The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1904-01-07
THE CANAL AND THE PRESIDENT

Oour friend of the Colusa Sun seems
unable to get out of the Panama canal
In a recent issue he says: ut was sa d
without contradiction that the Pana-
ma company paid to somebody ten
million of dollars for gettin gthe route
adopted by this country"
We beg of our influential contem-
porary to consider for a moment what
this charge means. We never heard of
1t before. 1t was made, If at all, by
some one who desired to defeat a ca
nal and at the same time malign the
administration. AS a vagrant accuse
ton, general in its nature, it could
not be contradicted. But let us leoA
: into 1t more closely. The power t.
adopt a canal route was by law con
ferred upon the president of the Unite
States. Does the Sun believe that
President Roosevelt was inauene Ell
c~orruptly by money? That is what
the charge amounts to, II the one
who made it and all who repeat it as
sumo the responsibility of accusing
the president of the United States or
tie lnOSl S6IlOuS OllcllSt llldt dl SACCA~
tive can commit.
Such charges have been made againsi
presidents before. Mr.. Bryan charge
Mr.. Cleveland with corruption in Of
flee. and this grave and serious accu-
sation was part of the Democratic
campaign material of 1896. But no
one believed it and all judicious citi-
zens regretted that it was made, TO
the sake of the good name of the
country. All such will now reg.e
that a similar charge is made against
President Roosevelt.
When the p. esident visited Nevada
last year, the Democratic governor.
John Sparks, introduced him to a great
audience at Carson, and said of him,
"The president is a good Am eican
There is not influence enough in tie
world to turn him from what he lie
lieves to be right, nor money eno4g-
in the wolld to induce him to do
wrong" Governor Sua ks greatly dig
Mined himself by that a~sc.iption. II
is true. 1t uttered the belief of tie
whole American people. We believe
ever that the editor or the Colusa Sun
knows it was true, and knowing II
should be above slandering the pie@i
dent.
lie says he is in favor of going Oh
with the Panama canal, and that il
will cost two hundI ed millions in eA-
cess OF the estimates. Inat is vii
cost more than the estimates is prob
able, because it is government wo.k.
All work done by the government eA-
ceeds the cost of wo.k done ny PRIV
ate enterprise. But the canal was
made a gov nment enterprise pin
cipaliy by the persistence OF the Demo
crats. 1ney all favo. ed it as a nation
al work. 1hey all knew the coI.se
quences, and hat the cost would p. oh
ably be g.eater, and they are estopp
ed now from complaining. Nor ca4
they ask that the work be conl.d d g.
a Democratic administration, In tie
expectation that the usual results o.
government work will be avoided, 70.
they appear under all admins. ra ions,
and it is the partisan haD.t and Dusi
ness of the outs TO tell the coun.rs
that only the ms permit such excesses.
AS the canal is a Wo4k OF sucn stu
pendous Importance TO the world. an
as its competition viii be so conspieu
ously honorable to this country, Way
can we not o have a t.uoe To par
tisanship in the matter? 1t is evl-
dent hat the Democrats in the sen
ate VIII ratIfy the t.eaty. Why nut
do it glaciously, take Their snare o
the credit and seek partisan issue
elsewhere than in this pu1eiy extelna
and inter-woild matter? The whoie
country knows hat President Roos, :
Welt viii enforce honesty in he wo.k
will cub extravaganza as far as over
sight and foresight ear do it and
every one knows too that any p. esidenl
would do the same. SO let it stand at
that and curb this bad and unpatriotc
tendency to defame a man n gentle
man and countryman because he Is
president.-S. Il. Cali.