The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1911-03-03
FORTIFYING THE NAM A
CANAL.

Last week. from one end of the nation
to the other. the birthday of Genera
Washington was celebrated by the
people.
1t was perfectly proper and highly COM
mendable in the people. 1t is most i'm
portant day to celebrate and it was
celebration Of the birth Of one of the
greatest men of history, not only OF this
nation, but one of the greatest men the
world has produced.
While we were celebrating his birthday
we certainly ought to have recalled his
parting words of wisdom, for our good
and our guidance in the future. He adj
vised us to be friendly with all nations
but to form entangling alliances with
none.
This, the advice of a sane and safe
statesman, and how much better off we
would be if we had always followed that
advice. We forgot that advice and
trampled it under our feet in wild
dream and ambition to become world
power.
We usurped the Hawaii Islands, and
then made a pretense of buying the
Philppines-paying actually twenty mil
lions of dollars for the ten millions Of
those people, or about two dollars head
all around for men. women and children.
That was the price paid for seat at
the worlds table with the effrte monar-
chies who have the pre-empted seals at
that table.
We are at the foot Of the table. be,
cause our right is founded only upon the
possession OF two colonies, mostly COM
posed of ignorance and eprosy.
Suffice it to say, we have spent over
this pitiful attempt to be a world power
hundred of millions of dollars OF the
money wrongfuig taken from the people
by onerous taxation
The acquisition OF both Of these colon
les reflects no honor, bu. dishonor on our
history for we proclaimed that we did
not intend to take any territory from
Spain, and vet work it, while all must
condemn the manner of taking Hawaii.
We went to Central America and took
forcibly from the State Of Columbia the
territory OF Panama under the preteXt OF
the necessity of building the Panama
Clnal, which we are now building, and it
is supposed we will build it. but nobody
knows and nobody can tell when we will
build it. We were told ii would be built
and finished before this time and for
about two hundred millions of dollars.
1t isnoi half finished and we have already
spent three hundred millions on 1t. We
are building lock canal to connect the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
1t is very doubtful question whether a
lock canal will stand the pressure Of the
ocean tides, and whether or not it will
be total failure.
Notwithstanding all this only last week
the House of Representatives adopted a
a law appropriating three millions of
dollars TO fortlfy the canal. This was
only to commence the fortifcation. 1t is
estimated that it will cost sixty millions
to completely fortly it.
Then after it is fortified we are to keep
there an army of about seven thousand
men all the time. So that we will spend
half billion Of dollars to build the canal.
The interest on the bonds and the cost o.
the army to be stationed there, together
with two battle ships, will be about three
millions dollars a wear. Thus this country
will spend on the Panama Canal and our
two leper colonies nearly one-third as
much as the whole cost of the Civil War.
This is a striking example of Republican
policy and administration of our govern
ment. 1t ought to be enough to disgust
the American people.
Why fortify the canal at this time? Why
not wait until it is finished and then see If
it will resist the waters of the two oceans?
But why fortify it at all? Ii we heed the
advice of Washington, SO full of wisdom
and given in the last years of his devoted
life, to be friendly with all nations, there
would be no need at all to fortify the
canal. We are separated by oceans from
all other nations and are in no way con-
nected with any except with two leper
colonies.
Therefore this nation could have lived
always, as it did under Washington, on
terms of friendship and justice towards
all the nations OF the earth.
Instead of that we are now seeking to
treat all other nations in the most selfish
manner. We want to sell them every
thing, but let them sell nothing to us.