The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-23
A Member of Foreign Legation Thinks the
Agreement Indicates that the United
States Means to Make Its Power Felt.
All the Pending Treaties Nay Fail Be-
cause Of jealousy in the House.
Reason for the Delay in the-COnstructiOn of
the JefferSonville Leyee-HOw Blaine and
Logan Met-Capital Notes.
Talks with Californian, Maine Man and a
Foreigner About the Canal.

Talks with Californian, Maine Man and a
Foreigner About the Canal.
Special to the indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22-"Outside of purely
diplomatic and legislative circles there seems to
to be profound ignorance of the meaning of
the Nicarauguan convention which the Senate is
called upon to ratify," said California member
to-day; ''yet the Nicaragua treaty is by far the
most important of the recently negotiated series
1t means in the first place route of communi-
cation between the wheat-growers of the Pacific
and the consumers of Europe which will lessen
the cost of transportation to such an extent as
to give the California and Oregon farmer the
advantage in foreign markets over his competitor
nearer the Atlantic seaboard By cutting a
canal through the isthmus anywhere between
Tehuantepec and Panama we decrease the dis
tance between San Francisco and Liverpool
nearly TO- 900 miles, and avoid that terror of nav
igators, Cape Horn. For this reason alone
the Pacific slope is heartily for the
Nicaragua treaty. Again. it is to be assumed
that we are some day to have a navy. The
cities of the Pacific coast would be at the mercy
of the Chilian feet in case of a difficulty with
that South American hornet. With one of her
iron-clads she could do inestimable damage to
our entire Western coast before we could sail
gunboat from New York half way to the Horn
With the proposed canal across the isthmus our
vessels could reach San Francisco as quickly as
the South American gunboats. The day will
come when the canal will be built, and if we re-
fuse to build it we shall be at the mercy of the
European power with the sense to see the ad-
vantage of controlling the short cut"
Your correspondent asked Congressman Reed,
of Maine, what was thought of the treaty among
the ship-owners of New England. Mr. Reed re-
piled; "As yet have not had an opportunity to
look into the subject since the publica-
ton of the treaty. hayesh Hiii hin hail
With ,o any means that viii serve to facilitate
navigation between the Atlantic and the Pacific
l have just been reading the report of the major
of engineers who made the survey, and 1 see
that he estimates the cost of the work at $14O,
OOO,O 600. We have dead loads of money, and 1
don't know that it could be put to better use
than for opening up a route for our gun boats
from the Atlantic to the Pacific"
On Sunday the Journal correspondent talked
for half an hour with member of the diplo-
matte corps who is rather more communicative
than the average attache of the foreign legation
here. what" I asked 'do you hear from
your government in reference to the Nicaragua
treatyP
"Your question:" he replied, 'is as blunt
and cheeky as the average interrogatory of
the American interviewer, and 1 must decline
to divulge the nature of the communications
passing between this legation and our
superlors. 1 will say, however, that it has been
known for some time that negotiations were
pending between the United States and the
Nicaraguan republic, although it was not
thought that President Arthur would make
such bold diplomatic stroke as he has done.
If you will not divulge my identity 1 will say
that, almost without exception, the European
powers have looked for a more tinlid foreign
policy from the present administration, and the
signing of this excellent instrument has con-
vinced not only the English but the Germans,
and the French as well, that the United States
intends to make its power felt l have fre-
quently listened to the discussions of your Sen
ate and House of Representatives, and have
naturally been led to infer that partisan bick-
erings would occupy the attention of
your Congress to such an extent as
to exclude the discussion of more seri-
Gus matters. 1 am inclined to think,
however, from conversation with Senators that
this treaty will be ratified. The prospect is not
pleasing to us in Europe, because it means that
the United States intends to enforce the Monroe
doctrine, which we have been led to look upon as
mere buster. There can be no doubt of the
wisdom of ratifyng the treaty. 1t is absolute
ly essential that the United States should CON
troll the pathway between the two oceans so long
as she has immense professions on the coasts of
each But there is more than the canal itself
involved in this measure. The United States
will be compelled, if the canal is dug, to protect
it, and this can only be done by means of a
powerful navy think that this treaty is only
the first step in the direction of building up a
naval power on the Western Hemisphere that
will be second to none in the world.
| Your President has shown himself
to be statesman fit to cope with some of our
best diplomatists in Europe. 1t is a pity that
under your American form of government he
should be cut off from public life just when he
has begun to show that he knows how to cope
with the most important subjects which the
American people have to consider"
While the Spanish and other reciprocity
treaties have been the almost universal topics of
discussion in the commercial circles, the Nicara-
guam treaty has occupied the attention of officers
of the army and navy to greater extent than
any public measure since the war. Naval officers
especially regard it as the first step in the di-
rection which they have longed to sec the gov
ernment take, namely, the rehabilitation of the
American navy. While we have not at present,
siugle armored vessel in our ex-
tremely insignificant feet, it is believed
that with the country committed to the policy
Of building canal across the isthmus a navy