The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-12-28
ISTHMUS PROUD
OF WAR RECORD
Canal Met Every Demand That
Was Made Upon 1t.
QUICK PASSAGE FOR NITRATE
Machinery Had Hardly Been More
Than Tested When 1t Was Called
Upon to Do Yeoman Service for the
Cause-Witnessed Fewer UnpIeas-
ant Incidents Than Any Place Un-
der American Flag.

The Panama canal force is pre- I'd
of the way the big ditch behaved dur
ing the war. 1t was completed barely
in time to play its part in affording
quick passage to the nitrate ships
carrying their Indispensable cargoes
from Chill to the United States and
Europe, and its machinery had hard
ly been more than tested before it
was called upon to do yeoman service
for the cause.
The departure of General Goethals
also put a new governor at the head
of the administration i'm this critical
period, but Governor Harding's hand
at the helm has been no less success
full than was that of his predecessor
in making the canal. The period of
the war has witnessed fewer Incl
dents here of an unpleasant character
than any other place under the Amer
lean flag. There have been no slides
from the sides of the "cut," no strikes
or other labor troubles; no sabotage;
no interruption to traffic no short
age of supplies; no lack of adequate
provision in arranging for all the
needs of the Zone.
Enemy Plots Frustrated.
Germans were promptly interned
and all suspicious characters deport-
ed. Precautions against spies were so
thorough that the impossibility of
getting by the Zone police has been
subject of comment on all sides.
Tons of German propaganda were in
tercepted and all sorts of tentative
plots nipped in the bud. A revolu-
tionary movement against Costa Rica,
engineered by political exiles here,
was promptly squelched.
A volunteer news service was or
ganized by canal employees and a
counter-campaign against German
propaganda was carried on. all over
Latin-America, which has had good
results in the attitude of many of
the governments In South and Gen.
tral America.
More than 10 per cent of the canal
employees went to the war. Those
remaining worked overtime in every
department. The Zonites gave $4,000
year to the Red Cross; subscribed
nearly $5,000,000 in all to the Liberty
loans and never once complained
about high prices or grumbled over
conditions imposed by the war. None
of them showed alarm over the sub
marine menace.
Women Do Their Share.
The women knitted and sewed for
the Red Cross, and entertained the
British wounded ON their way to Aus
tralia and New Zealand with a hospi-
tality which has been commented
upon in the newspapers of those coun-
tries and officially recognized by
their governments.
The health department has been
notably efficient. The malarial rate
has been lower than at any time since
the American occupation. The infiu-
enZa epidemic was so handled as to
be practically negligible. The opium
and cocaine trade was broken up, and
the soldiers and sailors protected
from other forms of dangerous vice.
Tens of thousands of acres of land
in the zone were cleared and planted
or turned into pasture and stocked
with cattle against any possible block
ade. The fishing business was devel-
oped with the same end in. view.
Altogether the little American col
Ony on the isthmus feel that they
have kept their work going at high
pitch of efficiency, and the big DEM
onstrations held on the victory day
were full of evidences of their loyal
ty and enthusiasm in the parades, the
speechmaking and the absence of any
jarring note.