Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1881-03-19
CUTTING rHs IsrHAUs.

One cannot help admiring the snsr-
estic and indomitsbls ~pertinsciiy with
which that .n,erprisips old Frsnchmsn.
De Lssseps. prosscutss any undertaking
10 which hs dsvotes his attention. He
does not care to bother with small jobs.
hut delights in overcoming great OBJ
stselss in nature. such u no one else
cares to undertake. he studies we'll his
subject. weighing carefully his chances
for success or failure. and understands
pretty well how he d coming out before
he starts in. When he commenced the
Suez canal be was ridiculsd - having
undertaken ssmsthine he could not
accomplish. but no carried the project
through TO triumphant and complete
success. He conceived the bold project
Of cutting . canal through the Isthmus
of Panama from one ocean to the other.
ON q tide level. II vas no new idea,
but NO one had ever attempted to put IL
into practical execution. He went over
the ground personally. took . square
look at all the engineering dificaldes'
estimated the cost. became convinced Of
the perfect feasibility Of the project and
then commenced engineering the ways
and means.
He gave our government and people
the preference. desiring to make 1t &C.
ssntislly an American institution. He
came to San Francisco. and crossed the
continent to consult with the financial
msgnaies OF the East, but although we'll
treated. highly honorsd. and encouraged
wherever hs went. he did not meet with
the financial Endorsement no required.
He vent home to Europe and has been
enabled to make an actual commence
msnt Of the great work. Meanwhile
our engineering msgustes pronounced
his scheme impracticahls. and gave pref.
srenos to the Nicaragua canal project.
and Esds' proposed ship railroad across
Tshuantepec. Both these prospects,.
however, seem to have fallen through at
present from want Of government assist
auce, or real faith In their feasibility. or
perhaps the idea has intruded itself that
either or both projects may DO OVERHEAD
owed or totally ruined by the actual uld.
mate success Of De Lesssps and his tide
water canal. He has no doubt OF Il
himself. and will probably live to sail
through his proposed canal in . big ship
from one ocean to the other direct. The
New York Tribune Of the l1th instant
says:
1t may - we'll be frankly admitted that
In the contest between De Lesseps' canal
project and public opinion and official &C
lion In this country, the Frenchman 10
thus far ahead. At . recent meeting Of
the directors Of his company, held In Paris,
he read Q telegram from Warrington an
~nouneing that all the rival American pro-
jects had fallen to the ground. At this
announcement there Was much applause.
and fresh subscriptions OF stock were re-
ported. The work Of digging. IL appears,
has actually begun upon the Isthmus.
About Q fortnight ago . large number OF
German and Bohemian laborers, enlisted
for the canal operations, arrived here and
were forwarded to Panama, and . force vi
native laborers 10 being hired In Colombia
and Central America. De Lesseps has
money enough already 10 enable him to
prosecute the enterprise vigorously for two
or three years, and he 10 constantly get
ting more. We are bound, therefore. to
admit that the opposition in this country
has had no sort Of effect In hindering him
from putting his project in motion.
Meanwhile the rival American projects,
II not in a. hopeless . state a. De Lesseps
seems to think. have at least been put 10
sleep for . year by the failure Of Congress
TO give them aid. Nothing tangible came
Of the effort to help Captain Eads' ship
transit railroad, and the Nicaragua canal
scheme got nothing but fair words. Do
Lesseps. We must therefore conceds. has
not only organization and money. but .
years start. Ono thing has been accom-
plished in this country. however. OF which
no does not make sufficient account. The
attitude Of tho government toward an
interoceanic canal in foreign hands has
been plainly defined by the action Of Con-
gress and the explicit declaration Of Presi'
dent Hayes. reafirmed by Precedent Gar.
field in his inaugural addrsss. In effect
our position 10 this: The Frenchmen may
20 ahead and dig the canal. but We give
them notice. In the language Of the book
publishers. that AL rights are reserved"
II 10 our right TO protect ourselves against
any unfavorable consequences TO our com.
merce or our defensive strength on land
and see which may come from an isihmus
canal In foreign control, and this right We
shall exercise whenever and however We
may zee ft. The shareholders In the
Panama Company cannot In the future
complain that they did not have fair warn.
ing Of the possible action Of the United
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