St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-09
ton of the city of Aspinwall by the iusur-
ractinnarv fnroas
The Nicnra-unn Canal.

The Mica rasuan Canal.
The interest of the United States in prac-
ticable transit for ships across the strip or
land separating the Atlantic from the Paclnc
has been repeatedly manifested during tue
last half century My immediate pi eieces-
sor caused To be negotiated with Nicaraugan, a
treaty for the construction by and at the sole
expense of the United States, or q canal
through the Nicaraugan territory, and laid
before the senate. Pending the action of
that body thereon. 1 withdrew the treaty for
denomination. Attentive consideration of
its provisions leads me to withhold it from re-
submission to the senate. Maintaining as
do the tenets of line of presidents from
Washington's day, which prescribe entan-
Cling alliances with foreign states. do not
new and distant territory or
the incorporation of remote interests.
Our own laws of progress are vital and or
ganic, and we must be conscious of that ire
Sistible tide of commercial expansion which,
as the concomitant of our own active ciyiliza-
ton, day by day is being urged onward by
those increasing facilities of production, trans
portation and communication to which steam
and electricity have given birth. But our
duty in the present lnstructS us to address
ourselves mainly to the development of the
vast resources of the great area committed
to our charge, and the cultivation of the arts
OF peace within our borders, though
Jeaiously alert in preventing the Amer
lean hemisphere from being involved in
the political problems and complications of
distant governments thereon. | am unable
to recommend propositions involving para
mount privileges of ownership or right out
side of our own territory, when coupled with
absolute and unlimited engagements to de-
fend the territorial integrity of the state
where such interests lie. While the general
prospect of
CONNECTING THE TWO OCEANS
by means of a canal is to be encouraged, am
of opinion that any scheme to that end, to be
considered with favor, should be free from
the features alluded to- The Tehuantepec
route is declared by engineers of the highest
repute, and by competent scientific men,
to afford an entirely practicable transit
for vessels and cargoes by means of a ship
railway from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The
obvious advantages of such route, if FEAST
bic, over others more remote from the axial
lines of traffic between Europe and the Pa
cific. and particularly between the valley of
the Missouri and the western coast of North
and South America, are deserving of consid-
Grafton. Whatever highway may be con-
structed across the barrier dividing the two
greatest maritime oceans of the world must
be for the worlds benefit, a trust for man
kind to be removed from the chance of domi-
nation by any single power, nor become
point of invitation for hostilities or prize
for warlike ambition. An engagement COM
bining the construction, ownership and oper-
alton of such work by the government with
an offensive and defensive alliance for its
protection with the foreign state whose
responsibilities and rights we would have, is,
in my Judgment, inconsistent with such dedi-
cation to universal and neutral use, and
would moreover, entail measures for its re-
alization. Beyond this scope our national
policy or present means do not extend.
THE LAPSE OF YEARS
has abundantly confirmed the wisdom and
foresight of these earlier administrations,
which, long before the conditions of maritime
intercourse were changed and enlarged by
the progress of the age, proclaimed the vital
need of interoceanc traffic across the Ameri-
can isthmus and consecrated in advance to
the common use of mankind by their positive
declarations and through the formal obliga-
ton of treaties. Toward such realization,
the efforts of my administration will be ap-
piled, ever bearing in mind the principles on
which it must rest and which were declared
in no uncertain tones by Mr.. Cass, who,
while secretary of state in 1856.
announced that ''What the United States
wants IN Central America next to the happi-
ness of the people, is the security and neu-
trality of interoceanic routes which lead
through it,
The construction of three transcontinental
lines of railway, all in successful operation,
wholly within our territory and uniting the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans, has been accom-
panied by results OF d interesting dHu
impressive nature and has created new con-
ditons not only in the routes of commerce,
but on political geograpy, which powerfully
affects our relations toward and necessarily
increases our interests in any transisthmian
route which may be opened and employed for
the ends of peace and traffic. or in other
contingencies. for uses inimical to both
Transportation is faction in the cost of COM
modities scarcely second to that of their pro-
duction and weighs as heavily upon the con-
sumner. Our existence has already proven
the great Importance of having the compe-
tition between land carriers and water car
riers fully developed. each acting as protec-
ton to the public against the tendencies of
monopoly which is ineerent in the consoiida-
ton of wealth and power in the hands of vast
corporations. These suggestions may serve
10 emphasize what have already said on the
score of necessity of naturalization of any
interoceanic transit, and this can only be ac
complshed by making the use of the route
open to all nations and subject to the ambi-
tons and war-like necessities of none.
the drawings and report of recent survey
of the Nicarauga canal route made by Chief
Engineer Menacal will be communicated for
your information. The claims of citizens of
the United States for losses by the means of
the late military operations of Chill in Peru
and Bolivia are the subject of negotiation for
a claim convention with Chilli providing for
their submission to arbitration.