The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-10-22

terday President Roosevelt devoted
his time to a discussion of the work
of building the Panama Canal and the
benefits that will come to us upon its
completion, which American faith and
energy make certainty. He said:
Here in Florida, the first of the Gulf
States which | have visited upon this
trip, l wish to say special word
about the Panama Canal. l believe
that the canal will be of great benefit
to all our people, but most of all to the
States of the South Atlantic. the Gulf
and the Pacific slope. When COM
pleted the canal will stand as a mon
ument to this nation; for it will be
the greatest engineering feat ever yet
accomplished in the world. 1t Will
be a good thing for the world as
whole, and for the people of the lSh-
anus and of the northern portions of
South America in particular. Because
Of our special interest in it, and be-
cause of the position we occupy on
this hemisphere, it is a matter of
special pride to us that our nation,
the American nation, should have un-
dertaken the performance of this
world duty. A body of the most en-
inent engineers in the world, Doth
Americans and foreigners, has been
summoned to advise as to the exact
type of canal which should be built.
At no distant date | hope to be able
to announce what their advice>is. and
ALSO the action taken upon their ad-
vice. Meanwhile the work is already
well under way, and has advanced
sufficiently far to. enable me to an
nounce with certainty that it can sure
" be accomplished and probably at
rather less expense than was antlcl-
pated But upon the last point, as
well as upon the question of time, no
positive statement can be made until
the report of the commission of engin-
GERS as to the exact type of canal has
been received The work is as difficult
as it is important; and it is, of course
inevitable that from time to time diff
ficulties will occur and checks be en-
countered. Whenever such is the case
the men of little faith at home will
lose that little faith, and the critics
who confound hySteria with empha-
sis will act after their kind. But our
people as a whole possess not only
faith. but resolution, and are of too
Ivirile FIBER TO be swept one way or
the other by mere senSationaEism- No
check that may come will be more
than trivial and passing consequence,
will inflict any permanent damage. or
cause any serious delav. The work
can be done. is being done. and will
be done. What has already been ac-
complished is guaranty as to the
future.
When any such work is undertaken
there are always many mere adVcn-
turers who flock to where il is going
on and many men who think they
are adventurers, but who are in realty
either weak or timid, follow in their
footsteps Some of the first class Will
now and then cause trouble in one way
or another. But every care Will be
taken to detect any miSdeed on their
part and to punish them as soon as the
misdeed is detected AS for the sec
ond class they will cause trouble
chiefly by losing heart, returning
home, or writing home, and raising a
cry that they are not happy and that
the conditions of life are not easy, or
that the work is not being done as
they think it ought to be done. NOW
these men stand just as the stragglers
and laggards stand who are ever to be
found in the rear of even victorious
army The veterans of the Civil War
who are here present will tell you that
the very rear of an army, even when
it is victorious, is apt to look and be-
have as if the victory were defeat.
and just the same thing is true in any
great enterprise in civil life: there are
always weaklings who get trampled
down or lose heart. and there are al
ways people who listen to their COM
plaint. They amount to nothing one
way of the other. so rar as achieving
results is concerned; and their COM
plants and outcries need ever de-
tain us.
l call your attention specifically to
the matter of health on the Isthmus.
The climate was supposed to be deadly,
and yellow fever, in especial. was sup
posed to be epidemic. Yet since we
have assumed control there has been
far less yellow fever than in our own
country. The administration is stead
ily becoming better and more effective,
from the hygienic as well as from
every other standpoint. The work of
building the canal is a great American
work. in which the whole American
people are Interested. 1t has nothing
to do with parties or partisanship,
and is being carried on with absolute
disregard to all merely political con-
siderations; with regard only to eff
cheney. honesty, and economy.
The digging of the canal will, of
course. greatly increase our interest in
the Caribbean Sea. 1t will be our
duty to police the canal, both in the
interest of other nations and in our
own interest. To do this it is, of
course indispensable to have an etfici-
ent Navy (and l am happy to say that
we are well on our way toward having
one) and also to possess, as we already
possess, certain strategic points to
control the approach to the canal.
In addition it is urgently necessary
that the insular and continental
countries within or bordering upon
the Caribbean Sea should be able to
secure fair dealing and orderly lib
erty within their own borders. l need
not say that the United states not
only has no pupose of aggression upon
any republic, continental or lnsuIar'
to the south of us, but has the friend
liest feeling toward them, and desires
nothing save their progress and pros
perity. We do not wish another loot
of territory; and | think our con-
duct toward Cuba is guaranty lnat
this is our genuine attitude toward all
our sister republics. If ever we
should have to interfere in the af1alrS
of any of our neighbors it would oniy
be when we found it impossible lohS-
er to refrain from doing so without
serious damage following; and even IN
such case it would only be with the
sincere and effective purpose to make