The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-12-21
Frenchman Tells Why 1t Will Require
Enormous Army to Properly
Guard the
Canal.
NEED AT LEAST &c, 1000 MEN
FraHee Is Dreaming OF conquest In
the Western Hemisphere
in Commercial
Lines.

by William Philip simms, Paris COL.
respondent of the United Press.]
PARIS, Dec. 20.-Twenty-f1ve thous.
and soldiers, or nearly one-tiIird OF
the total strength of the standing
army Of the United States, will ba
necessary to guard the Panama canal
and prevent its destruction in case OF
sudden attack, according to Count
Maurice de Perigny who has spent
several months in the zone studying
the utility Of the waterway from
Frances point of view.
In the opinion of many men OF
authority, both on the Isthmus and in
Europe, says the count, the United
States will be committing grave
tactical fault unless the 5000 men.
now proposed for the posts between
Panama and Colon, are tripled. The
presence of modern Notifications at
either end Of the canal, he urges.
should not be allowed to lull the
American government to sleep In
fancied security, for, he says, many
authorities are of the opinion that
blow would be struck, not from the
sea, but from inland.
japan and the more or less unfriend.
ly feeling existing between the Unit.
ed States and Mexico, the central
american countries and Colombia,
are evidently factors in the counts
analysis OF the situation though he
specifies no particular country. In the
event of war with Japan, or some
other powerful country. the weaklinE
republics in the neighborhood of the
zone could not protect their neutrality
even were they seriously SO disposed.
THE United States should maintain,
constantly on duty at the Isthmus.
corps of at least 10000 to $4,000 men, =
said Count de Perigny "A body OF
| 5000 troops is entirely inadequate.
There is the weak point in the adj
ministration of the canal. One must
not lose sight of the fact that this
gigantic and magnificent work is not
only a splendid conquest against na-
ture for the good OF mankind, but III
has in addition, and above all, al
uolitical object. Therefore, now that
the United States has arranged for
the protection OF the waterway at
either end, does 1t not vitality behoows'
1t to continue, as they have begun.
and insure it against an attack byH
land7
ut appears, from what have beeE
able to learn, that the American goua
eminent fears little such an attach
yet I have heard it said that 1t fzi
strongly probable that there IS where1
4 the danger would be in case of war;
! Once again, if certain French spealsI
binders speak the truth, France Isl
dreaming of conquest in the western1
hemisphere. Not, perhaps, in thel
shape of more territory but surely INF
influence political and commercial.
!. The recently accomplished friendly
entente between France and Spain
begun with Moroccan agreement,
half-signed and sealed when King
Alfonso visited President Poincaire
and concluded upon the latter's re-
turn Calls to be the weapon, declare
Frenchmen who believe themselves
wise in stsse craft Whether they are
fooling themselves remains to be
seen. Says Maurice de Waleffe, edi-
tor and fre-eater:
at is not true that the Latin race
is used up. have travelled in Spanish
America and know that the men there
have every bit as much energy, ambi-
ton and strength CT character as the
, business man of Chicago and New
York. All they need in order to
come into their own is a common
moral discipline, and perhaps later, a
political discipline.
This discipline the lucid mind OF
the French, the true diamond of hui
i man thought, can inculcate from Cape
Horn to Mexico, using Spain as the
! intermediary. We must now take the
: lead Of 2O,0o0.00O Spaniards in Europe
r and 10000 600 of them on the other
n side of the sea. Our intellectual pres
|, tige. our active genius, will clear the
road for us.
THE day President Wilson pressed
the button at the white house and