Arizona sentinel and Yuma weekly examiner., 1912-06-13
PANAMA CANAL WILL BE
 GREAT WORLD HELPER
EVEN THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROADS WILL BENEFIT BY INCREASED DEVELOPMENT.

1 Washington, D. C., June 11.-(Spe
 cial to The Yuma Daily Examiner)
 ''The opening of the Panama Cana
 will be a great, grand world-helper
 the glorious credit of which will be long to the United States" said Sena tor John Sharp Williams, of Mississip pi, today, in a conversation about the
 big enterprise and the method of its
 operation.
 Tt has been a splendid engineering feat, which will never be forgotten,
 but the greatest of all things in con- nection with it's building is in the con-
 temptation that it's importance reaches
 lige the beams of the sun, far beyond
 the range of the immediate local ben efits which we as a commercial na- tion may enjoy. It will draw the fam
 fly of nations closer together, to a bet ter understanding of each other, and consequently and necessarily will stim-
 ulate international trade anew
 While I do not look for any marvel ous returns on the investment at any time in the near future, believing that the advantages will accure more in sentiment than substance, yet the ac- complished fact everywhere on the globe speed the plow,' as it did the discovery of America with the imagin- ations of all the old world radiant with visions of vast treasures to be found.
 'I think there should be no diff culty in operating the canal. Certain ly people-our people-who can so perfectly and grandly solve the prob lem of construction will not fail to work out in a good time a sound busi- ness plan of operation. We shall have done a great thing for ourselves, and the best part of the great thing is that we have done it for the world
 'I am in favor of allowing our coast wise ships free passage through the canal, with a reasonable toll charge for other vessels. It may be we have not been as vigilant as we might prof itably have been in caring for our coastwise merchant marine. l would be willing also to permit the railways to operate steamships to and through the canal, provided they were subject as to rates to the Interstate Commerce Commission.
 "The transcontinental railroads ought by now to have ceased to har- bor apprehensions that the operation of the Isthmian canal will harm them. This continent is now so well settled, and so surely on the way to continued filling up with thrifty populations, that the land carriers need never lack for business; certainly they will always De transporters of perishable freight. The canal will see the passage of the freight in bulk for all the world.
 'I say again the completion and op- eration of the Panama canal will be I great world-helper. Why should any interest in this country fear for the future in that connection?
 With the great canal completed, | and the problem of operation fairly | settled as to all interests, we can hen go forward doing the best we car | .o perfect a national system of river | and harbor improvement and an ev;' maintenance of navigation | wise and enlightened regulation of our interests and foreign commerce, as we Ire advised in our national constitu- | ion, a sensible and infleXible care | Or the interests of the public Ill tLe essential matter of terminal facilities these are agreeable things to con- emplate and hope for and have iI' descent dreams about in what the fu .ure may yet have in store for Ameri- ,an engineering genius, American ,rowess and American statesman ship"