Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-11
Fertilization Of Panama Canal.


Fertilization Of Panama Canal.
"The same Congress has provided for
the fertilization Of the Panama canal.
The canal was built partly for CONNER
cial purposes and partly for defensive
purposes, so that the effectiveness of our
navy might be doubled, in that it could
be quickly transferred from the Atlantic
to the Pacific seabOard. and vice versa.
There were good men who insisted that
the canal ought to be neutralized and not
fortified at all; in other words. by gen
eral international agreement should be
held for the use of all nations. both in
time of peace and war. The result would
have been that while we could have used
the canal we built in time of war to de-
fend ourselves. We could not prevent our
enemy from using the same canal for the
purpose of attack. With due Difference
to those who have taken this view, 1T
seems to me that this is carrying the
love of peace to an illogical extreme, is
adherinE to a mere shibboleth, and not
treating the subject with the common
sense and pra ctical view that it deserves.
"A great disappointment of the session
was the final defeat of permanent tar
if board of five, to be appointed by the
President, whose duty 1t should be to &C
uuire through impartial investigation all
possible information as to the cost Of pro-
duction of articles at home and abroad.
and all other facts relevant in the fixing
of a tariff While this bill failed, how
ever. provision was made by appropria-
ton in the sundry civil bill for the con-
tinuance of a board which | had already
created to make the same kind OF inves-
tigation and to accommodating the same
kind of information.
Tariff Board Appointments.
Until now the tariff board consisted Of
three. and in order to shake the board so
ho Ia t1.A hot
vided for i'm the defeated bill, have added
two democrats to 1t. and, of course i had
to come to Georgia for one Of them and
take your very able. leve1-headed and ju-
dicially minded representative, William NJ.
Howard For the other democrat / went
to that great university OF the south-the
University OF Virginia-and took their po-
litical economist. Prof. Page. With this
board, as long as the annual appropria-
tons are made, I hope to secure substan-
TALLY the same benefit that we would
have had IL the permanent tariff board
bill had become a law. BY demonstrate
ing its usefulness we may be able to in
duce the incoming Congress to make 1t
permanent by enacting the bill which was
defeated.
The sundry civil bill. in which an ap-
preparation was provided. directed that
the new tariff board, If established. should
devote it's attention first to wool and the
wooden schedue-schedule X, as it is
called in the Payne tariff bill-a schedule
that has not been changed for thirty
years, and make its report December /
next.
Economy in Administration.
In the same sundry civil bill there is
the same continuing appropriation for the
development Of an investigation which,
it is hoped. will lead to increased effi-
cheney and economy in the administra-
ton of the government. This / regard as
of the utmost Importance, and hope to
be able to submit information Of signif-
icant and useful character to the new
Congress which shall guide 1t in legis
lation providing for methods in the carry
ing on of government business akin to
those which modern business men regard
as essential in private enterprises.
In the Post once Department the ma
chinery for the postal savings bank has
been smpiifed and improved. and that
plan for the encouragement of the post
once is well begun and will inure to the
benefit OF the people at large. and aid
he fiscal operations Of the government.
.'In the somewhat acrimonious dispute
over the question whether magazines are
paying at the rate of l cent pound for
second-class mail matter that which they |
ought to pay to the government to re-
mburse II for actual cost q solution has |
been found in the appointment of a COM |
mission of three, one Of whom is a Justice |
Of the Supreme Court. to examine the |
evidence and report to Congress.
New Treaty With Japan.
Finally, and the most important thing