New-York tribune., 1908-12-22
,fR. TAFT AND THE CANAL.

Tho announced intention Of the President
! alact ~ visit the Panama Canal again is TO he
regarded with approval and gratlncaUon. 1t
vas we'll that he made his former visits and that
President Roosevelt also went to the Canal Aohe'
! The moral and political effect of such personal
observations is excellent upon both fanama ana
the United States. The istbmus is not a part Oh
the United States and never will be- but 1t Is
and always will be associated with this country
! in peculiarly close manner, and II is well that
! the head of our government should keep in touch
with il and should make everybody in the Canal
! Zone realize that Colon and Panama are always
within easy sight and speaking distance OF
Washington.
There is no occasion for sensational conject-
ures as 10 the relation between Mr.. Tafts vlslt
and possible change in the plan OF the canal
The President elect will doubtless consider very
carefully the question of that plan in the new
light which is now afforded by the progress
which has been made in the work since he was
last there and since the lock plan was adopted
hv the government He will naturally take into
scco1Jnt the recent occurrence at Gatun which
involved the sinking and general disturbance OF
a part of the huge dam which is being oullI
there and which is professedly regar arded pF ad-
vocates OF the present plan as gratifying ana
encouI ging and by opponents of that plah as
ominous OF disaster He will. OF course, con
change 70 the sea level plan is TO be made the
, nresent would be n particularly good time for it.
since Dractic8 lv all the work which has thus far
been done could be utilized for the completion Of
that nlan while work which would herea fter he
done on the lock plan would have to be largely
undone or wasted if the plan were changed at a
later date
II viii be recaI lied that more than three years
ago in giving instructions to the international
l1-;-1 L1oi n
President Roosevelt said that he hoped 1t would
ultimately prove possible to build sea level
canal and that such a canal. if feasible. would
undoubtedly be the best in the end. Mr. TAFT
also when he first visited the Canal Zone, III 1904,
was strongly inclined toward tne sea level plan'
even though it should involve considerable in
crease of the time and money necessary for It's
construction. The majority Of the board or al
visorv engineers two years ago took that view
I'm a decided manner. and still adhere 10 II.
Nevertheless both the President and Mr.. Taft
were so impressed by the arguments of the mi
norftv in favor Of the less expensive and more
expeditions high-level plan that they accepted 1t
and recommended its adoption by Congress
Since that time many things have occurred,
including some which have caused not few men
10 take new views of the canal problem. Par
ticularly detailed and positive representations
have been made against the high level lock system
Of
sented which might materially change the whole
problem of construction and render IT possible
10 complete sea level canal at little if any
more cost of time and money than was esti-
mated for a lock canal year or two ago. All
these things will doubtless be carefully consld-
cred by Mr.. Taft with his acute and judicial
mind. If in the end he reConfrms the lock plan,
that fact will remove some Of the doubt and
misgving with which many persons now regard
| that scheme: while if he decides 10 recommend
! change TO the sea level plan. that decision will
! be welcome. ample assurance OF the discretion
with which the great enterprise is being di-
rected. Mr. Taft would he the last man 10 make
| a change for frivolous superficial reasons. bat
! be would also be the last to persist in plan
! just because he had once expressed himself in
! favor Of il. after he had seen convincing reasons
! for change