The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1869-04-23
The Das'tess Ship Canal Gear
Political and War Necessities.

ate, to authorize the President to appoint
a commission to survey ship canal or
ship railway route across the isthmus is
most opportune. Heretofore the whole
attention Of the country has been attracted
to our natienaf effort to push through the
Pacific Ocean by q railroad route This is
now virtually accomplished, and the next
great object which follows naturally in line
is the transit Of the isthmus for loaded YES
sells. This done we shall have rendered
our geographical position as nearly COM
,plete % is possible under existing circum-
stances. In addition to the numerous rea-
sons we have from time to time adduced
for the cutting offs ship canal between the
two oceans we now call the attention to
the political features attendant upon the
enterprise. Our Atlantic and Pacific :
coasts are very widely separated in regard
to naval access. The naval forces which
we use on this side cannot, uilifef any emer-
gency, be used ON the other. It therefore,
In time of peace as well as war, becomes
necessary to keep what may be character
lied as double naval force where, in case
there was ship canal, we could freely use
the same vessels on both coasts Our fleet
divided into two sections would, in COM
bined attack of foreign countries upon us,
rrsn great. risk ofdisaster, and with the loss
Of our navy would come the desolation of
our coasts, both the Californian and the
Atlantic. fiH+ e
There have been many peace congresses,
philanthropic and somewhat Utopian ar
gafaeats used in favor of a union of the
great maritime Powers for the purpose of
piercing the isthmus. This looks broad,
perhaps statesmanlike; but we believe
Shat, as nations have no worlds congress as
yet, and seEprogress is the great moving
lever e&nationalities, it becomes the United
States to study her own political interests
in the Darien ship canal question, and not
the interests of Europe. Were France and
England to unite with us in the prosecu-
tioA ofthe work it would of necessity be I'M
eacE a contract that, in time of war the canal
should not be used for the passage of ma
val craft. The isthmus would simply be
useful to the merchant marine of all nations.
This would be ofimmense value to France
and England, and while it advanced their
CREST coraReEeiaE views, would not in any
manner affect their naval power owing to the
compactness and the position of their ter
ritory. So far as the defence of the United
States is concerned the Darien canal, built
under such an arrangement, would not be
of any value whatever to US. The war val
ne of the work would be placed entirely in
the hands of our maritime rivals, and we
should thus forever surrender to foreign
governments one of the principal pegs to
our future commercial and national great
ness.
Another political value which the canal
xxpt rriu 10 fha Tor <,f
to our coast line on both oceans, as regards
tn Interchange Of products. While
freight over the Pacific Railroad from San
Francisco to New York cannot be brought
for less than four cents ton per mile, or
about ono hsntlred and twenty-five dollars
per ton for the entire distance, it will find
its way through the Darien canal for less
than fourth part of this price. The eff
feet of this upon the political stability of
the country can only be estimated in part
byjudging how absolutely essential it is that
such an immense territory as ours should
be very closely tied together by quick and
cheap communications if we would pre-
serve our present national boundary lines.
Expediency is the keynote of political
economy, and it is expedient for the Uni
ted States to acquire control of the 18TH
mus of Panama at the very earliest mo-
ment, SO that operations may be immedi-
ately commenced for the junction of the
two oceans. For the reasons we have
named the work should be done and con-
trolled entirely by ourselves, giving Of
course, the other maritime Powers its use
ttnder the same scale Of tolls levied upon
our own commerce. Surveys should be
commenced at once, and thorough exam
ination made for the most feasible route for
the canal Above all things the Columbi-
an government should not, by such treaties
as the one lately negotiated by Mr. Seward
for his New York friends, be petitioned to
yield the right of transit upon strip of
territory which she claims, but over which
she has no control. Panama is in the
hands of horde of semicivilized negroes
and halfbreeds, who keep it in constant
turmoil. There should be no hesitation,
therefore, on the part of our government,
to alter this sad condition of affairs which
has such weighty bearing upon our future.
In every view Panama is necessity to us,
and our Congress should boldly declare this
fact If Columbia will not recognize it,
the balance of the world will. As mill
tary, naval and national defensive outpost
it is impossible to estimate the value of the
Darien Isthmus to us, and it should even
to-day be garrisoned by body of United
States troops as much as any fertilization
we possess.-New York Herald.
- -----@-s.s--- fs
LkIIallo lir hnuro :, 1raliad s,,as, 4l.e