Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-21
Upon the Occasion Of Visit to
Jacksonville, Fla.
PANAMA CAN AL PRAISE
BENEFITS OF HIGHWAY TO THE
WORLD EXPLOITED.
Attitude of the United States Toward
Other Nations Not One of
Aggression.

The following is the full text OF the Pres
ident's speech delivered at Jacksonville
Fla, today:
Here In Florida, the first of the gulf
states which l have visited upon this trip.
wish TO say special word about the
Panama canal. / 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.
Whe1 completed the canal will stand as a
monument to this nation; for 1t will be the
greatest engineering feat ever yet accom-
plished in the world. 1t will be a good
thing for the world a whole, and for
the people of the isthmus and of the north
ern portions of South America in particu-
lar.
Because of our especial interest in it, and
because of the position we occupy on this
hemisphere, it is matter Of special pride
to us that our nation, the American ma
tion should have undertaken the perform
ance of this world duty. body of the
most eminent engineers In the world, both
Americans and foreigners, has been sum-
moned 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 advice. Mean
while the work Is already well under way,
me to announce with certainty that it can
surely be accomplished, and probably at
rather less expense than was anticipated.
But upon the last point, as well as upon
the question of time. no positive statement
can be made until the report of the COM
mission of engineers as to the exact type
of canal has been received.
Work Difficult and Important.
The work is as difficult as it is impor-
tant; and it Is of course inevitable that
from time to time difficulties will occur and
checks be encountered. Whenever such Is
the case the men of little faith at home
will lose that little faith, and the critics
who confound hysteria with emphasis Will
act after their kind. But our people as
whole possess not only faith. but resoiu-
ton, and are of too vfrfie fiber to be swept
one way or the other by mere sensational
ism. No check that may come will be of
more than trivial and passing consequence
will infiict any permanent damage, or
cause any serious delay. The work can be
done. is being done, and will be done
What has already been accomplished Is a
guaranty as to the future.
When any such work is undertaken there
are always many mere adventures who
flock to where 1t Is going on. and many
men who think they are adventures, but
who are in reality 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 second class they will cause
trouble chiefly by losing heart returning
home. writing home, and raising cry
that they are not happy and that the condi-
lions of life are not easy, or that the work
is not being done as they think 1t ought to
be done.
Now these men stand just as the stray
glers and laggards stand who are ever to
be found in the rear of even a victorious
army. The veterans of the civil war who
are here present will tell you that the very
rear of an army. even when 1t is victorious,
is apt to look and behave as II the victory
were defeat. And just the same thing 10
true in any great enterprise in civil life
there are always weaklings who get tram
pied down or lose heart. and there are al
ways people who listen to their complaints.
They amount to nothing one way or the
other so far as achieving results Is con-
cerned and their complaints and outcries
need never detain US.
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