Panama Canal Cost and Political Conflict
By Editor
According to despatch from Washington, the Panama Canal is expected to cost $500,000,000 exclusive of the purchase price, $40,000,000. This is $95,000,000 in excess of three times the estimated cost — $135,000,000. A new bond bill has been introduced calling for the sale of Panama Canal bonds to the amount of $365,000,000, total now proposed is to be fixed at $500,000,000. The closing weeks of President Roosevelt's administration are in no wise pleasant to contemplate. The antagonism which has existed in milder forms to quite an extent throughout his administration between him and the Upper House of Congress, and to some extent in the Lower House, is now breaking out in a virulent controversy. Several of the strong men in both Houses of Congress are throwing themselves into the conflict against the President, using every means in their power to express their feelings of enmity, and blocking whatever measures he desires to see carried through, which are not absolutely necessary; and it certainly must be confessed that there seem to be serious mistakes on his part in taking notice of some of the things which newspapers and men are saying. It would be much more dignified if men who have to do with different branches of government would give themselves right to their work instead of engaging in personal vituperation and unseemly quarrels.