Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-21
JINGo JOURNALISM

~ ME- of the latest vagaries with
ID which William r. Hearst is ap-
" pealing for notoriety and support
is his loud demand for the fortlncatloh
of the Panama canal. No sooner is
one means of attracting attention seized
upon, exploited in black type and
squeezed dry in the hope Of attracting
favorable attention to this supreme
and dangerous egotist, than 1t is
thrown away for another; and SO 1t
goes.
Hearst's papers threw McKinley's
administration into a war with
Spain for which our country was
unprepared, as the breakdown OF
our transport and commissary de-
partments showed, then turned their
traitorous guns on the administration
1t had embarrassed, and finally
brought about the assassination OF the
president. Now they are trying to
force us to the stupendous moral and
military mistake of antagonizing the
world by lining the canal with bristling
guns.
The misunderstanding Egotist was
answered by the Rev. Reynold Il.
Blight of this city in sermon on
Sunday. The jingoism of one is we'll
answered by the other, who speaks Tor
the civilization which is trying TO
raise from the worlds back some OF
the crushing load of milltarlsm and
promote the spirit of peace on earth
and good will among nations Humane
men everywhere are trying to put
down the savage in the worlds CEN
ters of authority, and succeeding, as
The Hague tribunal proves, while the
Egotist of yellow journalism is using
the power of the press to undo their
work. that his vanity may be fattered
and he may be permitted to boast of
his achievements.
AS Mr.. Blight we'll says, the Suez
canal has stood inviolate from its
opening, and is an unanswerable argu-
ment that we need not line our ave-
nues of commerce with the agencies
of death and destruction. It's very
freedom from fortification is an i'm
pregnable defense. 1t is fortified by
international agreement. No great
power would dare defy the world by
attempting to close that waterway, for
the whole world is the trustee of the
investment and would quickly crush an
attempt to do so.
The expense of fortifying the Pan
ANA canal would run up to fifty, pos
s!bly a hundred millions. Such a
waste would be one of the crimes Of
the century from an economic stand
point. The real reasons for wanting
fortifcations are the best ones against
it. Washington sentiment, saturated
with military and naval opinion resi-
dent there, wants the expenditure be-
cause it would create work and berths
for army and naval of1cers-most Of
them soft berths. And back of these
influences is that of the big moneyed
class with investments in the steel and
other mills who care not fig for the
welfare of the country and a lot for
opportunities to sell armament to the
government at fancy prices.
With his genius for folly President
Taft is already on record as favoring
the fortification of the canal. He ought,
instead, TO retrieve sonfe of his errors
bv taking a stand in harmony with the
enlightened sentiment of the age in
this matter, which is backed up by
much sound expert opinion and the
object lesson of the Suez canal
There is, finally, the practical con
sideration that aeroplanes and other
new devices may change the whole
character of warfare in the ensuing
decade, and a fortune spent on the
canal in ordnance, etc.. might be
thrown away.