The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-10-27
PANAMA.CANAL
WORK TO GO ON IN SPITE OF EFF.
FORTS TO BLOCKADE.
President Roosevelt In His Address at
Mobile Gives the Obstruction
lists Fair Notice.

mobile, Ala., Oct. z5.-ffeSldent
Roosevelt closed day of travel with
ringing speech at Mobile. At this ad-
dress he gave the critics and the OBJ
structionists fair notice that neither
their fault-finding nor their efforts at
blockade would avail to stop the work
on the Panama canal. The great work
is to go on rapidly and economically,
and will be built in much shorter
time and at much smaller expense
than many of the volunteer advisers of
the administration have thought possi-
bic.
The President dwelt with especial
emphasis upon this point, because he
has recently been attacked in number
of prominent newspapers on his Pan
ANA canal policy. With the eXceptiond
OF few brief steps for water and a
ten-minute halt at Montgomery for a
change of engines, the Presidents spe-
cial was on the move all day long
During the day It left Florida, crossed
the southern end of Georgia and ira
versCd much of Alabama. The health
officers of Alabama boarded the train
at the state line, interviewed DR.. Rixey
and said they we're delighted to give the
party clean bin of health. After the
visit to Mobile the Presidents train
started back towards Montgomery,
where it will remain until morning.
Tuskagee and Birmingham will be the
principal stops on tomorrow's iteiner-
ary.
The President said, in part at Mobile:
I'm speaking before the citizens of
this great seaport of the gulf, | natur-
ally wish to say q word about the
Panama canal. hold that as matter
OF public policy. whatever helps part
of the country, helps the whole And
did my best to bring about the con-
struction of the canal in the interest
OF all our people; but if there was any
one section to be most benefited by it,
ii is the section that includes the gulf
states Originally | had been for the
Nicaragua canal, but when congress
acted abode by their decision. 1t be-
came evident that we should either
have no canal or the Panama canal,
Il
acted as we have, all chance of build
ing that canal would have vanished for
half century to come, and as it is we
now are assured of having that canal
within comparatively short time.
Gentlemen, want to warn you not
to be misled by interested camor.
Every man who had to do with the
oh 30 ttn,, Of
the canal knows that for decades It
was opposed AND successfully opposed,
by great commercial interests which
did not wish to see it completed and
did, not wish to see q canal speedily
dug through the isthmus, and commu-
nication between the Atlantic and Pa
cific speedily established. 1t seems to
me eviuent, from certain things | see
in a portion of the daily press, that
those causes are still active and that
they arc going to try to becloud the is
sue, with the hope of putting off for
10 or Is years, or over, the digging OF
that canal. Their weapons will be and
are every form of misrepresentation.
and, gentlemen. they will fail. You
need not have the slightest alarm.
Uncle Sam has started to dig that
canal, and it will be dug, and that soon.
The people who are largely, by their
circulation of false rumors and by di-
rect misstatements, seeking to create
confusion such as will defer the build
ing of the canal will be disappointed
Now, of all the things said about me
today, In the more than kind, in the
overland illusions to me, perhaps
was specially pleased by what the colo
mel said as to my attitude towards
crooked public servants. | will take
advice about appointing men, but If
find they are crooked, don't take any
advice at all about removing them. We
have scriptural authority for saying
that offenses must come and the good
book says woe to them through whom
they come. | cannot guarantee, and
no human being can. that there will
not be an occasional man of an inn
proper kind appointed or an occasional
well-meaning man who, after being ap-
pointed goes wrong; but can say that
cvery effort within the power of this
government will be made to hunt such
a man out of the public service and to
punish him to the full extent Of the
law.
Here, in this seaboard city, want
to say another word, and that is about
the United States navy I know that
an audience composed. as this audi
ence is, of men who either themselves
fought or whose fathers fought In the
civil war, appreciate to the full the
sound national policy, II may use the
vernacular, of never bluflng' unless
you mean to make good We under
took to build the Panama canal be-