Says England Wants Canal.

New York Times 100 years ago today, July 15, 1912:
Joseph Pennell Warns Americans That Great Britain Is Plotting.
Special to The New York Times.
    PHILADELPHIA, July 14.— Joseph Pennell, the artist, calls the bill which would permit the American merchant marine to pass through the Panama Canal free sentimental rubbish. He declares that England is not prepared to go miles out of her way to make trouble, and that already the English are conniving means and ways whereby they can get the American Government to lease the canal to some private corporation, and then, Mr. Pennell says, England, will gobble up that private corporation, just as she did the control of the Suez. He declares flatly and without qualification that he expects to see the canal pass into the control of England. The artist has come back from Panama enthusiastic about the immensity of the canal itself. He has high praise for Col. Goethals and the Panama Canal Commission, but he is a pessimist as to the future of the canal's management.
    "The move to permit American merchantmen free transportation through the canal is idiotic, asinine, sentimental rubbish," he said to-day. "Moreover, it is going to breed trouble for us. It will encourage monopoly and permit certain transportation companies, which are already as bad as they can be under the circumstances, to become more arbitrary as to passenger rates and more arrogant to deal with.
    "The very corporations and interests , which will benefit most by the free transportation were most prominent in urging the work along. They now have the canal, which will give them the monopoly they want. They did not have to pay a cent for its construction. Now the Government, like the spineless parent of the spoiled child, hands over everything except the nominal title to the interests which care about as little for the American Government as England does.
    "England has done everything possible to halt progress on the canal, and now when she sees that the completion of the work is at hand, she is prepared to raise a disturbance because the American Government is going to pass American ships through gratis and charge the merchant marine of the rest of the world so much toll.
    "What right has England to make such a suggestion? The canal is ours, not England's. But England hates this country as she hates nothing else. Let them preach their sentimental bosh about hands across the sea and the strong ties of cousinship. England would throw fits of jubilation at the defeat of America and would do everything in her power to hasten our downfall. She has her greedy eyes on the Panama Canal, and it behooves this country to keep awake. In fact, I predict that England will own the Panama Canal before long."