Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-07-21
CANAL KNOCKERS BUSY
PROPOSED BOND ISSUE HAS STIR.
RED UP OLD OPPOSITION TO
WATERWAY.
sEA.LEVEL ADVOCATES
SEE AN OPPORTUNITY
Hope to Yet Force Change in Plans
in Return For Voting Financial Aid
- Rumored That GoethaIs Has
Changed His Mind and Now Favors
Sea-LeveI Canal.
Especial Correspondence.l

Washington, July 21.-There is grave
threat that when the authorization for
a bond issue of 1897 100000 for the
Panama canal gets before the senate,
the whole ancient and honorable ques-
ton of sea-level or lock type will have
to be thrashed out for the um-steenth
time. They are talking a lot about it
once more
The point about it is that If once
this bond authorization is made on the
basis of plans for a lock canal, that
will be the end of the era in which
a change from the lock to the sea-
level type will be possible Down to
the present time it has always been
possible to urge that it didn't make
much difference; the work hadn't pro-
ceeded far enough to make it impossi-
BILE even yet to change the type" But
let a huge bond issue be authorized
and a good share of it issued on the
basis of lock canal. and it will at
once become practical impossibility
TO change the plans.
Advocates of the sea-level ditch are
therefore working once more for their
pet idea. They insist that the expert
ence with the lock plan thus far is the
best possible demonstration that the
sea-level ditch ought to be built Their
argument is a three-fold one. They
say:
That the sea-level canal will not cost
more than the lock.
That 1t viii be possible to enlarge
the sea-level canal, if necessary with
out interfering with traffic, while this
would be difficult IL not impossible
with the lock canal.
That the sea-leve1 canal will be
vastly preferable for both military and
commercial purposes, because safer
less liable to get out Of order, and less
easily bockaded
Knockers Are Busy.
There is no doubt that congression-
al opinion about the canal in general is
less optimistic than year or two ago
'rhat canal is the national mud pie
declared a member of the house the
other day. THE country is determined
to build it just for the fun of showing
liltl II cdl Duilu IL, HOL because III Is
expected to be a paying investment
don't find people. any more, who be-
lieve it will pay. OF course it will not
There was once the argument in its
favor, that it would be an influence tic
regulate trans continental railroad
rates. But the government has gone di-
rectly into the rate regulating bust
ness, SO why invest hundreds of mil
| lions in a dubious project whose re-
suits in a regulative way are uncer-
tain, when the same end can be
achieved directly?'
Some determined leadership would
probably serve to crystalline a power
full opposition in the upper house to TIL,
bond issue. The lock canal has alway!
been weak there, and it required TIL,
| utmost efforts of President Roosevelt
and Mr.. Taft, then secretary of war
to get it Endorsed by congress. Mr.. Taf
is thoroughly committed to the loci
idea, and that fact is one of the dis
couragements to people who would
like TO make another fight against ii
They know they would encounter a
the outset the determined opposition
of the administration
Bu; the long list of changes in tn
plans since the lock type was adopted
the widening of the ditch, the enlargin.
| of the locks, the immense harbor work
that have been adopted, the uncer
tainties about the safety of the Gatul
| dam and locks, and even the possibil
| ity that the lock canal will finall.