The morning journal-courier. (New Haven, Conn.) 1907-1913, 1908-03-10
TAFT AND THE CANAL.
George L. Fox of New Haven IN the
New York Evening Post.

The following was written TO INC
New York Evening Post by George
L. Fox of New Haven. and published
in that paper:
Your recent editorial, "Obscuring
Secretary Taft" had the right rln9'
and was thoroughly artistic in Its
form and spirit. You voiced admira-
bly, the feelings of many OF his ad-
mirers, who say among themselves
what you said; but his champions an
swer: He cannot afford to resign, for
he would Immediately be charged with
disloyalty TO President Roosevelt ana
his policies" So I suppose that we
must continue to see him defending
as well as he can policies with which
he is not heartily in sympathy for
independence is supposed by some TO
be fatal to candidates.
Though l have voted for the Repuo-
lican candidate for President but once
in the last twenty years, | nope 10
have the pleasure of voting for Score
tary Taft next November. Surely, IN
mental power. in nobility OF character
in successful experience In public al
fairs, few men are better fitted Tor
that high office His personality wins
over hostile critics, as in the case OF
his recent speech in Boston. To use
seemingly irreverent phrase. Bill
Taft's smile would almost save soul.
And yet he sometimes shocks my
faith in his common sense in some or
his utterances. In his recent speech
at Cleveland defending the Roosevelt
welt administration, in championing
the Panama canal, he spoke as fol-
lows:
The digging of the canal is an al
truistic enterprise. In which we are
expanding hundreds of millions of
dollars there for the benefit of the
world. which it is unlikely will ever
e returned to us in money form or in
trade for many decades"
Now, he is much to be commended
for thus effectively puncturing the alb
surd claim of Prof. Emory r. John
son, the statistician of the Walker
commission, that "by spending twenty
millions year for decade, an income
will be obtained that in twenty years
will meet current expenses and return
to our national treasury the entire twt
hundred millions"
On the other hand, one may fairly
AISLE Secretary Taft these questions
about this altruistic enterprise, which
he supports and defends. Is it just
to wrest half q billion dollars or NOR,
from the taxpayers Of this country fol
the material benefit of mechants and
ship owners, chiefly European? How
large a portion OF the world will be
benefited by digging this gigantic
ditch? To what extent will 1t benefit thl
portion? To what extent will the can
al. when completed, lower the cos
of freight transportation from the At
lantic to the Pacific, as compared witt
the Panama railroad? VIII not TIL:
same altruistic benefit result from The
Tehuantepec or Trans Guatemala rail
road, without the cost OF one cent t
the United States? If so. is not The
expenditure of hundreds OF million.
for this purpose wanton waste o.
money? Would not a far smaller ex
penditure in other directions, for ex
ample the redemption of the grea
arid waste lands of the West, or thu
establishment OF tuberculosis sanitariI
be of far greater altruistic benefit Il
the world?
: Let me briefly summarize my owl
: answers to some of these questions
after considerable study of the sub
iect. The immediate benefit of con
: structing the canal will go to $500
: foreign laborers and 5000 Americans
A steady stream Of gold will be passin
for the next decade from the pocket
: of American citizens to these foreign
ers and become fixed capital yer.
largely unproductive for ever. Tn
prospective benefit after the canal 1
completed will be very slight lessen
ing of the cost OF transporting low
grade freight across the Isthmus o
Panama This benefit, small as II Is
will chiefly come to European ship
, owners, of steamer lines and traml
steamers. and European merchants
One-tenth of this money spent on ir
rigation or forestration. or tuberculo
sis sanitaria, would DE Of much great
or benefit to the world. while the ex
penditure would inure to the bench
of our own citizens. and would remail
to far larger degree productive cap
ital, reproducing itself in greater ma
terial wealth, moro vigorous manhoot
and adding far more to the sum 0
human happiness
Secretary Taft's keen mind ha
quickly detected the absurd fallacie
of Professor Johnson's commercial ar
sument. I hope that close study o
, this altruistic argument will sho,
: him that It. too, in the slang phras
current In our college days, Is pure
unmitigated poppycock."