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Executive Order 1944 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 1944—To Create a Committee to Formally and Officially Open the Panama Canal

Woodrow Wilson Woodrow Wilson
•
Wednesday, May 20, 1914
•
3 min read (512 words)

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.

This executive order, signed by President Woodrow Wilson on 1914-05-20, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "To Create a Committee to Formally and Officially Open the Panama Canal." It outlines operative directives for executive department officers, delegating enforcement responsibilities and establishing official governance guidelines.

Constitutional Assessment: Scrutinized through Article II, Section 2, this action exercises the President's constitutional role as Commander in Chief. Early Framers recognized broad executive discretion in commanding military forces during conflict, provided it remains bounded by congressional declarations and respects civilian domestic courts.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

▪ The committee shall be composed of persons who were members of the Isthmian Canal Commission.
▪ The committee shall be known and referred to as the "Committee for the Formal and Official Opening of the Panama Canal." It shall have a chairman and vice-chairman, but shall perform its duties under the direction of the Governor of the Panama Canal.
▪ The persons named below are hereby appointed members of this committee.
▪ Goethals, now Governor of the Panama Canal, shall be Chairman of this committee.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises 🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities
Total Words
512
3,010 characters
Estimated Read Time
3 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
13.1
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.02
Framers' Alignment index
📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations 

Exec. Order No. 1944, Woodrow Wilson (May 20, 1914). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-1944-create-committee-formally-and-officially-open-the-panama-canal.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →
By virtue of authority vested in me by the Act approved April 6, 1914, entitled "An Act Making appropriations to supply urgent deficiencies in appropriations for the fiscal year nineteen hundred and fourteen and for prior years, and for other purposes," a committee of six members is hereby created to arrange and provide suitable ceremonies for the official and formal opening of the Panama Canal, as is provided for in Section 4 of the Panama Canal Act. The committee shall be composed of persons who were members of the Isthmian Canal Commission. The committee shall be known and referred to as the "Committee for the Formal and Official Opening of the Panama Canal." It shall have a chairman and vice-chairman, but shall perform its duties under the direction of the Governor of the Panama Canal. The persons named below are hereby appointed members of this committee. Colonel George W. Goethals, U. S. A. Honorable Richard L. Metcalfe. General William C. Gorgas, U. S. A. Colonel H. F. Hodges, U. S. A. Lieutenant-Colonel William L. Sibert, U. S. A. Civil Engineer H. H. Rousseau, U. S. N. Colonel George W. Goethals, now Governor of the Panama Canal, shall be Chairman of this committee. Honorable Richard L. Metcalfe shall be Vice-Chairman. The members of said committee shall each receive salary at the rate of ten thousand dollars per annum from April 1, 1914, to December 31, 1914, inclusive, and such necessary traveling and living expenses during the period from April 1, 1914, to January 31, 1915, when on duty connected with the work of providing for formally and officially opening the Panama Canal, as may be approved by the Secretary of War. The salary fixed as above shall include any salary to which any member of this committee may be entitled by reason of his appointment to or employment in any other position under the United States for the period above provided for, and the amount of such salary shall be deducted from the salary fixed as above. The salary to be paid May 31, 1914, shall be equal to two months' pay in a lump sum, less the amount of any other salary for the months of April and May, 1914. The word "salary" as used herein, in determining the amount to be deducted, shall not be construed to include additional emoluments, but shall be confined to actual pay. The committee is authorized to spend such sums as may be available for printing, postage, correspondence, employment of clerks, and other necessary expenses connected with formally and officially opening the Panama Canal, as may be approved by the Secretary of War. The payments authorized hereunder shall be made by such disbursing officer of the Panama Canal as the Governor shall designate. The Secretary of War shall provide the manner in which the amount to be expended for traveling, living and other expenses authorized by him shall be certified to, and, when such expenditures are so certified to, they shall be paid for without further vouchers therefor. WOODROW WILSON THE WHITE HOUSE, May 20, 1914.