Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-03-19
OUR NATIONAL CAPITAL.
Presidential ftoonis me-nppear-
hnee of Gov. seymour-The Pith Of
the MeasaGe-An American Canal

From our Regular Correspondent
During the past week the Senate has
been chiefly occupied With the Filz John
Porter bill; the Executive and congres-
sional committee with NJ. DeLesseps and
his canal; and politicians generally with
Presidential booms. The booms are grad
ually emerging from an amorphous condi-
tion, the smoke is clearing away, and the
naked booms may now be seen pretty
clearly defined In the political horsOn.
On the Republican side il is Grant or
Blaine: on the Democratic side it is Til.
den or - Seymour. Az the present
time there is much talk about the sudden
temperance Of the latter IN the field. II
IS earnestly asserted by bis intimate friends
that, notwithstanding the many reports TO
the contrary, he will not decline a nomina-
tion rendered with unanimity, and il is be-
lieved by many long range politicians that
the personel Of the candidacy for the chief
magistracy in 1880 will be identical with
that Of 1868. Governor Seymour is sixty
nine years old, but it is said by those who
intimately know him, that his health is
perfect, and that from a physical stand
| point, be is far more able to undergo the
iatigues Of Office than the other prominent
candidate. Those who are urging his
candidacy argue that IN view Of the bitter
fight between the Tilden and Kelley wings
Of the party, he is the only Democrat who
can certainly carry New York.
AN EPIToME or THE Presidents MESSAGE.
The President has sent in message to
the Senate laying down the rule that the
canal must, when made, be under Ameri-
can control. IL treaties with foreign pow
ers, or rights Of property or sovereignty,
interfere with this control they must be
| got rid Of by 'just and liberal negotiation. 4"
| The needful protection to the capital in
vested in II must be given by the United
| States alone. The canal will be "a great
ocean thoroughiare" between the Atlantic
| and Pacific States, and virtually part Of
the coast-line OF the United States, and
any other great power would, under SINH
| lar circumstances "not fail to assert a
| rightful control over it, He therefore al
legcs that it is the right and duty Of the
| United States to assert and maintain the
necessary supervision and authority over
the enterorise. This would seem in plain
English, to be an intimation that the cor
| pOration which undertakes its construc-
tiOn must be organized in the United
States and come to terms Of some sort with
the U. S. Government.
NJ. DELEssEP's STATEMENT.
NJ. DeLesseps has been before a commit
tee Of Congress to which he explained at
considerable length the comparative merits
OF the Nicaragua and Panama routes. The
Panama canal, he said, would cost $685.
900, 900. would take eight years at the out
side to construct, would be fOrty-fve miles
long, and one hundred vessels day could
| pass through It. The Nicaragua line, on
the other hand, would call for the con-
structiOn Of a harbOr at BritO, and would
! require either seventeen or twenty locks.
Each lock would detain vessel two hours,
it would not be possible to sehd her
through the line under five or six days,
and not more than ten or twelve steamers
could pass in a day; besides which the
locks would probably be injured by earth
| quAkes. The Panama route, too, had a
good harbor to start with, and would use
the bed Of the Chagres river, as part Of he
canal, and the extraordinary floods of the
river would be held in check by an i'm
mense dam. He denied that any official
control Of the canal by any Government
was contemplated, and said the Admins
trative headquarters would be wherever
the majority Of the stock was held-if IN
America, in n. York; il in Europe, Paris.
Washington, d. O. March 18th, 1880.
!