New-York tribune., 1911-12-22


unforeseen occurs. This IS about eighteen
months before tho time promised 10y the
engineers.
we are now near enough the completion
OF tho canal TO make it imperauvely nee,
esssry that legislation should he enacted
TO fix tho method 10y which the canal Shall
he maintained and controlled ana the Ion'
governed. Tho fact Is that to-day tleIe
Is no statutory law by authority OF Whlch
tho President is maintaining the govern
ment Of the zone Such authority WaS
given in an amendment TO the Spoonel
act. which expired by tho terms OF us
that time the government has continued
under tho advice Of the Attorney Gen
eral that IN the absence of action by 'on
gress there Is necessarily an impfled "u
thority on the part OF the Executive 10
maintain government In territory III
which he has 70 see that The laws arc
executed Tho fact that we nave peen
able thus 10 get along DURING the lulpVl
tant dave OF construction without legls-
latlon expressly formulating tho govern
ment OF the 2onn or deleaatins the cfea-
ton OF IL 10 the President IS not reason
for supposnF that We may G%n''"e ron. ,bn con- on
strIction is finished The implied author
ity of the President TO maintain n clN
government in the zone may W. W. ue' H. s,u
from, the mandatory direction given nm
In tho original Spooner act. ny "hlch nc
was commanded to build IN" cSual, p.p
certainly now that the canal lS apo"l 10
GGmIIfip0
mancnt mana cement, there nuehl 10 pe
specInc statutory authority for us resu-
lation and control aud Tor IN" GOV Sl'll,V,l. ite
of the zone. which We hold Tor INC III, on,''
and msin purpose OF operating the canal.
/ fully concur with the Secretary ot war
that tho problem Is simply the maldse-
meut of Il great public work, ana llp' INC
government of 2 local republic. that every
provision must he directed toward lu' SUI
cessful maintenance Of the canal as an
avenue of commerce. and that al prov
eiouS for the government or those VINO
live within tho zone should nc SUBORDINATE
10 the main purpose.
THE zone is forty miles long and ten
miles wide. Now IL has a popuiallon -,
N0Do or G000n. but as soon as the WoIh
of construction j. completed the r0"na
which make up this population WIZ b'
deserted and only comparatively few ma
tivcs will continue their residence therc'
The control of them ought to approx
mate a military government. one judge
and two justices Of the peace viii be SUI,
hcicnt TO attend TO all the ludiclal am
ltigated business there Is. WIN 'a rev
should bc governed by the orders ot the
President. issued through the war 10
partment. as il is to-day ProNlslonS C,i!
be made for the guarantees OF life, liberty
snd nronertv hut beyond those the gov
crnment should he that of military res
ervatior managed I'm connection WIN tn'S
great highway of trade
Furnishing Supplies and Repairs.
In nv last annual message 7 discussed
at length the reasons for the govern
ment's assuming the task OF furnishing 10
all Ships that use the canal, Wnethef oul
own naval vessels or others' tne SuPpliii,,GI
of coal and oil and other necessities with
which they must be replenished elther oe-
fore or after passing through the canal
together with the dock facilities ana r.
pairs Of every character. rms u -
thought wise 10 do through the govern
mcnt because the government must 'S-
| tablish for itself, for IT'S own naNsl We
sells. large depots and dry docks ana VAR,
! houses and these may easily be cnlarged
| so as 10 secure TO tho world public using
| the canal reasonable prices and Ger
! taintv that there win be no discrimination
| between those who wish 10 aNalI lhcH-
selves of such facilities.
The Question of Tolls.
renew my recommendation with re
Spcct 10 the tolls Of the canal that Wltlln
| limits which shall seem wise 10 Congress
| thn mower Of fixing tolls he given 10 the
President I'm order to arrive AT proper
conclusion there must be some expert
menting. and this cannot he done II Con
eress does not delegate the power 10 one
who can act expedttiously. .s
am very confident that the Jnlteu
States has the power TO relieve from the
pavfnent Of tolls any part Of our shipping
tbst Congress deems wise. We own the
canal Ii was our money that bullt IL
We have the right 10 charge tollS 1or ltS
use. Those tolls must be the same 10
every one. but when We are dealing win
our own ships the practice of many gov
ernments Of subsidiZnG their own Iner-
chant vessels is 80 well established IN
general that a subsidy equal to the toliS'
an equivalent remission OF tolls cannot nc
hold 10 he X discrimination In the use OF
tho canal The practice I'm the SueZ Canal
makes this clear The experiment IN tolls
10 he made by the President would doupt
less disclose how great burden OF tolis
The cosstwise trade between the Atlantic
and the Pacific coasts could bear WITHOUT
preventing its usefulness in competition
with the transcontinentm railroads. one
! of tho chief reasons for building the canal
was TO set up this competition and 10
bring the TWO shores closer together aS a
practical trade problem. II may he that
the tolls will have 10 he wholly RENTED.
I do not think this is the best principle.
! because / believe that the cost of such a
| government work as the Panama Canal
| ought TO be imposed gradually but Ger,
| tainly upon the trade which II creates ana
makes possible So far as we can. con
| siStent with the development of the
| worlds trade through the canal and the
! bclieft which ii was intended TO secure 10
| the east and west Coastwise trade, We
| ought TO labor TO secure from the canal
meet the debt which We have assumed anu
! TO pay the interest.
The Philippine Islands.
! In respect TO the Philippines. ! urgently
| Join in The recommendation OF tho Secrc-
| tarY of War that the act of february D,
! g0J limiting the indebtedness that may
be incurred by the Philippine government
! for the construction Of public works be
1 increased from $5,000,00U to $4,000, ,00o.
| The finances OF mat government are in
! excellent condition. The maximum sum
/ mentioned is quite low ~ compared with
the amount of Indebtedness OF other gov
| ernmsnts with similar resources, and the