The morning journal-courier., 1908-03-09
THE PANAMA CANAL.

Elsewhere in this Issue Of The Morning Journal-Courier will be found some statements made by John F. Stevens, formerly head engineer of the Panama Canal and one of the yice-presidents of the New Haven Railroad company. They are sensa- tional statements, not because MT. Stevens seeks to make a sensation but because of their inherent charac- ter, which makes for impressive sur prise We are told in SO many words Hhat while the construction of the ranal will rank among the wonders of ishe world from the standpoint of lmans power to overcome and harness nature to do his bidding. when com ,pleted the canal itself will be of little If any advantage to the United States pf America Nor are these statements Ito be treated lightly. They are not made by a man who seeks to manu- facture political ammunition with which to shoot down the administra- tion which is responsible for the en- terprise. They are made by a man whose reputation as an engineer of the first class is involved in the accur- Acy of them, the man whom the gov ernment wished to keep st the head pf it's enterprise.
 It Is natural that both The Journal Fourier and George l.. Fox should read these statements with the liveli- est satisfaction, since they vindicate lthe position both have taken from the 11rst, though necessarily in their case theory rather than practical engineer ing knowledge has guided their judg- 1nent. The only difference of opinion /now remaining between MT Fox and Mr Stevens relates to the ultimate cost of the canal which all can afford to await the settlement of. If, then. the Judgment of these gentlemen, one practical engineer of the first class and the other an intelligent student of big undertakings who has examined the situation as 1t appears to his mind Ipn the spot itself, is well founded, this country is actually spending an amount -of money on the construction of a ro1 rr,It, tot.x l. expended in another way. This is a most disturbing thought, especially when it is recalled that the sensation al recognition of the fiy-by-night re- public of Panama was of doubtful nnorality. It is disturbing to be told that the canal will probably never be a paying investment from any point 1of view. It will be great achievement In engineering and it will reflect the pluck of the American people as well fRs their disregard of the treasury, but this may not always impress the tax payer as a point of view worth bidding Nor at such high price Sooner or lat Ter he, thrifty individual, may be moved to ask if it is a fair deal for llim? If, as Mr. Stevens says, one re- suit of the canal when completed will be to add enormously to the cost of maintenance and protection this Thrifty taxpaying individual may rise Nh his wrath and snite somebody or something.
 Aside from the doubtful benefit of the canal, which of itself calls into 1uestion President Roosevelt's judg- tnent in having insisted upon the en- terprise. 1t Is disturbing to be told that fhe same amount of money could have been better expended in creating a larger and more powerful navy. It is obvious that an increase in the num- Der of fighting ships is inevitable. as Secretary Taft has clearly shown, if we are to keep the Monroe doctrine as one of our national treasures, and it is likely, as MT. Stevens says, that we shall need even larger navy than is planned now, which. in addition to the duties now required of it. will have to guard and protect the canal. 1n his opinion it will cost more to finance that form of protection than the commerce of the canal can pro- see Europe profit by the canal, for sts foreign trade is more securely built up and it's merchant marine more so- licitously encouraged. Europe would find placed at its disposal for mere pittance a new means of reinforcing its foreign trade, which of itself throws light upon the friendly attitude pf Great Britain ever since the project was first mentioned of this country building the canal independently of other nations Nor is this all there is to the Stevens statement He looks to see the railroads of the country. es- pecially the trans-continental lines, meeting the demands for trans-eenti- mental traffic without regard to the ex- .stence of the canal In the item of roal, for example, he recognizes that t lies imbedded in the earth of in