National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-02-26
TRUTHS ABOUr rEnUANTEpEC.
Capt Eads Corrocts Some Misappre-
tensions Concerning the Atlantic and
Pacific Ship Railway.

against some Ofthc misstatcments made by
many careless editors and correspondents
throughout the United States, opposed to
the lending of any financial aid or credit
by the government to the Atlantic and
Pacific ship railway.
The need Of this ship transit by the ciu-
zens Of the United States is so imperative;
the importance Of placing It under the Joint
control Of Mexico aud the United states is
so manifest, and the proposition of the
company in the bill now pending in Con-
grcss is so fair, that these writer's cannot
attack IL any more clfectually than the
serpent did the file of Assop. They there
fore resort to misrepresentation. One de
clares that no survey of the route has ever
been made by us, because, In answer TO a
Senate resolution, the state Department re-
piled that 1t had no such surveys in It's pos
session. whereas copies Of our surveys have
been in the possession of the Senate COM
mittee on commerce for several weeks, and
much the greater part of our total eXpen
ditures, amounting up to this date to about
$3.50, 900, have been paid out in completing
elaborate photographic and Typographical
surveys Of the isthmus from ocean TO ocean.
Another mendacious statement is exten.
sively circulated to the effect that we have
applied to several other governments for
aid, and as q last resort, now appeal to the
United States Congress, when, In fact, this
is the first government we have yet appealed
to, although Mexico gives us the right to
secure aid from Germany, France, England,
Holland, Italy, and indeed, from either one
or more Of all the nations of the world; and
gives us authority to make the same propo-
sition to either or all Of them which is now
pending in the United States Congress.
We have been urged by members Of the
British parliament TO submit similar prop
osition to that government, and within the
last few weeks | have received an urgent
request from prominent Engllshman, more
closely identified with the shipping interest
Of Great Britain than probably any other
man In that country, to send the model OF
the ship railway there for the purpose OF
having this method of transportation inves-
tigated and reported upon by n parliamen-
tary committee. These requests have all
been declined, because of the desire of the
company to have our own country AMI
Mexico alone identified with the work, and
because Of our conviction that Congress
will accept our proposal. Many reasons
exist for this desire, which are not based
upon the belief that the refusal OF this gov
ernment will be fatal to the enterprise.
This belief has never been entertained, so
far as have knowledge, by any one inter
ested In the undertaking.
Another favorite misstatement of our OPP
posers is to the effect that the ship railway
Is pronounced impracticable by the ablest
experts in the world, whereas the very OPP
posite Of this statement is the fact. The
Canadian parliament has, after thorough in
vestigation, recently granted subsidy for
twenty years, equal to per cent. per an
mum upon the cost Of a ship railway seven.
teen miles long to connect the Bay of
Fundy with the Gulf Of st. Lawrence, to
avoid the dangerous coast of Nova Scotia,
and an eminent English engineer, Sir john
Fowler who stands without any superior
in his profession, has undertaken to design
the works, while one OF the most celebrated
engineering establishments In the world,
Sir William Armstrong N Co., has con-
tracted to build them.
Another favorite falsehood Of our OPP
ponents is that the capitalists of America,
and those Of other countries In Europe, have
been appealed to without success to furnish
the money to build the Atlantic and Pacific
ship railway. This is absolutely untrue.
No capitalist anywhere has yet been APP
pealed to for any such purpose, for the sim
pie reason that the enterprise has never yet
been IN shape to solicit capital for It's con
struction. Some few enterprising American
citizens have been successfully appealed to
TO supply the money to survey our route
! to prepare estimates of the cost of the
/ necessary works; to secure the necessary
1 legislation for it to collect and publish
statistics relating to IL, and generally to get
| the enterprise in such shape that IL can he
| properly presented to investors as n thor
oughly matured scheme, based on reliable
| data 10 establish its praCticabillty, and to
! determine It's probable cost and profit and
| likewise to secure for IL such protection and
| recognition by the United States as will
| establish confidence in the safety of the
Z al g 4 .1=g
/ to secure, If possible, such Identification In
| its success by this government as will give
| reasonable assurance to investors that after
! they shall have commenced its construction
| the United States will not itself undertake
| the building Of a competitive line through
Nicaragua and thus dcpreciatc the value of
/ our investments.
y moments thought must show that so
/ long as there is u possibility OF this govern
ment undertaking to build the Nicaragua
canal that I,Dssjbity win be menace to
the investors who put their money into the
shiI railway. The immense amount Of
capital needed for its construction makes 1t
absolutely necessary to identify this govern
| ment with the ship railway in such manner
that IL will not be likely to build that canal
at least during theinfancy of Ourenterprlse
! Otherwise we must secure from some other
| one or more strong governments q similar
guarantee. Ii should not he forgotten that
/ the proposition to build that canal with GOr-
| c,1tHcUt utORcyTeceived the support Of nearly
two.thirds of the United States Senate dur
ing its last session, and 50 long as the ship
railway is menaced by the pOSSijRiiy Of the
United States undertaking to build that
canal 1t will not be possible to raise the
capital necessary to build our railway, un-
less its investors shall be guaranteed n
reasonable profit on their Investment, either
by this government or by some other equally
reliable one. This fact will be recognized
[ by every man of common sense who Is pos
scssed Of moderate share Of experience IN
commercial affairs, aud II constitutes
complete answer to the question often
asked by friends, as well MS oppOsers, why
1t is that, If the enterprise offers such
promise Of profit, we must, nevertheless,
/ ask for 1t the aid of the government Al
ready the illustriOus and energetic promoter
of the Panama canal has found IL necessary
to appeal to the government of France in
behalf Of that enterprise. II his appeal be
| successful, II viii be still more necessary
that our Investors shall secure such guaran-
tee rs we ask.
Another unfOunded mlsstatement OF
our Opposers Is that this government
Is asked to give us S3T5O0000 to aid
us In building the ship railway. This
government Is not asked TO give US
one dollar to build the railway By no
reasonable construction Of languagecan this
misstatcment be sustained The company
itself proposes to raise every dollar needed
TO construct the work, and not until after
1t shall have been completed and satlsfac-
tOrily tested by this government WIN there
he one dollar Of liability assumed by IL. 1t
must first carry in perfect safety from
ocean TO ocean large ship fully loaded, TO
the entire satisfaction Of a board OF engi-
neers appointed by the government, before
the United States Is liable for dollar, aud
then by no reasonable possibility can IL be
liable for $31 100000. Various statisticians
estimate the traffic which win await the
opening of any ship transit across the
isthmus at from 100000 to 1000, 900 tons
! nan NFn hat slt t,,