Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-12

Qidll anu you ItGu NllelA
10 feet 1 can prophesy that you can
get it; but my impression now is If l
were you I would not go As feet dl-
rect. 1 would begin by something less
Canal Finished in 1915
"The Panama canal is of course the
greatest enterprise of a constructive
character which has been entered up
on for two centuries. 1t will certainly
be completed by the first of January,
1915 We are now engaged in an eX-
caVation that equals or nearly equals
three million of cubic yards of material
a month, and that would easily finish
the canal some two years before the
date that l have mentioned. The un-
certainty as to its completion depends
upon the construction of the dam and
the construction of the locks and the
engineers are not yet in a position
to prophecy, as they could with re-
spect to the excavation, when the
whole work can be completed. What
its effect will be upon the trade of the
world is problematical.
Il do not think that we can always
calculate with exactness how trade
avenues are to change, but 1 think
there are certain facts that we can
make as promises with respect to the
operation of the canal upon the com
merce of the world. One is that its
most important function will be the
trade between the east and west co.'s
of the United States. How far it will
affect the transcontinental lines of
course it is difficult to say, but that
it will make a radical change in the
character of the merchandise carried
l believe is certain.
THE next most important change
that it is going to make is in refer
ence to the trade between this coast
and Europe and the next most i'm
portant is the trade between the
eastern coast of the United States and
the west coast of South America. With
respect to all the other avenues of
trade the Suez canal is apt to be a
competitor and the change that will
be affected by putting in new method
and a new way of getting through the
continent is one that can only be
known when the change has been eff
fected, and years have been given to
allow that change to have all its eff
feet.
Means Much Here
Certain it is, however, that the city
of Los Angeles and the city of San
Francisco and the city of Seattle are
cities most to be affected by the COM
pletion of the Panama canal, and no
one can criticise, no one has the right
forts that your city has made to estab-
lish a harbor for your city, so that you
shall get the benefit of that great trade
that the Panama canal is certain TO
bring to the western coast.
Il do not know that the increase in
the merchant marine is essential to
your enjoyment of great benefit from
that canal. l do not think it is.
Nov we haven't any international
merchant marine. I do not know that
the system of subsidy is to be the cor
rect way of working out that problem,
but l do know that it is in ac-
cordance with the principle that
we followed in respect to the de-
velopment of our indusriest-he pro-
tective system. We cannot protect it
in the sense of controlling foreign bot
toms, and therefore the only equivalent
that we can offer is to pay those of our
people who will build and operate our
ships under our laws enough to equal
the difference in condition between their
running the ships and foreigners run
ming foreign ships and allowing them
a reasonable profit; and l for one am
in favor of trying that experiment.
Energy Is Praised
There are a good many other sub
jects that l should like to discuss with
you. As 1 looked at that beautiful
map and followed that red eye and
green eye across it and saw where l
had inflicted my views on the various
suffering citizens of the United States
at points across its surface, l Won
dered how long the American people
would bear it, and therefore l hesi-
tate to take up the questions that are
just as important to you as they are
to any of the citizens Il have had the
honor to address. The truth is, I doubt
in No VOTLr RnGtnn in
Chicago, in any city in the country,
I should have the honor and opportu-
nifty of addressing so cosmopolitan an
audience as I now face, an audience
made up of the bone and sinew of the
community that has builded beau
tiful city in a desert; that brings its
water go miles; that goes twenty miles
for a harbor, and that expects to
enlarge by the application of water
to earth, drawn I do not know from
where. You are marvel. You have
got two marvels in California. One
is San Francisco that has arisen from
its ashes, and the other is Los Angeles
that is risen from the desert.
There is one thing that the may has
taught me as I looked at it-has only
confirmed that which comes to me ev
cry time ] rise to address an American
audience-I don't care whether it is on
small town resurrected from the des-
ert in Colorado, or a large city, or any
where elese-there is in the faces Of
those people that I have talked to a
sense Of cOntentment, of peace and of
determination to get on and subdue
the obstacles, in order that they may
show their American spirit in overcom-
ing it, and that spirit I find everywhere.
Believes in the People
Talk about anarchists and Socialists
and discomfort with the situation. 1t
may be that I did not see those people;
perhaps | won't. I am not anxious to
see them. But I do meet the great ma
iority of the American people, and they
come out to meet me in order to testify
their interest in the government and
their pride in their country and their
belief that there is nothing that an
American cannot achieve and cannot
overcome.
"Allusion has been made to the poll
cies Of my predecessor. yield to no
one for my admiration for that great
man and the map he laid out for those
who were to follow him. Sometimes it
seems as if it were pretty burdensome
for those who do follow them in order
to keep up with the procession, but it
is a great aid to have his example be-
fore me, to have the test of the judg-
ment of the American people which
he was able to make and to know that
in following along the general lines
that he laid down the administration
which follows him is following the will
of the American people"
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