The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-10-25
FROM OTHER PENS
THE CANAL ZONE.

4
The American public will be especially
1 interested and satisfied to know that the
isthmus is to be thoroughly American
! lied upon the completion of the canal.
| The commission recommends, and no
| doubt congress will give it's approval, that
| all foreigners be deported as fast as their
services can be dispensed with. None of
| the land owned by the government being
suitable for farming, there is small incen-
tive for farmers from the states to locate
thereon. Much of it will be wanted for
military purposes, in any event. and only
such civilians as a military establishment
finds employment for viii be dornlclled on
the zone The new policy of excluding
foreigners from military service preSum-
ably will result in there being none but
Americans on the ground, except that this
rule does not necessarily apply to domes-
tic service This measure of precaution
closely as possible from the activities OF
foreign spies and possible plots looking
to it's destruction
Owing to the exclusive military charac-
ter of the proposed plan of control, 1t is
deemed wise to adopt a scheme of gov
eminent ownership of public utilities, and
that Uncle Sam shall buy and sell pretty
nearly everything the shipping passing
through might be in need of, and also
maintain a plant for the repairing of
ships. This enterprise would be a monop-
oly necessarily, and a source of revenue
for the maintenance of the canal but, OF
course, the consideration will not be fig
ured on the principle of 'all that the
traffic will bear."-Washington Post.
THE PRIMARY EXPERIMENT.
The primary election as substitute for
the selection of senators through the votes
of legislators is an experiment which may
or may not improve conditions. OF course,
politicians seeking public favor have been
quick to commend the system unquali-
fiedly The obvious course of the man
who is seeking preferment Is to seek the
popular side of the argument and take a
position that will be profitable. OF course,
it would be unjust and absurd to charge
every advocate of the primary system
fofa " he CT
manner of nominating senators has reeked
with corruption, and there has been good
reason for wishing to try something dir
ferent. One undeniable advantage thal
the primary system offers is that it gives
1.-The people" opportunity to acquit
themselves decently or abide the results
of their own crookedness. And perhaps
time and undertaking may so awaken the
public conscience that the people may be-
come more scrupulous than their poHt1-
clans have often been.
It will not do to condemn the primary
so early because it has presented oppor-
tunities of which advantage has been
taken by wealthy political bosses and adj
venturers. The old system has been with
us some time and time and talk have not
purged it of its rottenness.
Courier Journal
WOMEN JURORS AT LOS ANGELES
The announcement from Los Angeles |
that women jurors are possibility IN the
Mcnamara trial is sure to provoke un- |
favorable comment. Not only will there |
be objections on the part of those who |
consider women by nature disqualified for |
setting sentiment aside and going by the |
light of pure reason in a trial involving /
the life or death of a prisoner; but people /
taking a liberal view of woman's powers |
will have misgivings of the results of |
women on juries before women have fully |
gained the attitude toward life and the /
duties of citizenship which is expected to |
come with participation in civic duties
They are raw recruits, so to speak, with I
out experience for a guide No doubt they
will be better qualified hereafter than {
they are now. Tt is to be hoped by friends I
of the larger life for women well
by others, that women will not be en-
paneIed as jurors in the Mcnamara trial
and the probability is that the Hkeli-
hood of anything of the sort occurring has
been exaggerat Milwaukee Wisconsin.