The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-01-27
San Francisco Feels RESPONSE
bility of Undertaking.
Already "a States Have Agreed
to Help.
DREAM OF CENTURIES
Panama Canal Be Opened in a
Year.
Californian Talks of the Frisco
Celebration.

w. E. Rhodes, an Oakland, Cal,
newspaper man, who is here in the in
terest of the San Francisco exposition,
will ask some legislator to introduce
a bill for a Kansas building out there
during the big show. Mr.. Rhodes today
gave to the State Journal the following
interesting statement of the work done
on the exposition and that which will
be done before the spring of 1915:
President Taft, having returned
from his recent visit to Panama, an
nounced that the work is so near COM
pletion that the first vessel will pass
through the canal some time this year.
probably in November. During the
year 1914 the canal and locks will be
tried out in every way, and the prob
lem of controlling the waters of the
Chagres river thoroughly worked out.
Every effort will be made to prepare
for every emergency that may arise in
the operation of the canal, and on
the first day of January, 1915, it will
be thrown open to the commerce of
the world.
'rThus the dream of four centuries
will be realized, and what some of the
Oldest nations of the world failed to
do has been accomplished by one of
the youngest. The United States is
justly proud of the Panama canal, the
most stupendous undertaking ever
completed by mankind. Every state in
the Union is a partner in the great en-
terprise and will share in it's benefits,
besides participating in the honor and
glory of the wonderful achievement.
''To properly observe the opening Of
the canal congress has determined that
an international exposition shall be
all in ri " of Ga ooiC
ing the year 1915. The president has
invited tie nations of the world to
participate. and already % have ac-
cepted and have made appropriations
and selected their sites. Among them
are Great Britain and her colonies,
France, Holland, Germany, Sweden,
Norway, China, Japan, Mexico, and
most of the countries of Mexico and
South America. All these countries
will expend vast sums and will make
the greatest display of products and
industries the world had ever seen.
Already "a states have taken Iegis-
tive action toward participation and
New York has appropriated 500, 900 for
her building. San Francisco will AL
ways be the gateway of the Pacific
and for that reason many of the states,
especially the agricultural states west
of the Mississippi, VIII not only pro
vide for great exhibits in 1915, but
will have permanent buildings and
continuous exhibits in the METROPOLIS
of the Pacific. With the increase in
productions and commerce new rail-
roads will be built, over which will flow
continuous stream of people from the
west, ana counter current of prod
ucts toward the west
Never before have the great agri-
cultural states of the middle west
such as Kansas. had such splendid op-
portun1ty to attract people to their
lands. simultaneously with the open
ing of the canal to the commerce of
the world will begin flood of immi-
grafton from the Old World to the
snip companies will give almost the
same rates that they do to the Allan
tic ports, which will induce at least
one-third of these immigrants to come
to San Francisco. This will mean at
least 100000 people every year, all of
them homeseekers, energetic, thrifty,
anxious to find land and become pro-
ducers.
There are few large cities between
here and San Francisco to absorb
them. and few factories, mines and
other interests to offer them employ
ment. Nothing to stop them or turn
them aside until they are located on
the land they have come here to find.
AS in the past. the great majority of
Holland. Sweden, Norway and other
countries of central and southern
Like those that have come in
the past, those that come in the fu-
ture will soon be among our most de-
sirable citizens.
within a few years the products of
the land will be more than doubled by |
these industrious, Woodworking far