The Chicago whip. (Chicago, Ill.) 1919-19??, 1919-10-11
TO CALL waterway
ROOSEVELT CANAL
PLAN TO RENAME THE PANAMA
"piTcH" AFTER THE COLONEL
IS sEFoRE CONGRESS.
MAY BE DONE BY PRESIDENT
Plenty Of Reasons Why the Memory Of
the President Whs Made Possible
the Great Work Should BE Thus
Honored.
By EDWARD D. CLARK.

BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.
Washington.-Sen Calder OF New
York has introduced bill to change
the name Of the Panama canal to the
Roosevelt canal. 1t Is said by friends
of the measure that this might be
called bill for the obvious.
Since Theodore Roosevelt died his
action In connection with the recogni-
ton OF the independence of Panama,
thereby making the Panama canal pos
sible. has been made the subject of
close scrutiny. In Tbayer's biography OF
John Hay, who was secretary of state
at the time that Panama threw on the
yoke of Colombia, there is detailed
account of how Theodore Roosevelt
made the Panama canal possible. 1t
is enough perhaps for the present gen
GRAFTON to know that the strenuous
president went at the Panama situa-
tion as he went at everything else. he
found that the time was ripe to strike,
and he struck quickly.
It may be that such course VIII be
impossible but there Is the expression
of hope In Washington. coming from
men Of different political parties that
President Wilson may find that he
has the authority TO change the name
of the canal by executive order. 1t
seems probable, however, that, the
canal having been recognized through
Legislation as the Panama canal. spe-
cifc additional act of congress Will be
necessary to make the name change
desired.
Would Come Well From Wilson.
II Is held that If Mr. Wilson can do
the thing by executive order, the SEN
timent in the matter would be height
ened by the act OF a Democratic pres
ident doing honor through an execu-
five order to life deed of Republi-
can predecessor. There is precedent
for doing this thing by executive or
der Four years ago Woodrow Wilson
issued an executive order changing the
name OF the Culebra cot to Galllard
cut, In honor of the great engineer who
completed the channel and gave mp his
life as a sacrifice to the labor. There
was opposition In some places to
changing the name of the cut. good
deal of It was selfish. Mr.. Wilson
looked at the thing from every possible
| point of view. and then he acted.
! There is an objection, and natural
zone. to the naming of governmental
possessions, canals, forts, ships and
other things after living men. The
Culebra cut did not become the Gail
lard cut until after Gaillard's death.
Theodore Roosevelt Is dead, and one
objection at least to the change OF
name vanishes. The canal was made
possible by Roosevelt, and its rapid
completion was the result Of his thor.
ough understanding of what finally
| should be done to do the work well
and quickly.
The country will remember the I'M
happy sequence of events which fol
lowed, one after another, as result
| of the lnsistence of certain business
interests and certain individuals that
the canal should be constructed by civ
ilians. William Fl. Taft was secretary
of war. The construction of the canal
In general way was under his dis
the scathing reprimand which the sec
rotary gave TO one great civilian en-
gineer, charged with the work of army
canal building. for quitting his job
when duty demanded that he "stay
put"
Had 1t Built by Army Engineers.
| One day Theodore Roosevelt and
4 T. af ho
president said to the secretary: "There
/ Is one way to build this canal. and
one way only. Put army officers on
the job. They only cannot desert, but
they won't desert. They will obey or
derS, obey them willingly, and there
are no better engineers In the United
States"
Within forty-eight hours Lieut.. Col.
George w. Cocktails and Mais. w. I"
Slbert, II. G. Hodges and David Dub
Gaillard were on the Job. Col. William
/ C. Gorgas of the medical department
already had made the isthmus habita
BILE.
The army moved on Panama. Goeth-
ais, the chief engineer, was in reality
the administrator of the work. ST.
bert built the Gatun locks, dam and
spillway: Gaillard broke the backbone
OF the mountain range and completed
the Culebra cut; Hodges designed the
wonderful mechanism by which the
locks are operated like clockwork a
civilian engineer, Williamson, under the
direction Of Cocktails, completed the
locks on the Pacific side. and Goethals
administered the whole work.
The Panama canal was built after
Roosevelt took the job away from civ
ilians and put 1t in the hands of order
obeying soldiers. The canal has with.
stood earthquake shocks. 1t is a mon
ument to American enterprise and
skill.
One day the Gatun locks may he
called the Sibert locks; the Pacific end
OF the canal may be called the Goeth-
ais gateway; the civilian Williamson's
name may be remembered. These men
are all living. Possibly before long
the waterway will be called the Roose.
! welt canal. ~ - TX