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25-593: It was initially composed of seven members, appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt, directed to avoid the inefficiency and corruption that had plagued the French 15 years earlier. On May 6, 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed John Findley Wallace , formerly chief engineer and finally general manager of the Illinois Central Railroad , chief engineer of the Panama Canal project. Wallace

50-523: A sea-level canal in Panama . To reduce the costs of construction and enable faster completion, this approach was later changed to a reservoir lake and lock system. The new plan would increase operating costs, however, and limit the maximum size of ships able to use the canal. Wallace was paid $ 25,000 a year, the second-largest salary in the American government, behind only the president. Despite this, to

75-476: A new chairman, Theodore P. Shonts . Bishop was tasked with managing the commission's day-to-day matters, but also with ensuring public support for the canal through public relations and by keeping the project's official history. Bishop's promised $ 10,000 annual salary was relentlessly criticized by Roosevelt's opponents in Congress, mostly because it was twice what each of them made. Opposition newspapers joined in

100-598: A weekly newspaper for the thousands of workers in Panama. His regular reports of the cubic yards dug by rival work divisions, and the competitive baseball games they played, created a spirit of healthy competition that lifted worker morale and productivity. The "good news" of The Canal Record also built vital public support on newspaper editorial pages back home and in the halls of the United States Congress , where annual appropriations were required to keep

125-424: Is an article or any other written document, often unsigned, written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper or magazine , that expresses the author(s)'s opinion about a particular topic or issue. Australian and major United States newspapers, such as The New York Times and The Boston Globe , often classify editorials under the heading " opinion ". Illustrated editorials may appear in

150-592: The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway where he worked on the original Sibley Railroad Bridge over the Missouri River . After starting at the Illinois Central Railroad as an engineer, he was promoted to general manager. On May 6, 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Wallace as chief engineer of the ongoing Panama Canal project. As with the French effort to build the canal before him, malaria , yellow fever , and other tropical diseases plagued

175-817: The University of Wooster in 1882, and his Sc.D. from the Armour Institute in 1904. Wallace served as president of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1900. He began his career at the U.S. Engineering Corps , working on navigation improvements in the Mississippi River near Hampton, Illinois . Wallace also worked at the Burlington, Monmouth & Illinois River Railroad , the Union Pacific Railroad , and

200-565: The Canal's construction and everyday life for the following 30 years. A major factor in the successful construction of the canal was the work of Army doctors William C. Gorgas and Robert Ernest Noble to identify mosquitoes as the carriers of diseases including yellow fever and malaria , then develop eradication campaigns for the mosquitoes and treatments for the diseases. Joseph Bucklin Bishop would, except for month-long summer breaks, remain on

225-827: The City Council Committee on Railway Terminals of the City of Chicago and chairman of the Chicago Railway Terminal Commission. Wallace was president of the American Society of Civil Engineers , American Railway Engineering Association , and Western Society of Engineers . He was a Republican and a Presbyterian . He died in 1921 and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York. Editorial page An editorial , or leading article (UK) or leader (UK),

250-531: The Roosevelt administration's chagrin, and claiming to have gotten a lucrative job offer elsewhere, a frustrated Wallace was forced to resign by the Roosevelt administration's William Howard Taft and returned to the mainland United States. Wallace's resignation ultimately led to a better understanding of the difficult nature of the project by the Roosevelt administration, resulting in reforms that included larger, more realistic construction budgets. In 1948 Wallace

275-649: The bureaucratic ICC as a serious hindrance and ended up bypassing the commission and sending requests and demands directly to the Roosevelt Administration in Washington. The following year (1905) in Washington, D.C., Joseph Bucklin Bishop , an associate of Theodore Roosevelt and a strong editorial advocate for U.S. participation in the canal project, was appointed Executive Secretary of the Isthmian Canal Commission along with

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300-527: The canal project moving forward. John Findley Wallace John Findley Wallace (September 10, 1852 – July 3, 1921) was an American engineer and administrator , best known for serving as chief engineer for construction of the Panama Canal between 1904 and 1905. He had previously gained experience in railroad construction in the American Midwest . John Findley Wallace

325-455: The country and further reduced the already depleted workforce. Despite his requests to the contrary, the project was forced to use dilapidated and undersized infrastructure and equipment which had been purchased from the French by the U.S. government. This included primitive steam shovels and an undersized and rusting railway system. The project struggled to make significant progress prior to and during Wallace's appointment. In an attempt to avoid

