The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1916-05-04

cnlcKenS on their premises. They loud
ly asserted that the anti-chicken pro-
clamation was violation of Individual
rights. The government was polite,
but firm. 1t issued long statement
explaining that rats were above all fond
of chickens, and were invariably found
where chickens were kept. 1t would
be absurd to risk an epidemic of bo-
bonic plague for the sake of few eggs
and broilers. So now the chicken has
disappeared finally and completely from
the canal zone.
When Governor Goethals returned to
the United States not long ago, he said
that the defenses of the canal zone made
it safe from any attack. With interna-
tiOnal complications arising both to east
and to west of US, and only one real
first class navy to defend both coasts,
the safety of the Panama Canal is
most important consideration. Its coast
and harbor defenses have long been
considered very adequate, but army
officers have asserted that it was far
from impregnable by land More troops,
they declared to be necessary. and
troops have been pouring into the canal
zone in small detachments for nearly
year. A few weeks ago a squadron Of
the Twelfth Cavalry reached the canal
zone from Galveston. They are the
first mounted troops to be stationed az
the canal. The second battalion o the
Fourth Field Artillery soon followed
them. The canal garrison now includes
all of the three main branches of the
service, and is generally conceded to be
strong enough for its purpose. Owing
to the nature of the country, and the
strong coast defenses. the taking OF the
Panama Canal by land would be difficult
under any circumstances. There are,
however, stretches of open country,
reaching north and west from the zone
over which an invading army could ad-
vance with great rapidity, and troops
are needed to guard these.
The canal has been restored to work
ing order, and is in better trim than
ever before; but there is an immense
bill to be footed. While the waterway
has been closed to traffic, all the expense
of maintaining the great establishment
on the zone, as well as that of the dredg-
ing operations. has gone steadily for
ward. For the last fiscal year, the
Panama Canal showed a slight profit on
its operations. During the first seven
months of the currant fiscal year it was
in working order only two and one-halt
months, and for that period the excess
of expenses over tolls was $2,45O, 900.
That is the bill which the American
people must pay. Like many a private
investment that promises large returns,
the canal keeps calling for the invest
ment of just little more capital. Yet
its ultimate financial success, aside from
its strategic Importance, has never been
doubted by the men who know its pos
sibilities best. When the European
war is over and world commerce is re-
sumed, nothing can prevent the great
waterway from developing a tre-
mendous earning capacity nothing
but another slide. And the men that
are fighting them believe that they are
conquered at last. There NAV be small
movements, they admit, but the back
bone of Culebra mountain, they assert,
is broken.
The struggle with the treacherous
mountain which has finally restored the
canal to usefulness has been hardly less
spectacular than the first digging of the
great ditch. Day and night for months
all dredges that could crowd into the
cut have been laboring without a
moments break The men in charge
have slept with telephones at their
elbows. At any moment the riven
mountain might strike another of its
mysterious blows and undo the work of
weeks.
That is the heartbreaking part of the
job. To the men who work in the cut,
the mountain has become a personality.
and diabolcal one at that. The ever
present possibility of sudden and over
whelming encouragement is harder
than the work itself. Least coveted of
all is the grave yard watch" from
midnight until in the morning. 1t is
very dark then. despite the brilliant
tropical stars, and there is a chill in the
air. The workers can not tell whether
the slides are moving or not They can
only keep the great dredges laboring
through the night knowing that they
can not afford to lose moment. These
workers are triumphant now. They
believe their labor which has been I'M
done dozen times, is permanent at
last.