Show STEVENS AND THE CANAL John F Stevens formerly chief en engineer engineer engineer of ot the Panama canal anal suddenly takes his pen in hand and assures the th public that the canal can never prove of the slightest value to the United d States Mr r Stevens backs up his charges with a number of specifications specifications specifications some of which may be enumerated enumerated enumerated In the first place the canal will not help our trade with South Ameri Amen America ca because nearly an afi the population of ot South America is east of the Andes mountains This is a fact that cannot be The statement that the canal would be valueless In time of ot war because an fleet could batter down the principal cities of the Pacific coast be before belone tore lone our fleet could be besent sent to its de defense defense defense is open to argument Mr Ste Stevens Steens Stevens vens ens assumes apparently that war would break out very suddenly that there would be no preliminary diplo diplomatic diplomatic matic passages no ultimatum no et ef efforts forts to avoid a If he does not assume this he assumes that the American fleet would be held in Atlan Allan Atlantic tic waters with danger threatening in inthe Inthe Inthe the Pacific or vice ice versa This of ot course is out of the question Mr lIr Stevens Steens contends that the canal cana would not increase or facilitate our trade with the islands of the Pacific basing that on the statement that as our coal and wheat centers are inland It would be just as cheap to ship these products by rail to San Francisco and then send them by steamers to the IsI islands islands ands as to send them to Atlantic ports and then to the by way of ot the Panama canal In these specific In Instances Instances Instances stances Mr Stevens assumptions are probably correct But we ship to the Pacific islands and to Oriental countries many prod products products products other than wheat and coal ool We I send them manufactured goods of al aI almost a most every cery character And the east eastIs eastIs eastIs Is the manufacturing center of the country It certainly would be cheaper to send goods from the New Ne England states to China and Japan Japin Hawaii and the Philippines by way ay of the Panama canal than by rail to San an Francisco and then by b steamer or around Cape Horn Born Further the Panama canal will al Id always l la ways a s be a protection to o the west from exorbitant railway rates r tes It will wilt al always ways s afford competition with the trans transcontinental t ins continental lines A great deal de l of the manufactures tures in most demand in the west can n and will be shipped by way of the canal to Pacific P coast ports and from them distributed throughout the far tar western states Incidentally we call can attention to the agitation for tor or a deep leep waterway from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico This waterway If completed would afford an ideal outlet oU let in connection I with the canal for tor products of the mid middle middle middie dle die west including wheat and coal CO l de designed deSIgned I signed ed for Pacific P markets I |