The Fairmont West Virginian

THE PANAMA CANAL QUESTION.

Democratic editors continue to harp on the delay in the construction of the Panama Canal. Taking their impatient view of the matter the work should have long since been completed and the great fawning gap across the continent should now be open for marine transportation. They would have us believe that it could all be done as easily and with as much dispatch as the opening of a city sewer or the irrigation of a potato patch. They claim that the "dirt is not flying." Can they please tell us, with the exception of a few large gobs of mud, that they are continually hurling at the Republican party, when they have obscured the horizon or obstructed the penetrating rays of the sun by throwing fresh mother earth toward the Zenith? We think that a close investigation of this question will reveal the fact that they have not within the last decade disturbed enough fresh dirt to cover the remains of their organization. The question that has caused the delay in this work has been whether or not to construct a sea level canal or to build it on the lock system. Congress agreed with the President on the latter mode of construction and it will be built with locks at a level of 85 feet above the sea.

This course was not rushed into without timely consideration and the wisdom of the delay will be shown in the rapid manner in which the work will be now pushed to completion. In work of this magnitude getting ready and knowing just what is wanted to be accomplished and how to go about it is worth more than many years of haphazard labor. Legislation putting the Canal bonds on solid financial basis makes the financing an easy matter. There is nothing now to prevent the work from being pushed on a large scale.

The President will himself make a personal visit to the canal zone in the fall and no doubt his visit will be the means of a wiser administration of this immense project. The commencement of the building of the canal under the administration of President Roosevelt will redound as much to his future greatness as many other of his noble acts.

The following from Bradstreet's for August shows a very sound condition of the country financially:

"With an increase of over $12,500,000 for the month of July and of over $152,400,000 as compared with a year ago, the money in circulation on August 1 reached not only the highest total thus far attained, but also the greatest amount per capita. The gold coin was over $25,300,000 in excess of that for the corresponding date last year; the gold certificates showed a gain of over $5,500,000 and the national bank notes one of over $61,700,000, while the other items showed lesser increases, with a single minor exception, namely, Treasury notes of 1890. The total circulation amounted to $2,757,349,438.

On the basis of a population estimated at 84,779,000, this gives a circulation per capita of $32.52, which represents an increase of 10 cents for the month, of $1.23 as compared with August 1 last year and of 7 cents over the highest amount hitherto recorded, which was on June 1 of the current year."