The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-01-12
TO,al..... ........ls, 49,. So, 5l7 us

q ,oSenI surveys made by mr. M~nocal
e has reduced this amount 10 Sal, Is3, 8S9
~ ana by abandoning the valley Of the San
~ Juan River In favor Of . direct route Ia
" Greytown, ascertained to be entirely
u practicable, the distance is reduced t.
u ,357 miles. the total canalizAiion being
70 but 6,3H miles 1t Is we'll known ths,
: The Suez Canal, and in fact almost all
great public works, cost far more ihan
the estimates made by engineers, but ap-
n plying this rule most literally, can
not bring the outlay on the Niea-
raKua route higher than Sl00, zoo, 600.
y The surveys Of this route made pubse.
quent TO those Of other routes proposed
|. usVe developed extraordinary facilities
: for the work. The materials needed for
construction are abundant throughout
, the entire line. The haroors Of B,ito
and Greytown, at the western Al d cast
ern tsrmini, are capable Of being ea.ily
made convenient and excellent. The
water supply from Lake Nicaragua ia
I free from deposit and is abundant and
! easily obtained, the lake itself being the
summit level OF the canal. The rainfall
- not excessive. The climate during
mild winds is delightful. The country il
capable of producing all the subsistence
required by laborers employed in the
construction. Local productions are
valuable and such as constitute many of
the mot important ArticleS of commerce,
The construction feeders and tunnels are
not necessarily dependent nowhere on
the streams which, in the rainy season.
are irTesistably destructive. and in dry |
seasons are reduced TO mere rivulets. |
The canal would always be provided |
with a uniform and easily controlled |
supply of water. The canal constructed |
on this route could not TAIL to be an eco
nomical highway, ss well as q prUfitab bic |
Investment. The estimated cost 10 S75,-
coo, 600. A charge Of $3.50 for canal
tolls and all other ch, ges would rive
gross income Of SIC, % 6 on 1000. OOO
tons, upon which former calculations
have been ba.ed. Deducting from this
81 500, 600 for tn, expenses of maintain-
ing and operating the canal, ws have
SS,5OO, OOO as the net earnings OF the
work. ATeasonable modification of these
figure. would give encouragement. The
libera al concessions made by the govern
msnt of Nicaragua to the provisional
inter-ocesnic canal society Indicates a
determination on the part of that govern
nent to make the burdens Of the enter
prise az light as possible, aud leave its
gOvernm meat entirely in the hands Of the
American propristors; while in the
Panama concession provision il made
FOR the entry and clearance Of vessels at
the terminal ports, with the delays and
annoysnces usually attending such re-
quirements.
He then refers in detail to the conces-
slons and the protection guaranteed to !
the interests OF the canal, and says that
there a.e Other advantages conts ned in !
the concess on of the Nicaragusn govern
ment, and the proposed administration
and management Of the NicarAeuan
Canal. There should be no doub. in the
mind Of every American who believes in |
the power and supremacy of his govern
ment on this continent The concession
h made 10 an American society, made up | :
OF Americans. all tbs CorporaIors are
Americans, and an act Of Incorporation is ,
asked OF an American Congress. Every
step Of this nI0ject recognizes the right OF
care the American continent against the |
encroschmeDt of foreign powers. To
this policy no nation and no cluster of
adjacent nations, watchful OF their own
individual or collective interests,
should take exception. It was the =
foundation Of national existence every
where An American man-of-War
having on board the greatest naval
commander Of modern times pauses
for foity-eight hours at the mouth Of the :
BosphoFuS 10 recognize the right If an :
European power to control the waters Of
the Dardanelles and the Black Sea. It
cannot be supposed for q moment that
an American company, incorporated by
the American government. organized I I
on American soil, would have been al
lowed to construct the Suez canal, even
il it had established branch of its lter-
mira in Franco and r1lnaod n f,o1a-
supervision of distinguished and repre-
sentative French oficisl, and 80 it is with
US. The policy laid down in the early :
days of the republic, and accepted from
that time to this BY the American mind,
by which the colonization Of other
nationalitiss on these shores was pro-
tested against, should never be forgotten. 4
Violation Of this policy has always
reused the American people to the firm
assertion Of their rights, and it cost one
American statesman at least large share
Of the laurels he had won by long and
honorable service. The application Of !
this principle even now secures safety {
and protection to the line of railway :
spanning the isthmus, and connecting :
eastern with western waters. The as
sertion of this principle by the treaty
made with Nicaragua in '49, is ac-
cepted to-day, by sll American people !
and officials with entire satisfaction. The !
rejection Of that treaty in order to prevent I
collision between the United States
and Great Britain and preserve uu-
harmed the policy of an administration,
is regarded as one Of the most compli- !
eating and compromising acts of Ameri- {
can diplomacy.
He further discusses the Moaroe doc
trine and that ofthe Clayton Bulwer treaty
20 the great advantage of the former.
He also refers to President Hayes en-
dorsement of the Monroe doctrine, as
wise and far-seeing. An inter-ocesnic
canal across the American isthmus viii
essentially change the geographical rela-
lions between the United States and the
rest of The world. 1t will be q crest
ocean thoroughfsre between our Atlantic
and our Pacific shores, ans virtually psrt
of the coast line OF the United States Our
increased commercial interest in it is
greater than that Of all other countries, ,
while its relations to our power and pros :
perny as nation, to our means Of de-
Tense, our unity. peace and safety are
matters Of paramount concern to the peo-
pie of the D nited States. No other CREST
power would under similar cireumstan ses
fail to assert II htful control over 3 work
20 closely and vitsllysfecting its interests.
and welfare. In accordance with the
early and later policy OF government in
obedience 10 the often expressed will Of
the American people, with due regard to
our national dignity and power, with
wAtchfal care for the safety and prosper
ity of our interests and indu.tries on this
continent, and with the determination 10
guard against even the first OF rival
powers. whether friendly or Hostile, on
these sheres; commend an American
canal, on American soil, to the merican |
people, and congratulate myself on the
fact, that most careful explanations have
demonstrated that the route standing in
this attitude before the world is one which
cOnmehds itself as . judicious. economI-
cal and prosperous work. l have for
wsrded the opinion expressed in this arti-
Gle not from hasty consideration Of the
subject, and not without personal obserya-
ton. While commanding the army Of
the United States my attention WRs
drawn to the importance Of the water |
communication. / have here discussed /.
during my administration of government,
1 endesvored to impress upon the country
the views l thus formed, and shall have
added one more act of my life to those
have already recorded II shall succeed
in impressing upon Congress and the I
people the high value as to commercial