Your TR Source
Philippe Bunau-Varilla urges President Roosevelt to meet again with Panama Canal Commission Chairman Theodore P. Shonts before his departure, in order to secure influence with the engineers of the canal to implement the ideas Roosevelt and Bunau-Varilla have discussed.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-09-24
President Roosevelt opposes the idea of chief engineer John F. Stevens traveling to Washington, D.C. from the Isthmus for administrative duties because Theodore P. Shonts has been kept in his position to deal such matters.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-01-24
President Roosevelt thanks Thomas Fortune Ryan for his note and explains that he understands why Fortune has called upon Theodore P. Shonts for a new position, and that it would not be right to object. However, he is thankful that they could make arrangements for Shonts to stay in his current position as Chairman of the Isthmian Canal Commission for an extra six weeks.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-01-22
President Roosevelt is glad that Theodore P. Shonts will be able to stay on in his position with the Isthmian Canal Commission until March 4. However, Roosevelt is aware of the important work August Belmont has for Shonts in the future and the need for them to meet in his spare time.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-01-22
President Roosevelt tells Secretary of War Taft that General Hamilton Smith Hawkins and his family have had “more than enough” favors in their details already. He encloses a confidential letter from Stevens. He also encloses a letter from Theodore P. Shonts regarding James Alexander Scrymser’s telegraph company. Roosevelt and Secretary of State Elihu Root both disagree with Shonts that the telegraph industry should be “thrown open to all people.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-12-26
Joseph Bucklin Bishop tells President Roosevelt that Colonel George W. Goethals was pleased with the excavation in August, but that the showing will not be as good in September due to holidays. Bishop updates Roosevelt on the work of the Isthmian Canal Commission, including careful examination of a report that criticizes its conduct.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-09-09
Joseph Bucklin Bishop informs President Roosevelt of a situation in the Panama Canal Zone beyond the scope of canal construction. Bishop describes how the executive order signed on November 17 virtually abolished the office of Governor and conferred power on the General Counsel, creating a bad situation in which General Counsel Richard Reid Rogers took advantage of his new power. When Secretary of War Taft visited in March, he issued a new executive order to address this situation, conferring the majority of government power on the chairman of the Isthmian Canal Commission and acted on by the governor of the Panama Canal Zone, Joseph C.S. Blackburn. Bishop states that Blackburn is doing excellent work and is well-respected, unlike Rogers.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-09-06
John F. Stevens writes to Secretary of War Taft that news has reached Panama that steam shovels and men are coming to “make dirt fly.” Stevens warns that careful organization is needed, especially if they use the labor of southern African American prisoners.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-01-31
Chief Engineer Stevens was surprised to learn of Chairman Shonts’s resignation and President Roosevelt’s acceptance. He had understood that Roosevelt was not going to take action without consulting Stevens. Stevens does not desire to be the only one in charge of the Panama Canal construction; he had wanted the post in the Philippines instead and only accepted the position in Panama reluctantly. Stevens wanted to be in charge of construction and not a political actor. He complains that his salary is too low and the “honor” of the position is not enough. Stevens worries that the upcoming election might change the plan for construction, and he expresses particular concern for the future of the Republican party. He argues on behalf of the Isthmian Commission. He is not anxious to continue in the service, and wishes to return to railroad work.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-01-30
John F. Stevens requests no action until he has thoroughly discussed the matter with President Roosevelt. This is in regard to Theodore P. Shonts resigning from the Panama Canal Commission.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-01-24
Thomas F. Ryan appreciates that President Roosevelt has released Theodore Shonts so that he can take charge of the elevated, surface and subway lines of Manhattan and the Bronx.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-01-21
August Belmont expresses his gratitude to President Roosevelt for “giving up” Theodore P. Shonts, so that Shonts may come to New York and “undertake the direction of our local traction situation.” Belmont argues that the work will have an important bearing on the welfare of the community, and the development of New York.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-01-21
Secretary of War Taft explains why it would not be beneficial to send John F. Steven’s letter to Theodore P. Shonts. He will send the letter if President Roosevelt wishes it.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-03-09
John F. Stevens, chief engineer of the Panama Canal project, informs President Roosevelt that a stevedoring contractor named J. W. Foulke has been visiting the canal, and has intimated that he has financial backing from a group which includes Chairman of the Isthmian Commission Theodore P. Shonts. Stevens suggests that if these connections came to light it may “prove embarrassing.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-01-05
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
President Roosevelt reaches for his “big stick” as he holds a paper in his left hand that reads, “Panama Canal–By contract or government work? Change of plans?” Secretary of War William H. Taft depicted in a dress holds up his hands while John F. Stevens, crossing his arms, looks in the doorway. On the wall is a paper with the names of “John F. Wallace” and “Theodore P. Shonts” crossed off. A subtitle reads, “Who will ‘make the dirt fly’ now?”
The Panama Canal, arguably one of the greatest accomplishments of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency, and called the Eighth Wonder of the Modern World, in its first years of construction met with severe challenges. Personality conflicts and concomitant different theories of design (for instance, whether the canal would be sea-level or employ locks), added to the enormity of the work and serious obstacles of yellow fever and malaria.
As Uncle Sam stands beside him with a grin, President Roosevelt looks at “Roosevelt’s Illustrated Message on Panama” and points to himself in the book, saying “That’s me.” Written in small handwriting below is “Shonts Resignation.”
The cartoon by Willis H. Thorndike in the Baltimore American, then a Republican paper, appeared on the day that Theodore P. Shonts resigned as head of the Panama Canal Commission. President Roosevelt’s expression and his attitude might be perceived as the artist’s hostile conception of the situation, but in fact it was an endorsement of Roosevelt’s management.
President Roosevelt and his party, including Chairman of the Second Isthmian Canal Commission Theodore P. Shonts, sit on a tug boat in Panama Harbor.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-12-02
A “Republican steam shovel” with the face of President Roosevelt takes out several rocks: “Democratic opposition,” “political criticism,” and “rail-road obstructionists.” Several men watch, including Panama Governor Charles E. Magoon, John F. Stevens, Chairman of the Isthmian Canal Commission Theodore P. Shonts, Joseph Bucklin Bishop, and Uncle Sam.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09
The writer of an editorial expresses support for a speech in which Isthmian Canal Commission Chairman Theodore P. Shonts suggested naming the completed interoceanic canal in Panama the Roosevelt Canal. President Roosevelt has been a champion of the canal as vital to the carrying out of the Monroe Doctrine since he was governor of New York, and as President he is its most powerful supporter. Other editorials on the page discuss the political situation in Chicago and William Randolph Hearst’s attempts to settle the disputed New York City mayoral election.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-11-13