Omaha daily bee., 1910-09-03

upon their willingness to meet responsible
ties and the success Of their efforts to
meet them.
Now. there is no use of a nation claim
ing to be a great nation unless it is pre-
pared to play great part, a nation such
as ours cannot possibly play great part
in international affairs, cannot expect to
be treated as a weight in either the At
lanuc or the Pacific, or to have its voice
as to the Monroe doctrine or the manage
ment of the Panama canal needed unless
it has strong and thoroughly efficient
navy. Within the last decade the Amer
lean navy has been about trebled in
strength and much more than trebled in
efficiency, due to it's extraordinary prog
ress in craftsmanship and maneuvering.
So far from this increase in naval strength
representing on our part either a menace
OF aggression to weaker nations or a
menace of war to stronger nations 1t has
told most powerfully for peace. Every
where in Europe the cruise Of the battle
fleet around the world was accepted, not
only as an extraordinary feat, reflecting
the highest honor upon our navy but as
one Of the movements which tended mark
eddy TO promote peaceful stability in inter-
national relations.
Nations View of Cruise.
mo nation regarded the cruise as fraught
with any menace of hostility to itself; and
yet every nation accepted 1t as proof
that we were not only DESTROYS ourselves
to keep the peace, but able to prevent the
peace being broken at our expense. No
cruise in any way approaching II has ever
been made, by any fleet of any power; and
the best naval opinion abroad had been
that no such feat was possible, that Is, that
no such cruise as that we actually made
could DO undertaken by fleet Of such size
without Vulnerable breakdowns and acct
dents. Tho success OF the cruise per-
formed as it was without a single accident,
immeasurably raised the prestige, not only
of our fleet, but of the nation; and was a
distinct help, to the cause OF international
peace.
"As regards the Panama canal, really
thank that outside nations have a juster
idea than our own people of the magnitude
and success OF the work. n wish our peo-
pie realized what is being done on the 18th
mus. II man of intelligence who had
never left this country asked me whether
1 would advise him to make a short TRIP
TO Europe, or a-trip to the Panama canal,
1 would, without hesitation, advise him to
go to the Panama canal. He would there
see in operation the completing of one OF
the great feats of modern times. Colonel
Goethals and the men working under him
are rendering a service TO this country
which can only be parrelled in out past
history by some Of the services rendered
| in certain wars.
six years ago last spring the American
government took possession OF the Isthmus
The first two years were devoted to the
sanitation Of the Isthmus, to assembling
the plant and the working force, and pro-
viding quarters, food and water supplies
In all these points the success was extraor-
binary. From one of the plague spots
| of the globe, one OF the most unhealthy re-
gions in the entire world, the Isthmus has
been turned into singularly healthy place
to abide. where the death rate is small
and where hundreds of children are now
being raised under as favorable conditions
as in most parts of the United states. Tho
quarters, food and water supply are excel
lent and the plant the best ever gathered
for such a purpose"