Mower County transcript., 1904-05-18


managers. He will return to St. Louis
in about two weeks.
FARMER BEN'S COLUMN.
Well, I've lived to see the day when
Uncle Sam has got actual title to the
Panama canal strip and is goin' to
hustle big ditch across the isthmus
to connect the two oceans by water.
We've waited over a half century for
even this much. Away back about
1850 Uncle Sam signed a treaty for
buildin' a ship canal over the Nicarau-
qua route and surveys was made. The
scheme has been putterin' along with
all the intense and measly opposition
! of the big railroads buckin' it until
Roosevelt and Mckinley took hand
at it and the appointment Of the Pana-
ma Isthmian canal commission in
1899 put a head on it. It amt but 49
miles across the strip, about as fur as
from here to Faribault, but it's goin' to
save enormously in ocean distances.
Now it's 1874 miles from New York
to San Francisco but thro the Panama
canal it will be only 5,299 miles neat
little saving 1876 miles or sixty percent.
From New York to Ecuador on the
west coast of South America is now 10,
$40 miles and the canal will cut it
down just about one half. Why, New
Orleans will be next door naybor to
the Pacific coasts and it won't be
any trick at all ten years from now to
scoot down the Mississippi and ship
over into the big ocean to the west.
When president Roosevelt's bones lie
moulderin' in the grave one of the big
gest things that he will be remembered
by will be that he stuck to the Pana-
ma canal in spite of railroad opposi-
ton and all sorts Of sdiscouragements
until he made it a red hot success. H.. !.
~ > e sSsfSs>@ NJ
My father used to tell me- not to be
too sure of the woodchuck until I'd got
him out of the hole and right in hand.
[ don't like to hear so much brag about
the sure thing Roosevelt and the G. O..
2. hav in the comm national election.
To be sure it looks cock sure today but
if republicans get drowsy and careless
the other crowd may put up a job on
'em that will make 'em worry and
hurry later on. Look at our house of
representatives. The G. O. P. has a
majority of only thirty in crowd of
1856 and I amt forgot how close some
OF the deestricks were two years ago
from which some Of these repubs
squeezed in. The people hav been
watchin' congress and there amt been
thing done to protect the public do
main from land robbers, nor anythin'
done for reciprocity, nor much done
tor the Filipinos that was needed, and
nothin' to whack the hoggish trusts
and monopolies and hold 'em down. I
amt sayin' that Roosevelt amt got
brilliant prospects of an overwhelm-
MIN majority sut you can't alwus bet
on what looks like a sure thing. If
the republicans get out and hustle he's
got reelection dead sure and if they
hustle and get out and keep the
right issues before the people there
amt a shadow of doubt that the G. O.
P. will control the next house of repre-
sentatives but every minute of the day
and night we should remember that
we've got to lose only sixteen members
to lose the game and let the other
crowd into control.
I reckon that the antis will cause
more bloodshed in the Philippines before
the game is up. They are so bitter in
their determination to stir up strife
and rebellion that it is reported they
are still stirrin' UP political ferment
and unrest among the. ignorant and
easily mislead Filipinos and maxim
'em think they're oppressed. For that
this government has done for 'em in
freein' 'em from the Spaniards and
giyfn' 'em freedom and schools and
! good roads and protection and courts
and sanitation and health and reyiyyin'
of commerce and the like, the antis
hav got it in their noodles that Uncle
Sam is, abusin' the Filipinos and are
stirrin' 'en up to seditions and discon.
tent and are even goin' SO fur as to
promise 'em great rewards when the
United States authority should be over.
thrown. If ever there were black
hearted, low lived, cont emptible traitors
who ought to be hung on the first jump
it's these antis who hav not one particle
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