Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1903-12-17

! Of last year that 80 far as they are lvoiI.
abe Tor agriculture In its broadcast sense
| claimed under the national irrigation law
| the remaining public lands should be held
! rigidly. FOR the home builder. The attcn.
| tiun Of the Congress Is especially directed
| to the timber and stone law, tho desert.
| land law, and tho Communication clause OF
| the homestead law, which in their Upera.
| tlon have In many respects connlcted with
| wise publ'c-land policy.
The work Of reclamation Of the arid
and satisfactorily under he terms ' Of Thy
! law settling aside the proceeds from the
| disposal OF public lands. Surveys and e1.
eminations are progressing throughout the
| arid States and Territories, plans for re.
| claiming works being prepared and passed
| upon by boards of engineers before APPROX.
Arizona and Nevada. In localities where
such work Is -emlnenty needed, con.
| struction has already been begun In other
parts OF the arid West various projects are
| contracts, these being delayed in part by
necessities OF reaching agreements or un.
derstandlng as regards rights of way or
| acquisition Of real estate.
During the year ended June 30 last %.
56e persons were appointed through com
| vice rules. This was 12G72 more than
during the preceding year. and 40 per cent
OF those who passed the examinations.
stoned by the extension OF classification TO
the rural free-delivery service and the an.
pointment last year Of over 1900 rural
carriers. revision OF the clvil-service
rules took effect on April Is last, which
has greatly improved their operation
Army and Navy.
The effect Of the laws providing Gen
era Stan for the Army and for the more
| been excellent. Great improvement has
| been made in the efficiency of our Army
In recent years, Such schools as those
| erected at Fort Leavenworth and Fort RI
|
work accomplish satisfactory results. The
| good effect of these maneuvers upon the
| National Guard Is marked, and ample ap-
preparation should be made to enable the
| guardsmen of the several States to share
In the benefit. The government should ms
soon as possible secure suitable perma-
nent camp sites for military maneuvers in
| the various sections of the country. The
service thereby rendered not only to the
| Regular Army, hut to the National Qua rd
! Of the several States, Will be so great as
| to repay many times over the relatively
| small expense. We should not rest salts
fed with what has been done, however.
The only people who are contented with
system OF promotion by mere seniority are
those who are contented with the triumph
| Of mediocrity over excellence. On the
| other hand system which encouraged the
| exercise of social or political favorltlsm In
promotions would be even worse. But It
would surely be easy to devise a method
OF promotion from grade to grade In which
the opinion OF the higher officers OF the
service upon the candidates should be de-
clsive upon the standing and promotion Of
| the latter. just such n system now OBJ
taIns at West Point
heartily congratulate the Congress upon
the steady progress In building MP the
American Navy. We can not afford let
up In this great work. To stand still means
10 60 back. There should he no cessation in
adding to the effective units OF the lighting
strength Of the fleet. Meanwhile the Navy
Department and the officers OF the Navy
are doing well their part by providing CON
slant service at sea under conditions akin
to those Of actual warfare. Our officers
and enlisted men are learning to handle the
battle, ships, cruisers, and torpedo boats
formations, and the standard of marksman-
ship Is being steadily raised.
1t is eminently desirable, however, that
there should be provided naval general
staff or lines similar to those Of the Gen
eral STAFF lately created for the Army.
Isthmi1n Canal.
BY the act OF June %, 1902 the Congress
authorized the President to enter into treaty
with Colombia for the building of the canal
across the lsthmus Of Panama. 1t being
provided that In the event of failure to Sc.
cure such treaty after the lapse of rea-
sonable time. recourse should be had to
building canal through Nicaragua. 1t has
rot been necessary to consider this alterna-
tive, as am enabled to lay before the
Senate treaty providing for the building
Of the canal across the lsthmus of Panama.
This was the route which commended itself
to the deliberate Judgment Of the Congress.
and we can now acquire by treaty the right
question now, therefore, is not by which
route the lsthlnian canal shall be built for
that question has been definitely and ire
vocably decided. The question is simply
whether or not we shall have an isthmlan
canal.
When the Congress directed that we
should take the Panama route under treaty
with Colombia, the essence of the condl
ton, Of course, referred not to the Govern.
ment which controlled that route, but to
, the route Itself; to the territory across
N mot nam llft
for the moment the territory bore the
map. The purpose Of the law was to author
lie the President to make treaty with the
power In act lal control OF the Isthmus OF
J Panama. This purpose has been fulfilled.
In the year 1916 this Government en-
, tered into treaty with New Granada, the
, predecessor upon the lsthmus Of the Re
! public of Colombia and of the present Re
public Of Panama, by which treaty 1t wal
? provided that the Government and citizens
! Of the United States should always have
2 free and open right of way or transit acros;
s the lsthmus of Panama by any modes Of
l communication that might be constructed
the perfect neutrality of the above-men
J toned lsthmus with the view that the
l free transit from the one to the other ses
might not be interrupted or embarrassed
The treaty vested In the United States
substantial property right carved out o.
T.. the rights OF sovereignty and property
| which New Granada then had and pos
I sessed over the said territory. The nam,
). of New Granada has passed away and 1T
+. | territory has been divided. Its successor
= the Government of Colombia, has ceased
e to own any property In the Isthmus. new
' Republic, that of Panama, which was a
Z one time a sovereign State, and at anothe
r time a mere department OF the successive
o considerations known as New Granada ant
r Colombia, has now succeeded to the right
/. ! which first one and then the other formerl.
v exercised over the lsthmus. But as lonj
q as the lsthmus endures the mere geogra oh
v ical fact Of Its existence, and the peculia
: interest therein which Is required by gu
l. position, perpetuate the solemn contrac
!. which binds the holders OF the territory T.
q respect our right to freedom of transi
N across II, and binds us In return to safe
4 guard for the Isthmus and the world tn
a exercise Of that inestimable privilege Tn
a true Interpretation OF the obligation upo
;, which the United States entered In thI
a treaty OF 1876 has been given repeated
. In the uttcrances OF Presidents and Secre
!, taries of State. Secretary Cass In 1858 OF
!. fcally stated the position OF this Govern
o ment MS follows:
f THE progress OF events has rendered III
II iuteroccanlc route across the narrow portio
/ Of Central America vastly important to tn
< commercial world, and especially TO tn
IS United States, whose possessions extern
q along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, am
n demand the speedlest and easiest modes q
-,