The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-06-16
SHOULD OWN ALL THE ZONE.

~ cneeTlul news In regard 10 Inc WOGR
on the Panama canal, and the pros
pective turning of the water into the
great ditch. He says this viii he done
a year from next April, according to
| present conditions and rate of ad.
vancement Of the work OF digging the
canal. and finishing the locks and
gates He is one of the great engi-
neers of the time. evidently lust the
man for this work He has gone about
it quietly, energetcally, and effect
lively.
Among the other things which be has
given TO tho public in his present visit
home is the admonition that it is alb.
solutely necessary for the United
State to own the canal zone through.
out; the right of condemnation under
| tho power of eminent domain should
| he exercised if necessary to wipe ont
all adverse titles. He says that no
| private ownership should be permitted
in that zone, because such ownership
would be likely to lead to emharrass
ment IN case Of war. TO claims for
damages. and to distractions that
might be exceedingly hard to over
come. And then, one can easily under.
stand, besides all that, that private
ownership of land in the canal zone
would be a great interference with the
sanitary and police regulations now IN
force there arbitrarily by order of the
government officials As it is, swamps
ran ba drained hruCb r1eared ont oil
deposited on swamps for the purpose
Of preventing the breeding of the ye- |
low fever mosquito, all this without
any right of interference and as
matter Of military discipline aud or
der But with private ownership here |
and there throughout the zone, there
would be opposition TO good deal of
this work There would be created |
what the government sanitation of.
ficers would declare TO be nuisances, |
and interminable objections, and strug
giles would arise in order 10 enforce |
that which is now cnforcibo direct,
and without delay, through the proper
orders
But Col. Goethals' s point is made
specifically on the basis that we build
a great piece of engineering work, cost.
ing between S4OO,OOO,O0O and $500 600.
600 all told including fortifcations, and
IL would be the height of imprudence
for this Nation TO allow any adverse
interest TO be established within the
zone since such interest might becume
actively hostile. and would certainty
be obstructive in case Of war Un.
friendly ownership of land in such a
case might be extremely hard to over
come, and the point Of prudence is to
avoid ii beforehand
Point is given TO the recommendation
of Col. Goethals from another direc-
tion. When the last Presidential elec-
tiou occurred in Panama, the United
States disapproved OF it, set aside the
man who was elected, and put his op.
pouent in the Presidential chair. This
naturally led the Panama politicians
to consider that what they might do
would be vain unless the United States
agreed TO it, Accordingly, as a Presi.
dental campaign is now beginning in
Panama, company Of politicians of
that country has arrived in Washington
TO learn the wishes of the President j
of the United States with regard to
the candidate who should be chosen
OF course, President Taft can only say
one thing; that is. that the people of
Panama must elect their own Presi.
dent without The dictation of the Presi-
dent of the United States. And yet
that answer would hardly he either
consistent or effective, because AT the
previous election we not only annuled !
Panama S choice for President. but we
put in as President a man whom the
people had distinctly repudiated by
their votes. Therefore Panama poll ,
ticians come forward desiring to know
in advance the viii of the United
States with regard to their Presiden-
tial election. President Taft, naturally,
tells them that il is no concern of his.
that they arc TO 20 home and elect the
President to suit themselves, and vet !
they suspect double-dealing But il is
not likely, even if an open enemy of ,
the United States were to be chosen
President of Panama, that President /
Taft would set him aside and put i'm {
his competitor. as was done before.
Still, 1T is an awkward precedent to 7
face, and the Panama politicians can
not be blamed if they look upon Presi. ,
dent Taft Is Indifference in this respect {
Ms merely a mask, TO be thrown off '
later on in case they do something G
which he does not like '
RECIPROCAL COINAGE. 6