Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-28

/ surveyed by the United States IL 1874 at
/ great expense, and both Capt. Luce and
Mr.. MenOcal, of the Navy, who maae the
| survey, reported that the work had b cen
! thoroughly done, and was sufficient Tor
I'll purposes except actual cOnstruc ton
Of the canal. This same Menocal, who is
both engineer and diplomat, is now sent
to complete a survey which he had al
ready reported as finished. ''The real
object" he said, sis to commit this gov
eminent to the canal project and to
arouse popular feeling by claiming that
England is opposed to it. The Clayton
Bulwer treaty, made in 1850, and which
Is the most unfortunate piece OF diplomacy
ever entered into by this government,
bound the United States to a joint pro-
tectorate with Great Britain over any
practicable route by canal or rail across
Nicaragua. This treaty has never been
formally abrOgated or modified, and whilst
Mr.. Blaine and Mr.. Frelinghuysen have
claimed that the treaty has been violated
by Great Britain, and is not binding on
the United States, the English Govern
ment holds otherwise, as shown by Lord
Granville's dispatch of Nov. 10. 1851 All
the buster and talk about England bully
ing this country is nonsense, and comes
from those who want to force the rati1-
cation of the NicaTaguan treaty. Eng
land wants no war with the United States,
and if it should come not only would both
countries suffer enormously, but the spec
tacle of the two great English-speaking
people of the world butchering each other
would be shame to the civilization of
the age. We had enough of that sort of
thing in the terrible struggle which ended
in 1865. The ClaYtOn-Bulwer treaty was
unfortunate and should be gotten rid of,
not by indirectiOn or violence, but by the
calm and dignified methods OF national
intercourse. I am an American, and
would pay as little attention to English
interests or wishes as any man living,
but this is a great question, and should
be discussed thoroughly and dispassIon-
ately, without prejudice or clamor. 1t Is
question involving our national honor,
beside being a great commercial question,
and we should proceed deliberately and
firmly. Besides, If no adjustment can be
made of the difference between Great
Britain and the United States as to the
Clayton-Bulwer treaty, and war should
ensue, it would be a naval war to large
extent, and although Congress has voted
the sum of $3S5,000,000 for naval purposes
since 1860, we are to-day without single
man-Ot-war that could float an hour be-
fore the ironclads of England and with
out seabOard defenses. All the world has
been so informed by the reports of the
Navy Department and the Chief of Engi-
hCOAos A4uSlouu hOulO DdbltI uOMu OuE
seaboard cities, and we would invade
Canada and capture the cities Of the do
miniOn, but nothing would be settled by
the treaty. l offered my resolution, not
in opposition to the treaty with Near
augua, of which l say nothing,
but because 1 thought the expe-
dition Of the Secretary of the Navy an
attempt to compromise or commit this
government in advance Of the action of
the Senate. Of course 1 do not propose to
discuss now the pending treaty, but L
have given considerable attention to the
lsthmus route, and have no doubt that the
Tehuantepec route is infinitely prefera-
bic to either Panama or Nicaragua. The
Tehauntepec route is far healthier, entirely
free from the Gains which prevail at
both the other points, and is superior as to
distance and accessibility from the United
States IN the event of war; nor is it sub
Ject to the complications growing out Of
the ClaytOn-BulWer treaty, unless made
by additional treaty stipulatiOns. The
Tehauntepec route is 1850 miles nearer to
New Orleans than Nicaragua and 1920
miles nearer than Panama. From New
York it is 700 miles nearer than
Nicaragua and 1880 miles nearer than
Panama. Without being an expert in
such matters | believe that the ship rail
waysof Capt. Eads is entirely practicable
and that IL is in every respect preferable
to canal. OF course it would be neces-
sary before commencing the work to
establish by treaty the proper under
standing with Mexico, upon whose ter
ritOTy this route is located, and if
such an understanding could be bad
it would give us the entire trade
of that country. There is nothing parti-
san in the matter, of course, but | cannot
help saying that the sudden zeal of the
republicans leaders for the Monroe doc
trine and manifest destiny, just as they
are going out and we are coming in is a
little amusing. Mir. Frelinghuysen, in his
letter to Mr. Lowell of May S, 1882, said
that the Monroe doctrine meant that ito
place the isthmus under the protection
and guarantee of the powers of Europe
rather than under the protection of the
leading powers of this hemisphere would
seriously threaten and affect the political
interests of that power These were
exceeding brave words but the Panama
canal is being constructed under the pro-
lection and guarantee of France, and the
work has been going on for several years
without even a feeble protest from this
government. The Monroe doctrine, like
the ClaytOn-Bulwer treaty, ought to be
| either inforced or abandoned, but the last
hours of MIR. Arthur's administration are
| devoted, after years of stupid inaction, to
difficulties as legacy for the incoming
| Democrats. They are putting as many
rocks in the channel as possible, in order
that the administration of Cleveland may
be shlpwrecked on them"