Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-10-21

ways weaklings who get trampled
down or lose heart. and there are
always people who listen to their
complaints. They amount TO nothing
one way or the other. so far az achiev-
Ing results Is concerned and their
complaints and outcries need never
detain us.
! call your attention specifically to
the matter Of health on the isthmus.
The climate was supposed to be dead.
ly. 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 moro ef
fective. from the hygienic as well as
from every other. standpoint. The
work Of building the canal Is q great
American work. In which the whole
American people are interested. It
has nothing to do with parties or
partisanship, and Is being carried on
with absolute diWegard to all merely
political considerations; with regard
only to efficiency. honesty and econo-
my.
The digging Of the canal will, Of
course. greatly increase our interest
In the Caribbean sea. It will be our
duty to police the canal. both in the
interest of other nations and In our
own interest. To do this II Ia. Of
course, indispensable to have an eff.
Client navy (and ! am happy to say
that we are well on our way toward
having one). and also to possess. a.
we already possess. certain strategic
points to control the approach to the
canal. In addition 1t fs urgently
necessary that the insular and con-
tinental countries within or bordering
upon the Caribbean sea should be
able to secure fair dealing and order
" liberty within their own borders. !
need not say that the United States
not only has no purpose Of aggression
upon any republic, continental or
insular, to the south Of us, but has the
friendliest feeling toward them, and
desires nothing save their progress
and prosperity. We do not wish an
other foot OF territory; and l think
our conduct toward Cuba is a guar.
anty that this Is our genuine attitude
toward all our sister republics. II
ever we should have to interfere In
the affairs Of any OF our neighbors It
would only be when we found II I'M
possible longer to refrain from doing
so without serious damage following;
and even In such case It would only
be With the sincere and effective pur.
pose 10 mSke our isterferenc$ be1c.
fetal to the peoples concerned. Of
course, occupying 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 un-
dertake the duty which we neglect;
and such neglect would be unfortun-
ate from more than one standpo' =.
Wherever possible we should glaciy
give any aid We can to : werke' sister
republic which h endeavo;iny to
aehieve stability and pros Je,i'v. It is
an ungenerous thing for US TO refuse
such aid: and It n foolish not to give
Il in 4 way that will make It really
effective, and therefore to direct ben
eft to the people concerned-and Of
indirect benefit to us, simply because
st Il a benefit to them. In the last
resort, and only in the last resort. i
may occasionally be necessary; 70
interfere by exercising what is vir.
tually aa international po,.cc power
II only to avoid seeing some Euro
pean power forced to exercise It. in
short, while We must interfere alwaya
cautiously, and never wantonly; yet
on rare occasions, where the need Il
great, It may be necessary to inter
fere, 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 into
stronger hands; and such confession
and avowal I know my countrymcu
too well to believe that they will ever
makQ