The Washington times., 1909-07-20
FIGHT OVER CANAL
MAY Be REOPENED
Sea Level or Lock Type
QueStioRAgain to
the Front.
BY ]. c. wELLIvER.

BY ]. 1. WELLlNER.
There is grave threat that when the
authorization for a bond issue OF 1897. -
u04U0o for the Panama Canal gets be-
fore the Senate, the whole ancient and
honorable question OF sea-level or lock
type viii have to be threshed out for
the um-sJeenJh time. They are talking
a lot about it once more.
The point about u is tuat II once
bond authorization is made on the ba-
SIS Of plans IOE lock canal that viii
be the snd OF the era in which a change
from the lock to the sea-Ieyeg type VIII
be possible. Down - the present time
it has always been possible 10 urge
that 1t didn't make much difference ,
the work hadu proceeded far enough
10 make II Impossible even yet 10
change the type. BuJ let a huge bona
Issue be authorized ana a goou share
II IL issued ON the basis Of lock canal.
and u WlI AZ once become a practical
lupossloiHJy 10 change the plans
Advocates OF Lue sta-Ievel ditch are,
therefore. working once more Tor their
PET idea Tney INSIST that the expert
suce Ellh Jle l5ck plan thus Tar Is the
oest possible demonstration JuLt g,
sea-levzl d--1a ought 10 be built.
IhrseI0ld Argument.
Their argument Is d three-fold one.
They say.
That the sea-Isvel canal will not cost
more Lhan the lo-k-
That il viii be possible to enlarge
Jhs sea-level caTaI, II necessary, with
out interfering with traffic. while this
would be diHicult, IL not impossible,
with the lock Sanal
That the sea-levei- canal will be vast
~ preferable TOR both military and
commercial purposes. because safer, less
liable to get out OF order. and less
easily blOckaded.
There is no doubt t-sat Congressional
opinion about the canal IN general is
less optimistic than year OF two ago.
Tina. canal is the national mud pie,
declared a member OF the House the
other uay. The country is determined
10 build II just Tor the Iun OF showing
that IL can build it.. not because IL is
expected 10 be paying investment 1
uCn ana people, 5ny more, who be-
lev II viii pay. OF course il viii not
There was once the argument IN It's
favor, that II would be an influence u
regulate Trans-cOnunental railroad
rates
One Is Removed.
But the Government has gone directly
into the rate regulating business, so
why invest hundreds OF millions in q
dubious project whose results II d reg1-
latiye way are uncertain, when the
same can b. achieved directlyg'
Gome determined leadership would
probably serve to crystalline a powerful
opposition in the upper house 70 the
bond issue The lock canal has always
hecu weak there, and il required the
utmost efforts CT President Roosevelt
and Mr.. Taft. then Secretary Of War.
70 get II Endorsed by Congress-. Mr.. Taft
is thoroughly committed TO the lock
idea, and that fact is one Of the dis
cOuragemeuts TO people who would ike
70 make another hgat against it, They
know they would encounter at the out
set the determined opposition Of the Ad-
minstraJiOn.
But the long list Of changes In the
plans since the lock type was adopted.
the widening Of the ditch, the enlaTgfnp
OF the locks, the immense harbor works
that nave Ceeu adopted. the uncertain
ties about the safety OF the Gatun dam
and locks. and even the possibility that
the lock canal unaLy actually Will cost
more than the level, are all arguments
strongly urged in favor of a change.
Cocktails Opinion.
Finally, there is persistent report that
Colonel Goethals, who is the head Of the
canal commission, has declared 10 some
members Of Congress, in confidence, his
belief that the lock plan is a mistake.
He has never said this officially. When
on the stand before the Approximation
and Canal Committees he has insisted
that the lock canal was the right plan
But report is that in the last few
months he has been more or less dis
posed 10 90 over TO the siue of the sea
level advocates, and there is desire Ia
some quarters 10 know whether this Is
true before finally and irrevOcabIv com
hitting the Government 70 the lock
scheme.
one reason which will be urged strong
Iy against the bond issue is that There
ought 10 be opportunity for real con-
sideratiou and extended discussion he
fore such a step is taken. As a rider
on a tariff bill the plan cannot be given
this. This argument may be urged with
sufficient force 20 compel the whole
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