Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-08-30

neea of keeping this organization in power.
With Mr. Cannon speaker, the House
has accomplished a literally phenomenal
amount of good work. 1t has SHOWN
courage, good sense, and PATRIOTISM sacn
that 1t would be real and serious mlsIor-
tune for the country to fail to recognize
Danger of Changing Congress.
To change the leadership and organiza-
ton of the House at this time means 10
bring confusion upon those VINO nave pgen !.
ont of q great and comprehensive scneme
for the betterment of our social, lndustrlal /,
and civic conditions. Such cnange Woutu
substitute a purposeless CONFUSION, Vioieht
and hurtf1l oscillation between the positions
of the extreme radical and the extreme re-
dictionary for the present orderly progress
along the lines of a carefully thousut-ouI
policy.
The interests of this nation are as varied
&C they are vast Congress must take ac-
count not of one national need but OF many
and widely different national needs anu
sneak with historic accuracy when L say
that not in our time has any other Con
gress done so well in so many dlherent
fields of endeavor as the present congress
has done. e.41, 1z
can If in one session meet every need AT
IFS first session the present congress, IN
addition to the many tasks 1t actually COM
Dleted undertook several tasks when l nrm-
iy believe it will bring TO completlon IN lts
7 hone and believe that the bills to pro
hibit political contributions by corporations
and to lower the duties on imports from the
Philippine islands, each OF whlcn mas peen
law. l hope. and I have reason to believe,
that favorable action will be taken upon the
hill limiting the number OF hours OF en-
plovment of railway employees.
these and one OF two other measures, the
enactment of which / have reason to hope
for. are important. But far more import
ant are the measures which have actually
been passed, and as to these measures |
yvish 70 reiterate that they are not import
ant in a merely PARTISAN sense but are i'm
Dortant because Lney subserVe the welfare
Of our people as a whole, OF our nation as
an entirety. They are important because
those who enacted them into law thereby
showed themselves to be fit representatives,
of all good Americans.
Panama Canal Policy.
In affairs outside Of our own country our
great work has been beginning to dig the
Panama canal. The acquisition Of the
canal strip was due to the initiative of
Congress and the fact that the work there
on Is now being done in the most thorough
and satisfactory fashion is due TO the ac-
tion of the present Congress at the session
lust closed. Only this action rendered the
work possible and the heartiest acknowl-
edgements are due to the 1arstelng patriot
ism of those who made 1t possible.
The digging of the Panama canal is the
colossal engineering feat OF an the ages
No task as great or the kthu mas ever oee1
undertaken by any other nation. The in
terests banded together to oppose it were
and are numerous and bitter, and most of
them with a peculiarly sinister OASIS for
their opposition. ms sinister opposition
rarely Indeed. ventures openly TO announce
its antagonism 20 the canal as such. Some
times it takes the form of baseIess accusa-
tion against the management, and OF a de-
mand for an investig ton under cIrcum-
stances which would mean indefinite delay.
Some times il takes the form of determined
oDposition to the adoption of plans which
will enable the work to be done not merely
ia the best but in the quickest possible
way.
runt and had not the leaders of Congress
shown the most farsighted resolution in the
matter, the work of building the canal
would never have been began, or if begun.
would now have halted. The opposition to
the adoption of the treaty by which our
right to build the Panama canal was Sc
cured part at least OF the opposition
even now being made TO the ratlhcatiOn of
the Santo Domingo treaty, which is one
more step in the effort to make peaceful and
secure the water through which the route
of the canal leads; the constant effort TO
delay on one pretext and another the actual
work on the canal-all prove how essential
it is that if the American people desire the
Panama canal to be built in speedy and
efficient fashion they should uphold the
hands of those who in the present Congress
have so effectively champi0ned this work
Importance of the Navy.
No less praiseworthy has been the atti-
tude of this Congress in continuing to build
and maintain on a high plane of efficiency
the United States navy. This country is ir-
reyocablY committed to the maintenance OF
mitted to the principle of defending and po-
Icing the canal route. But It's charpion-
ship of the Monroe doctrine and its an
Aouncement Of its intentions a. to the canal