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President-elect Taft confirms he has the letter from William Loeb relaying communication from S. C. Potts concerning grievances of merchants and bankers from Panama against the American Administration on the Canal Zone.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-20
Secretary of War Taft reports to President Roosevelt on his visit to the Panama Canal Zone. Taft was investigating reports of poor conditions in the Subsistence Department to head off a scandal. As a result, Jackson Smith has resigned from the Commission, and Taft suggests personnel and organizational changes. Taft also reports on attempts to rig the upcoming election in Panama.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-05-16
Joseph Bucklin Bishop, secretary of the Isthmian Canal Commission, recounts the Congressional Appropriations Committee’s visit to the Panama Canal Zone and offers several suggestions for how to improve government operations in the Canal Zone. The committee members are enthusiastic about the project and were highly impressed by the abilities and knowledge of George W. Goethals, Chief Engineer of the Isthmian Canal Commission, but were disappointed by Canal Zone Governor Joseph C. S. Blackburn’s abilities. Bishop candidly admits to feeling similarly about Blackburn and encourages President Roosevelt to send Goethals to speak before Congress on the proceedings of the Canal project instead. Bishop also discusses the General Counsel for the Canal Zone Richard R. Rogers, who had criticized the Commission’s operations in a way which demonstrated an intolerable ignorance of the situation and a disloyalty to President Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-11-13
Chief Engineer John F. Stevens informs President Roosevelt that he will sail with the first ship and will have all the data regarding the Catun dams and locks.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-12-04
Representative Gardner advises President Roosevelt about the steps underway in the current political campaign by the Junior Order of the United American Mechanics. The Council is considering the question of immigration in its local bodies, especially in congressional districts where they are numerous, and where Republicans who voted for the educational test are in danger of defeat, the councils are taking a hand to help him win. Samuel Gompers criticizes Gardner for his policy of voting down the eight hour policy in the Panama Canal Zone. Gardner encloses a list of districts affected. He also remarks on his own re-election prospects and the challenges he expects to face.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-08-31
Secretary of War Taft agrees with President Roosevelt that it is wise to send Charles Edward Magoon to the Philippines, but also that the last thing the Roosevelt administration can afford to do is to let Theodore P. Shonts and John F. Stevens, both involved with the engineering and construction of the Panama Canal, to control relations with the Panamanians. They need a Minister who can prevent trouble in that area, especially in regard to labor organization. Taft informs Roosevelt that he has written to Shonts and asked for a statement concerning the character and history of Walston Brown.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-08-18
Robert Bacon encloses a copy of a dispatch from the American Minister to Panama. It includes a letter from the Secretary of State of Panama, which forwards a letter from the President of Panama inviting Theodore Roosevelt to visit the state when he visits the Canal Zone.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-08-16
Secretary of War Taft encloses to President Roosevelt a letter from Minister to Panama Charles E. Magoon. Taft believes that it would be a “good stroke” to appoint Colonel William Crawford Gorgas Governor of the Panama Canal Zone. He also believes William Franklin Sands will make a good Minister, but it is fine to delay action until September. Taft notifies Roosevelt that he is preparing a speech, which he will deliver to the Republican State Committee of Maine after making any changes Roosevelt feels are necessary to best represent the administration and the party. Taft believes that the party is taking the correct stance in regard to trade unions. Although trade unions are to be given all possible liberty under the law to carry out the organization’s legitimate purposes, they are not to be put in the privileged class.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-08-06
Charles Edward Magoon writes to Secretary of State Root regarding recommendations for successors to his positions in Panama, since he will be transferred to the Philippines. He recommends Colonel William Crawford Gorgas for governor and commissioner and William F. Sands for minister. Given the circumstances of Panama, he believes that Gorgas should be given the dual appointment of governor and minister. However, if the positions are separated he recommends Sands. Magoon wishes to return to the United States prior to his transfer in order to handle his personal affairs and confer on his next position.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-07-24
Secretary of War Taft reassures James Alexander Scrymser that Congress will take into account all the information he has provided, if they decide to authorize construction and laying of the cable referred to in Scrymser’s recent letter. Taft also clarifies that any cable laid by the Department of War would be used for official use only. Any commercial endeavors would have to be authorized by Congress and cannot be discussed at this point.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-03-02
Daniel O. Lively, a wholesaler who is in business on the Panama Isthmus, reports to Texas businessman and politician Cecil Andrew Lyon about the poor conditions there that he believes will prevent the canal from being dug in a timely manner. In particular Lively criticizes the “absolutism” of the army and navy, the red tape and lack of wages for anyone not in the army, and the conduct and management skills of Governor General George W. Davis.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-09-07
Judge Jones writes Secretary of War Taft about possibly appointing Judge Kyle to a federal judicial position in the Panama Canal Zone.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-06-25
Postcard showing President Roosevelt and several other individuals standing on the back of a train car in the Panama Canal Zone.
President Roosevelt and others stand on the back of a train car in the Panama Canal Zone.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1906-11
A fragment of a newspaper article reporting that President Roosevelt appointed Consul General Hezekiah A. Gudger as a judge of the Supreme Court of the Panama Canal Zone to replace Judge Osceola Kyle, who resigned due in part to his inability to understand Spanish and his unfamiliarity with the customs of the area.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-03-01
James Bronson Reynolds sends President Roosevelt the report of the Special Isthmian Commission including recommendations and appendices. Reynolds reports that the findings are unanimous, but encourages Roosevelt to transfer any results that he finds “indiscreet” from the public report to the private report.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-08
Call for proposals for organizations to apply for contracts to provide labor to the Isthmian Canal Commission for the construction of a canal in Panama. The document includes the conditions under which applications must be submitted and provisions that must be included in the contracts, as well as various laws and regulations relating to matters on the Isthmus. Handwritten notes state that the document is void and was not issued.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-07-22
Secretary of War Taft interviews Captain George Reynolds Shanton about James M. Maguire, who has displayed poor conduct in the Canal Zone. Shanton also discusses the political situation in Panama, where it is likely that the election will be corrupt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-05-09
This newsletter, available free of charge to employees of the Isthmian Canal Commission and the Panama Railroad Company, reports on various happenings in the Canal Zone, including updates on progress, revenue, mosquitoes, sports, and excavation. It also includes a directory of names at the end.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-09-11
A protocol that sets forth the conditions and provisions to be included in the forthcoming treaty between the United States and Panama as undersigned by Secretary of War William H. Taft and Panamanian politician José Agustin Arango.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-08-17