Los Angeles herald., 1909-03-05

possibly revolutionize the transcon-
tinenta1 rates with respect to bulky
merchandise. 1t will also have a
most beneficial effect to increase the
trade between the eastern seaboard
of the United States and the west
ern coast of South America, and,
indeed, with some of the important
ports on the east coast of South
America reached by rail from the
west coast The work on the canal as
a lock canal was fixed by congress
after fun consideration of the con-
flicting reports of the majority and
minority of the consulting board,
and after the recommendation of
the war department and the execu-
tive upon those reports. Recent
suggestion that something had oc-
Cured on the isthmus to make the
lock type of the canal less feasible
than it was supposed to be when
the reports were made and the
policy determined on, led to a visit
to the isthmus Of board of compe-
tent engineers to examine the Gatun
dam and locks which are the kew of
the lock type. The report Of that
board shows that nothing has oc-
CURED in the nature of newly re-
vealed evidence which should change.
the views once formed in the orig
inal discussion. The construction
will. go on under a most effective
organization controlled by Col. Goe-
thals and his fellow army engineers
associated with him. and will GER
tainly be completed early in the
next administration, if not before.
Type of Canal for Panama
Some type of canal must be con-
structed. The lock type has been
selected. We are all in favor of
having it built as promptly as pos
sible. We must not now, therefore,
keep up fire in the rear of the
agents whom we have authorized to
do our work on the isthmus. We
must hold up their hands, and
speaking for the incoming admins
tration, wish to say that propose
to devote all the energy possible
and under my control to the push
ing of this work on the plans which
have been adopted, and to stand be-
hind the men who are doing faithful
hard work to bring about the early
completion of this, the greatest
constructive enterprise of modern
times.
The governments of our depend
encies in Porto Rico and the Phil
ippines are progressing as favor
dOly dS COulQ OC bCollCNs TIC Plus
perity of Porto Rico continues UNI
abated. The business conditions in
the Philippines are not all that we
could wish them to be, but with the
passage of the new tariff bill per-
hitting free trade between the
United States and the archipelago,
with such limitations in sugar and
tobacco as shall prevent injury to
the domestic interests on those
products, we can count on an inn
provement in business conditions in
the Philippines and the development
of a mutually profitable trade be-
tween this country and the islands.
Meantime our government in each
dependency is unfolding the tradi-
lions of civil liberty and increas-
ing popular control which might be
expected under American auspices.
The work which we are doing there
rebounds to our credit as nation.
l look forward with hope to in
creasing the already good feeling
between the south and the other
sections of the country. My chief
purpose is not to effect a change in
the electoral vote of the southern
states. That is a secondary consid-
Grafton. What / look forward to is
an increase in the tolerance of po-
litical views of all kinds and their
advocacy throughout the south, and
the existence of a respectable po-
litical opposition in every state:
even more than this. to an increased
feeling on the part of all the people
in the south that this government
is. their government, and that it's
officers in their states are their
officers.
Negro Race Question
The consideration of this question
cannot, however, be complete and
full without reference to the negro
race. its progress and it's present
condition. The thirteenth amend