350-536: The criticism. In the summer of 1907, when escalating allegations of cronyism surrounding Bishop's appointment threatened appropriations for Panama Canal construction, Taft, surely with Roosevelt's quiet assent, ordered Bishop out of Washington to Panama, where the partisan political heat would be less intense. "I accept your decision without reluctance," Bishop informed Taft, "and shall go to the Isthmus, not sadly but cheerfully." It would not be his first trip to Panama. In

375-471: The fall of the previous year, Bishop had gone ahead to advance Roosevelt's historic inspection tour, the first time a sitting president had journeyed outside the United States. In 1907, the Isthmian Canal Commission hired photographer Ernest "Red" Hallen to photograph the progress of the canal, in order to satisfy both Washington and the American public. Hallen would go on to document the entirety of

400-433: The form of editorial cartoons . Typically, a newspaper's editorial board evaluates which issues are important for their readership to know the newspaper's opinion on. Editorials are typically published on a dedicated page, called the editorial page, which often features letters to the editor from members of the public; the page opposite this page is called the op-ed page and frequently contains opinion pieces (hence

425-557: The inefficiency and corruption that had slowed earlier French efforts, a U.S. government commission, the Isthmian Canal Commission (ICC), was established to oversee construction. However, it proved to be overly bureaucratic and was an impediment to progress. Not initially a member of the seven-man ICC, and in an attempt to streamline its efforts, Wallace was appointed to it when it was reformed and its membership reduced to three following his own recommendation. However,

450-529: The isthmus for seven years, serving clandestinely at first as Theodore Roosevelt's "eyes and ears". He reported back on the "astonishing" progress that Army Corps of Engineers Colonel George Washington Goethals and his team were making excavating the "big ditch", building dams and locks . Before long, Bishop became Goethals's trusted aide, serving as his first line of defense against workers with complaints and grievances. But Bishop's greatest achievement in Panama would be as founding editor of The Canal Record ,

475-487: The name think pieces ) by writers not directly affiliated with the publication. However, a newspaper may choose to publish an editorial on the front page. In the English-language press, this occurs rarely and only on topics considered especially important; it is more common, however, in some European countries such as Denmark , Spain , Italy , and France . Many newspapers publish their editorials without

500-414: The name of the leader writer. Tom Clark, leader-writer for The Guardian , says that it ensures readers discuss the issue at hand rather than the author. On the other hand, an editorial does reflect the position of a newspaper and the head of the newspaper, the editor, is known by name. Whilst the editor will often not write the editorial themselves, they maintain oversight and retain responsibility. In

525-483: The real solution to the problem would not be found until the appointment of his successor, John Frank Stevens , who often bypassed the commission and sent requests and demands directly to the Roosevelt Administration in Washington; although he too would suddenly resign after two years on the project. As recommended by a U.S. engineering panel in 1905, Wallace remained an advocate of the concept of

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550-581: Was commemorated on a Canal Zone postage stamp. Wallace went on to conceive and design the passenger terminal facilities for the Chicago & Northwestern Railway in Chicago from 1905 to 1906. He later served as president of the Electric Properties Company from 1906 to 1914; as president of Westinghouse, Church, Kerr & Company from 1911 to 1916, and chairman of the board of that firm after 1906; and as an engineering expert for

575-692: Was born September 10, 1852, in Fall River, Massachusetts , the oldest son of the Rev. Dr. David A. and Martha J. (Findley) Wallace. His father, Rev. Dr. David A. Wallace, D.D., LL.D., was the first president of the Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois . John Findley Wallace attended Monmouth College in Illinois and graduated with the class of 1872. He received his degree in civil engineering from

600-477: Was forced to use the often dilapidated infrastructure and equipment left behind by the French when they sold their concession. The ICC was later reduced to three members on the recommendation of John Findley Wallace, the chief engineer. Overwhelmed, Wallace resigned abruptly in June 1905. In 1906 when a new chief engineer, John Frank Stevens , was appointed, he was not a member of the commission. He increasingly viewed

625-618: Was paid a $ 25,000 annual salary, the highest of any government employee at that time other than the president. In addition to the engineering and worker health problems, Wallace faced many bureaucratic challenges from the ICC, which had to approve essentially every significant decision Wallace made in the Canal Zone. With engineers filling out more than 1,000 work request forms weekly, even the simplest tasks often took months to complete. In addition to "make dirt fly", as directed by Roosevelt, Wallace

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