Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1905-10-21

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~, and yellow fever, in especial, was
supposed to be epidemic. Yet since
we have assumed control there has
been far less yellow fever than in our
own country. The administration is
steadily becoming better and more eff
fective, 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 par
tisanship, and is being carried on
with absolute disregard to all merely
political considerations; with regard
only to efficiency, honesty, and econo-
my.
An Efficient Navy is Necessary.
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 eff
cient navy (and | 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 nee
essary that the insular and continental
countries within or bordering upon
the Caribbean Sea should be able to
secure fair dealing and orderly liber-
ty within their own borders. | need
not say that the United States not
only has no purpose of aggression up
on any republic, continental or insu-
lar, to the south of us, but has the
friendliest feeling toward them, and
desires nothing save their progress and
prosperity. We do not wish another
foot of territory; and think our con-
duct toward Cuba is guaranty that
this is our genuine attitude toward
all our sister republics. If ever we
should have to interfere in the affairs
of any of our neighbors it would only
be when we found it impossible long
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
our interference beneficial to the
peoples concerned Of course, occu-
pying the position we do, occasions
may now and then arise when we can
not refrain from such interference
save under penalty of seeing some
other strong nation undertake the
duty which we neglect; and such ne
glect would be unfortunate from more
than one standpoint. Wherever posi-
BILE we should gladly give any aid we
can to a weaker sister republic which
is @ndeavoring to achieve stability and
prosperity. 1t is an ungenerous thing
for us to refuse such aid; and it is
foolish not to give it in way that
will make it really effective, and
therefore of direct benefit to the peo-
pie concerned---an of indirect benefit
to us, simply because it is benefit to
them. In the last resort, and only in
the last resort, it may occasionally be
necessary to interfere by exercising
what is virtually an International po-
lice power, if only to avoid seeing
some European power forced to exer-
else it. In short, while we must inter-
fere always cautiously, and never wan
tonly; yet, on rare occasions, where
the need is great, it may be necessary
to interfere, unless we are willing to
confess ourselves too feeble for the
task we have undertaken, and to avow
that we are willing to surrender it in
to stronger hands; and such confess
sion and avowal I know my country
men too we'll to believe that they
will ever make.