The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1911-11-15
U. s. SHOULD
OPERATE CANAL
SECRETARY STIMSON THINKS WE
SHOULD CONTROL THE
GREAT WATERWAY.

Kansas City. Mo-. Nov. l4.-In
addressing the Kansas City CONNER
cial Club tonight Secretary StimsOn,
In dealing with the problem pre-
sented by the approaching compile
ton of the Panama Canal took ad-
vanced ground In favor Of subsidies
to American shippers using the
canal and for Its administration as a
military adjunct. He called atten-
tiOn to the fact that although there
will be water enough In the canal
to float small boats throughout its
length by the close of the rainy sea-
son which commences next May. and
while the canal will be fully ready
for ocean traffic, through our own
neglect no provision has been made
for Its operation. As soon as the
canal is completed the Presidents
authority over 1t will cease unless
Congress comes to the rescue. A
great economic loss will be involved
In allowing the present splendidly
efficient force of employees to disin-
tegrate. when so much Of It will be
needed for the permanent operation
of the canal.
Then there is the problem Of cre-
ating a permanent organization or
government to operate the canal and
to ctnOrOl the Zone. The country is
worthless for agricultural purposes;
mostly tropical jungle or low rocky
hills and 1t is. prep0sterous to
think Of It ever forming basis for
an American farming settlement.
This fortunate condition affords an
opportunity for the creation Of an
organization for the almost sole pur-
pose of opening and shutting the lock
gates and protecting them In times
of trouble; II is not Il question OF
educating or of uplifting a dependent
people and there Is no reason for in
Producing all the complex checks and
balances of a self governing COM
munity. The Secretary declared that
at the bottom the canal presents
military problem. For defensive
purposes It will double the capacity
of our fleet and to have It blockaded
at a critical moment In our national
life either by accident or design
might be quite as disastrous a. hav-
ing twenty OF our battleships sunk
at sea. The temptation which that
fact imposes upon any nation with
whom the United States may be at
war must never be lost sight Of
COrrespondingly its military eject
iveness will make It powerful ALLY
In assuring a maintainance Of peace.
The Secretary alluded to the sani-
tary problem and declared that only
= continually viligant exercises OF
the administrative power could in
sure us against possible c0ntagiOn.
as this strip of land was notorious
for 400 years as plague spot OF the
Americas In the operation Of the
canal the President should be given
free hand. using such forms Of ad-
ministratiye government as he may
devise What is needed is a method
flexible enough 10 meet the new and
uncertain problems which are bound
to arise.
Touching the important question
of coal. the Secretary pointed out
that the Panama Canal would have
at least three great competitors; the
Suez Canal, the Tehnantepec route
and our own trans-cOntinental rail-
roads. The amount of commerce
that will use the Panama route will
be determined largely by the Ques-
tion OF tolls. II dollar ton Of
freight per thousand miles repre-
sents the coal consumption of the
freight steamers. every dollar charg-
ed as tolls for the Canal will neutral
ize q thousand miles Of the advantage
in distance which the Panama route
may have over any competitor.