The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-21
UNCLE SAM ALWAYS DOES
 WHAT HE UNDERTAKES
When Army Men Get Tired They Can Not Throw Up Jobs, as Did Wal lace and Stevens, But Must
 Keep at Work.
BY BACK M'GHEE.

VTHEN in the long ago the little
 A/ wrens told their mother that
 W the farmer in whose grain field they had their nest, at last despairing of getting his neghbors to cut the grain, and having been unable to hire men to do it, had declared to his son that he and they would on the morrow come and cut 1t themselves the old bird cooked her astute head to one side and told her little brood that they must prepare to move, for at last the farmer meant business. And so there is now for the first time a real confidence that the wren, if there be any wrens there, and if not, then the snakes and lizards and earth worms-perchance mosquitoes-which have their homes in the pathway of the Pan anna canal, must prepare to take their. abode somewhere else For, after wait ing for something like half a century, for his neighbors to dig a ditch across this isthmus, and after then trying for some three years to hire servants to do it, the old farmer, sometimes affectinately called Uncle Sam has finally announced his intention to dig that ditch himself, with his own strong right arm.
 Uncle Sam has a strong right arm; strong, supple, wel-disciplned and ener- getic Moreover, it is obedient, standing not only ready but eager to do this work. This right arm is the army, and if he had put it to work digging this canal in the beginning there would not have been this long wandering in the wilder ness, and this widespread. lack of con fidence in the early completion of the work.
 It is not that the army engineers are abler men, or abler engineers than civil- ian engineers that the American people, those of them who really appreciate the character of the work and the method of the army engineers, have more confidence that the canal now will be dug. George Goethals, David D. Gallard and William L. Sibert may not be better engineers than John F. Stevens John F.. Wal lace. But Stevens and Wallace have quit. Wallace threw up the job in dis gust and went back to railroading. The President did not like it, and he prompt ly elected Wallace a member of his fa- nous Ananias club Still Wallace quit Stevens found the golf links in the canal zone bad, and he decided to hold out and drive off from another tea. The President did like that apparently, for he made no protest, nor conferred any especial honor upon Stevens. Again, Chairman Goethals may not be a better administrative and executive officer than Theodore P. Shonts But Shonts has quit. He says he has better job. and he is reported to have said that the canal zone is no place for white man to live. Now if Goethals or Gaillard or Sbert should find the golf links bad, or come to the conclusion that Panama is no place for a white man to live, or for any other reason or on any other &C., count become displeased, discouraged or disgusted, he will quietly communicate his dissatisfaction in the bosom of his family to his wife and few of his in- innate friends, and go on digging the canal with increased energy and deter imitation as to get through with it quicker that he may come home or go somewhere else. If either of these three should quit, for any very good reason, like that of death or insanity or some act "unbecoming an officer and a gentle man. he vii be able to get back to this country without any great sensation, without an extra session of Congress, with but few double column newspaper interviews. and without any brainstorms at the White House. The chief engineer of the army will quietly detail another