Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-02-21
THE CANAL TREATY.
From the New York Herald.

From the New York Herald.I
1t is one of the evil results of having
important public measures discussed in
secret in congress that The public attcn-
ton is not sufficiently attracted to
them, and the way Is left open for Tie
misrepresentation of such measures.
thus, concerning this Nicaragua canal
treaty the public has been sysiematical-
y misisformed in journals either igno-
rant or for some reason opposed to the
building of all American canal.
1t is pretended, for instance, that
there have been no thorough or trust
worthy surveys Of the Nicaragua route.
The fact Is, however, that none of the
different canal rouies Lave been so
carefully and frequently surveyed. aud
that under the auspices and largely 1t
The expense of the United States and
by American Mcers. Surveys Of This
route began many years aYn-one, we
believe, So long as in lS51-anl N:ca-
raguau and American engineers have
continued this work until now every
detail Of the route is accurately known.
Again, ii is pretended that the treaty
was SO loosely and ignorantly drawn as
to Interfere ia all Injurious way with the
rights of Costa Rca. But the facts are
that the government of Costa Ric, was
consulted and its free consent secured;
ami that the proposed Canal Inrte
touches Costa Rican territory only at
one point, where the San Juan river is
to be a part of the canal. That Costa
Rica should readily agree to the neigh.
borhood of the canal is easy to under
stand, because this work will develop
and bring within reach of markets q
L.. Il iot, MI nf lao
tican territory. 1t is fact that Costa
3ica 80 clearly saw the advantages Of
her canal Oh the lines laid down in the
guarantee the interest on fifteen mil
lions of canal bonds to help towald d the
| work of construction.
1t is loudly pretended that the sacred
| Clayton-Bulware treaty makes it i'm
| possible for the United States to build
/ canal without the consent Of Great
Britain. That consent she has refused,
and for very good reasons-good for
her, that is to say. Great Britain con-
trolls the Suez canal and owns a large
share i'll it. That gives her shorter
and easier route, not only to India and
| Australia, but even to our western
coast, than we can have so long as no
canal is cut through the American
isthmus. The Panama project is fore.
doomed to failure. If, then, England
can prevent US, with the assistance of
such Americans as Senators Bavard
and Sherman, from building canal,
she gains tor herself very important
advantage. Our ships must use her
canal or make the tedious and danger
ous passage around Cape Horn.
1t is pretended that the treaty is
very defective instrument. On the
contrary, it was thoroughly planned.
Every right of the United States is
carefully guarded; the convenience of
other nations is provided for: the work
is as complete and as void of defects as
any such treaty can be.
1t is said that the canal may cost
some vast and underlined sum of m on-
ey. But the surveys and estimates
made for the Nicaragua Canal Compa-
ny, which cover the treaty line were
remarkably complete and carefully
made, and as trustworthy, competent
and impartial engineers say, as esti-
mates could be for so great work.
In this particular the Nicaragua canal
project stands upon an entirely differ.
ent and far more business like footing
than either the Panama canal or form
erlv the Suez canal.
It is suggested that we may rs well
wait for the completion of the Panama
canal and use that. The most comp
tent American engineers who have eX-
amiIed the Panama works give their
professional opinion that it will never
be completed, and that if it were ihe
heavy rains of the Panama region
would subject it to constant breaks
and to silting up. But suppose it were
completed to-day, would not American
public opinion, justly alarmed at
the European control o! the only
American canal, imnera'ivcIv te.
manl that our government should >c-
Gre its control either by purci,;l-e-,,t
All enormous aud swiud ing c,>;-,r By
war!
England could not rest quiet under
the joint control of the Surz canal.
One of the most popular acIs at an
| English statesman in recent times WAS
the purchase by MIR. Disrael of a large
share in the Suez canal as soon "a pos
: >lbe after 1t was completed and seen
to he lasting work. Since then Eng
land has constantly aimed at the sole
control of Egypt and of the canal: her
merchants and shipowners have even
threatened to build a separate aud
second canal, and all England's presen.
operations in Egypt have for their
motive the determination on some or
any pretext TO maintain her grasp Oh
tins work.
With that secured to her, of course
England does not want us to build an
American canal, which would place us
at All equal advantage with her. She
is not to be blamed fol"1hat, for nations
are selfish; but what can be thought OF
American public men who stupidity
play into the hand of our great and not
over scrupulous rival?