The San Francisco call., 1910-09-03

were llS cruise OF the Ddllle
fleet around the world, and the
digging of the Panama canal.
These were the two feats to be
credited to the American people
during the last decade, which
had most profoundly and favor
ably affected foreign judgment of
America during that time. Such
judgment depends not in the
least upon what people say they
can DO, but on what they actual
~ do; upon their Willingness to
meet responsibilities and the
success OF their efforts to meet
them.
Now, there is no use of ma
t1on claiming to be a great nation
unless it is prepared to play a
great part. y nation such as
ours can not possibly play a
fairs, can not expect to be
treated as a weight in either the
Atlantic or the Pacific, or to
nave its voice as to the Monroe
doctrine, or the management OF
the Panama canal needed unless
1t has q strong and thoroughly
efficient navy. Within the last
decade the American navy has
been about trebled in strength,
and much more than trebled in
einclency' due to its eXtraor-
binary progress in marksman-
ship and mancuvering. So far
from this increase in naval
strength representing on our
part either d menace of agrees
sion TO weaker nations or
menace of war to stronger ma
tions, it has told most power
fully for peace. Everywhere
in Europe the cruise of the bat
tie fleet around the world was
accepted, not only as an eXtraor-
binary feat, rejecting the high
one of the movements which
eef peaceful i'isahdqis stabiIity in in ie interna
tional relations. No nation re-
garded the cruise as fraught
with any menace of hostility to
cepted II as proof that we were
not only desirous ourselves to
keep the peace, but able to pre-
vent the peace being broken at
our expense. No cruise ia any
way approaching it has ever
been made by any feet of any
other power; and the best naval
opinion abroad had been that no
such feat was possible. that is,
that no such cruise as that we
taken by a fleet of such size
without innumera BILE break
downs and accidents. The sue
cess of the cruise, performed as
1t was without single accident,
immeasurably raised the pres
Jige, not only of our fleet, but of
our nationa and was distinct
help to the cause of interna-
tional peace.
There was a great panic around
the coast when l announced that
the fleet was to go around the
world. | wanted to have 1t under
stood by foreign powers as the
strongest hint that our fleet could
go anywhere that was necessary.
When l announced that the
fleet was to go around the world
there was a great cry; it was said
that the 1eeI should not sail; but
the fleet did sail. Some of the
men in the coordinate branch
said that l did not have the
money for sthe voyage for the
fleet. The answer was easy. l
said that we had the money, and
l was going to send the fleet to
the Pacific and that if they did
not want to appropriate money to
bring II back, that was their af-
fair. After (which criticism sub
sided except for the usual and
perfmctory remark that | was
dsurplng power.
AS regards the Panama canal,
l really think that outside ma
tions have juster idea than our
own people of the magnitude and
success of the work. l wish our
people realized what is being done
on the isthmus. If a man of in
telligence who had never left
this country asked me whether |
would advise him to make a short
trip TO Europe, or trip to the
Panama canal, [ would, without
hesitation advise him TO go to
the Panama canal. He would
thcre see in operation the. COM
pletinS of one OF the great featS
of modern times. Colonel Goe-
thals and the men working under
him are rendering service to
this country which can only be
paralleled in our past history by
some of the services rendered in
certain wars.
Six years ago last spring the
American government took pos
session of the isthmuS. The first
two years were devoted to the
sanitation of the isthmus, to as
sembling the plant and the work
ing force, and providing quarters,
food and water supplies. In all
these points the success was eX-
traordinary. From one Of the
plague spots of the globe, one of
the most unhealthy regions in the
entire world, the isthmus has
been turned into q Singularly
healthy place of abode, where the
death rate is small and where
ing raised under as favorable
conditions as in most parts of
the United States. The quarters,
food, and water supply are ex-
cellent, and the plant the best
ever gathered for such a purpose.
Active excavation on large
scale did not begin until January,
1907. Three years and half
have. gone by since then, and
three-fifths of the total excava-
tion has already been accom-
pliShed. The amount taken out
has passed anything which pre-
Vious experience warranted us in
= believing to be possible. In 1908
and 1908 the monthly average of
rock and earth removed was
. 100000 cubic yards, notwith-
standing the fact that nine
months of each year constituted
a season of very heavy rainfall.
There remains to be ,excavated
only about 100000 cubic yards.
If we could keep up the past
average of excavation, this
should be done in 20 months; but
it is impossible to maintain such
a ratio as the depth increases;
for the output necessarily dinin-
ishes as the field of operation
narrows. Still. it is certain that
such a rate can be maintained as
will enable the workers to finish
the excavation considerably in
advance of the date fixed for
opening the canal-January 1.
1915. Indeed, shall be surprised
if the canal can not be opened six
months or even a year in advance
OF the time set.
The work has two great fea-
lures: The Culebra cut, which l
have been considering, and the
great dam at Gatun The latter
is to fmprison the waters of the
Chagres and other streams into
lake with an area of 164
square miles. This work is ad-
vancing steadily and just as sue
cessfGlly as the work on the
Culebra cut. The water which
is ultimately to fill the lock is
now flowing through the con-
crete spillway in the center of
the dn,n the ChagreS having