughts concerning the proposed Isthmian Canal Committee. Roosevelt asks Taft to have William Barclay Parson and John Findlay Wallace give their opinions on Lindon W. Bates’s canal proposal followed by a review by “the best engineers obtainable.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-03-13
President Roosevelt sends Secretary of War Taft an engineering report by Lindon W. Bates regarding the Panama Canal. Roosevelt is very impressed with the work, and wants to get together the best engineers in the country to evaluate the proposals therein. Payment for Bates’s work is at the judgement of the board of engineers.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-03-10
President Roosevelt asks Elihu Root to discreetly find out what people think of Lindon W. Bates.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-03-09
President-Elect Taft catches up with President Roosevelt on a variety of topics. Taft notes that he has never worried about a dam being constructed as part of the Panama Canal, and believes that canal engineer Lindon W. Bates is an “accomplished liar.” He is also happy to hear that Roosevelt is in contact with German Emperor William II, and plans to meet with Senator Philander C. Knox soon.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-07
Secretary of the Isthmian Canal Commission Bishop thanks President Roosevelt for his constant support, and says that if Roosevelt is satisfied with his work, then he does not mind criticism from other parties. Work on the Panama Canal is proceeding smoothly and at a faster pace than was initially thought possible, for which he gives credit to Chairman and Chief Engineer of the Isthmian Canal Commission George W. Goethals. Bishop blames irresponsible reporting for reopening an argument about whether a canal with locks or a sea level canal is better, but believes the upcoming visit by President-Elect William H. Taft should help settle the debate. Bishop approves of Roosevelt’s denunciations of journalists William MacKay Laffand and Joseph Pulitzer, and says that it is important to fight against “lying and debased journalism.” Bishop’s wife, Harriet Hartwell Bishop, appreciates being remembered by Roosevelt, and he praises her strength in remaining sanguine during their long residency away from the United States.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-26
O. H. P. Cornell presents his credentials as an engineer to President-Elect William H. Taft in a bid to accompany Taft on his tour of the Panama Canal. Cornell has previously been involved in some discussions of the canal building process, and says that that he is free from any prejudice surrounding it. He apologizes for breaking convention and submitting his own name for consideration.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-22
John Ripley Freeman has spoken to a number of people about the Panama Canal who are sure that it will ultimately be built as a sea-level canal, but Freeman does not believe this will be the case. The current slipping at Gatun has done nothing to shake Freeman’s confidence in this, and he has communicated as such to Senator Kittredge, who he met by chance recently. Freeman sends Taft a copy of a book relating to the work of the New York State Water Supply Commission which references a pair of earth dams that he was formerly involved with.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-19
Chairman Shonts, head of the Isthmian Canal Commission, responds to allegations by Lindon W. Bates, an American civil engineer, that work on the canal is moving too slowly, and that the commission is mishandling funds and overspending. Shonts asserts that preliminary progress has been made, and that the plan is still in the early stages where visible progress is not evident.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-12-10
Elihu Root offers his opinion of Lindon W. Bates, who might have an agenda regarding the Philippine railroad issue.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-03-14