The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1911-11-15
Using the Panama Canal as
Basis for Advanced. Steps
in Movement.

III NkpVSIue!lE.
KANSAS CRY. Nov. 15In adj
dressing the KANSAS City Com
:mercIaI Club Secretary stimson. In
dealing with two problems presented
by the approaching completion OF
the Panama canal took advanced
/ ground in favor OF subsidies 70
American shipping using the canal
and for its administration as a mil
iitary adjunct. He called attention
to the fact that although there VIII
be water enough in the canal to hoat
small boats through its length by
the close OF the rainy season which
commences next May, and while the
canal Will be fully ready for ocean
trafic, through our own neglect no
provision has been made for its OPP
Grafton. AS soon as the canal is
completed the Presidents authority
lover it will cease. unless Congress
comes to the rescue. "a great eco
nomic loss will be involved In allow
ing the present splendidly efficient
force of employees to dlsintegrate'
whom so much OF it Will be needed
for the operation OF the canal.
Then there is the problem Of Gre
Iating a ;pefnanent organization or
government to operate the canal
and to control the zone. The coun-
try is worthless for agricultural
purposes; mostly tropical jungle
or low rocky hills and 1t IS prepos-
ferrous to think of it ever forming a
basis for an American farming set
Element This fortunate condition
affords an opportunity for the crea-
ton of an organization for the al
most sole purpose of opening and
shutting the lock gates and protect
ing them in times of trouble; it is
not question of educating or up
lifting a dependent people and there
complex checks and balances of a.
self governing community. The Sec
rotary declared that at the bottoE1
the canal presents military prob
lem. For defensive. purposes it will
double the capacity of our fleet and
to have it blockaded at critical
moment tin our rational life eitherI
by accident OF design might be quite
as disastrous as having twenty Of
our battIeships sunk at sea. The4
which that fact imposes
upon any nation with whom theI
United States may be at war must
never be lost sight of. Correspond
ingly its military effectiveness will
make II a powerful ally in assuring /
a tnaintainance OF peace.
The secretary alluded to the sani-l
tary problem and declared that only
a continually vigtlant exercise of. the
administrative power could insure
us against possible contaglon, as this
strip of land was notorious for 400
years as a plague spot OF the Amer
icas. IN the operation Of the canal
the President should be given a free
hand, using such forms OF admin
istrative government as he may de-
wise. What is needed is a method
flexible enough to 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 Tehauntepec route
and our own transcontinental rail-
roads. The amount of commerce
that will use the Panama route Will
be determined largely by the ques-
tion of tolls If dollar a ton of
freight per Thousand miles repre-
sents the coal consumption Of the
freight steamers. every dollar
charged as tolls for the canal VIII
neutralize thousand miles OF the