In a recent address on Mr. Joseph Choate, Colonel Roosevelt made this reference to the great difficulties that confronted him in the building of the Panama Canal and of the manner in which those difficulties were overcome. He said: In the effort to secure the land and a concession of the rights required for the construction of the canal there was a succession of negotiations, resulting in agreement and then breaking of the agreement by Colombia, with a demand for constantly increasing compensation. I made up my mind that the talking about the canal might go on for fifty years without results, so I decided to secure for our country the canal and let the people talk about the canal and me as they pleased for the next fifty years. CHAPTER XIV. HEART SECRETS TOLD IN A WALK TO THE WHITE HOUSE H AVING an important matter to take up with President Roosevelt, I went down to Washington Saturday afternoon, June the 9th, 1906. In communicating with Mr. Loeb, the President's able secretary, with reference to an appointment on Monday, I said to him: "Will the President attend church Sunday morning?" The secretary answered: "I presume so; he nearly always does. Let me see now, there may be doubt about his attending the service. He turned his ankle and the sprain is pretty severe; it may prevent his going to church. You know which one he attends, do you not? The Grace German Reformed Church on 15th and O Streets, N. W. If you have no appointment of your own to preach in the city, it might be well to worship at the President's church. If he should be able to get there I am sure he would be glad to see you." I was on hand seasonably. At three minutes to eleven an usher said: "He is always here by this time; he is not coming to-day." |