The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-10-05
'Ital question to consider.

and its tributaries specially needfu
mean the Panama canal The dIe
eing OF that canal viii be OF benefl
e the whole country, but most of al
% the states OF the Pacific slope an,
| The Gulf; and II the Mississippi /
properly improved to the state
through which II flows. The digein,
Iof the Panama canal Is the creates
engineering feat which has vet bee,
attempted on this globe. The worl
has been going on most srccessfulI,
and with fewer drawbacks and diffi
lculties than | had dared hope. Whel
under our treaty with Panama W,
took possession Of the Canal Zon,
II was confident that we should b,
able to build the canal. but took i
Tor granted that we should NEE
many unexpected difficulties, not onl,
| IN the actual work, but through, ans
| because of, the diseases which HAD
made the lsthmus a byword or IN
lhealthfulness The work done IN
making the conditions on the Isthmus
healthy, however. has been so sue
lcessful that nj present the death rate
among the thousands Of Americans
engaged in the canal work is lower
than In most localities In the United
States. The organization has been
perfected, the machinery installed
and the actual work. OF the dredges,
the steam shovels, and the dirt trains.
IL going on with constantly increasing
rapidity and effectiveness. In the
month of August over twelve hundred
thousand cubic yards Of material
were removed, chiefly from the Gu.
Zebra cut--thc record remoyal-and ii
this rate can be kept up. as believe
il will be kept up the work of dig
ging Will be through In half dozen
Years. The finishing of the locks of
the great dam may take q little
longer; but it begins to look as
though the work will be completed
even sooner than we had estimated.
Remember, gentlemen, that any
work like this entails grave RESPONSE
for self-respecting nation, as for
selfrespecting man, is to bluff and
then not be able to make good We
have accepted the Monroe doctrine
AS cardinal feature Of our foreign
policy. We have undertaken not only
10 build but to police and guard the
Panama canal. This means. unless
we are willing to accept the humiia-
ion OF being treated some time by
some strong nation as vain and
weak braggart, that we must build
md maintain our navy at the highest
loint OF efficiency. When the canal
G finished our navy can move from
me ocean to the other at will; for,
that our doors are open on
both oceans. Until then our battle
leet, which should always be kept
md maneuvered as a unit, ought now
G appear in our home waters In one
'cean and now to appear in our home
waters In the other And. oh my
rlends and fellow-Americans. most
hope all our people will re-
lember that in the fundamental aues,
Ions most deeply affecting the life of 4
he nation there can be no proper
vision on party lines. Matters of
lch grave moment should be dealt
18th along the lines of consistent and
ell thought-out policy, without re-
ard to any change of administration
4
+ of party at Washington. Such /
lestions as the upbuilding and main 5
nance of the United States navy.
he completion of the Panama canal 1
accordance with the plans now
DIV being carried out and the i'm. ]
'ovement of the Mississippi river, {
e not party questions. | am striv- ID
S TO accomplish what I can In such 4
alters as these because the welfare c
the nation imperiously demands c
e action that am taking. II is ac- V
On in the interest of all the people. q
ID the need for it will be as great n
ng after | have passed out of public c
e as IL Is now. On these great Il
ints that have mentioned, as on h
hers / could mention, from the n
of the nation the policy is b
while II is Of little i'm III
rtance who carries II out so long as II
actually is carried OFT. Therefore, h
rope you will see to It, according to m
ur best endeavor. that the policy is p,
repted as permanent, as something in
be preserved in because of the in pt
est of the whole people. and with fa
regard to any possible political 81
lnges. az
Before closing let me say a word ~
On the subject of the regulation of q
} railways by congress under the 81
erstate commerce clause of the al
In my Judgment the tr
days Of happy-go-lucky indiffer- in
e on the part of the public to the ar
duct OF the corporations have bC
ssed. The American people has W
de up its mind that the conditions 20
modern industrialism are such as ga
peratively to demand supervision in
the interest of the people as a H.
ole over these great corporations. Oh
81 enphatically we should do full hi
tice to them; but in return we yi'
uld exacr justice from them to the to
Tic. Some Of them have become ir'