New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-02-18
DUB IsTHMIAN POLICY.


confidence in the feasibility Of ship
canal 70 connect the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans at Darien. and has departed on hlS
fifth expedition Of survey. The line will
be :hirty-two miles in length; the first
twenty-four miles from the Atlantic will
be rock cutting forty feet IN depth. Then
comes the summit level which is no. given
in the statement before Us. !: is 20 be
ascended by nine locks Then i deep,
open CT: for three miles: then tl:nne! Of
five niles brings the line within mile OF
The Pacific. The ships will be then locked
down Ky thirteen locks to he tide level.
We are no. told how this summit level is
10 be supplied with water. Assuming
this Indispensable fact. the sam: o5;ec-
lions urged a few days since, "sains: tie
gigantic lock steps By which il
o proposed to make vesse: ascend the
heights OF TehuantePec. THIS III, IN the
case Of Darien is-Yiti adequate water
supply-!ess Objectionable, since :: is al
compressed within sho1: distance. and,
therefore, better susceptible of being
guarded and protected against accident
Indeed, it Will be a work cut o,st O; tie
solid rock. The Darien line has the merit
Of being a shorter crossing than any other.
bu: We incline to believe tina. Tie E.caTa-
qua line NIGH: be opened a. Is li.tle cost
and with az abundant summit supply.
It's superior length would be no argument
against il. as i: would be q pr; q tie roy-
ogs le.,reen 1iston: pots. If the speed of
navigation through this line sho1.ld be as
rapid as ordinary. and the cost Of passage
no greater than thai hy way O:
Darien, there would be many i'd
vantages in steaming Tor an hun
bred and fifty or sixty miles through an
abundan. and delightful country. 1t
would add TO the comfort and safety OF
voyage between Liverpool and Canton.
Science will, however. determine among
these competing works. and viii, We trust.
convince capital tia: il is safe and pro
fitable enterprise. We see the opinion q
that most experienced and sagaciOus
statesman. ". II. Seward, quoted to the
effect that 1.-The canal should belong 20 the
United States and Colombia. Tie work
III that case would be national one, free
from European influence. AID less likely
be attended with future complexities.
. We warn all concerned in this inter-
oceanic work 20 heed the advice Of this
statesman. He was one of the Senators
who knew most Of the original convcn-
tons between the United States ard other
nations fOI q copro:ectorate over Panama
and Nicaragua Ee knew very we'll that
if Europeanfpowers have never yet made
this crossing since the day when Balboa
stood on the ridge which divides the two
oceans, they viii never make j: Of them
selves. Ii those interoceanic ways are
ever made it vii be by American capital
and enterprise. Do We then need the :ii
OF any foreign power TO protec. this way
between our Atlantic and Pacific States:
Oh the contrary. VIC might be annoyed by
their intervention i'll Cur continental
policy. Mr.. Seward adduces: Tho his
tory of the Suez canal seems TO show that
while il IS Difficult: TO obtain Cooperation
Of several governments in such WORK. "a
single one can be relied upon to prosecute
it successfully" No such partnership fer
US. We Ike the maxim Of the Scotch
school boy: Nae ha.ver, nor quarters:
hale o NINE ain ard name O my neigh
boG's." If we can build an in:eIocean;c
canal without foreign help. We cai4 III. i
w;,Lou: foreign advice.