Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-16


NOT BE WEAK NED IN THE HOUSE.
foreign diplomat is quoted in the New York
World for q severe criticism of the Edmunds
resolution, declaring the Monroe doctrine in
connection with the Panama canal enterprise.
The foreign minister is quoted as saying
among other things the following: IS cannot
at present say that my government feels
offended by the passage of Senator Edmunds'
resolution, but it does seem to me that the Sem
ate of the United States has not confined itself
| to its ownlegitimate business, and if the House
Of Representatives and the President should
| follow the example of the Senate it would then
probably seem to me that the government of
the United States had gone beyond the bounds
of propriety and interfered in other business
than its own.
Looking at the matter in this way it is
quite clear that the resolution passed by the
Senate means nothing less than either that no
European capital shall be invested in any
Central American canal or that no European
government shall hereafter have the right to
protect the interests of its citizens or its SUBJ
jects who are engaged in any of these Central
| American enterprises. This is considerably
| more than the Monroe doctrine as the Monroe
J doctrine used to be understood"
After referring to early attempts to form the
Panama canal company and the concessions
thus granted by Central American govern
ments, he continues:
THE SENATE HAS NO JURISDICTION.
SIT was then, and is now, nobody's business
but its own where the Panama canal company
gets its money from. But the Senate of the
United States seems to assume that that was
business matter over which it had entire
jurisdiction. The Edmunds resolution is in
tended to put spoke in the wheel of the
Panama canal project and to hinder that
enterprise in favor of the scheme to build
canal across Nicaragua. Over S150, 600 900
has already been sunk in the Panama
canal scheme, considerably more than half
OF the entire amount required to complete the
work and make the canal effective. With so
much work done and so much money invested
1T is not to be supposed that the enterprise will
be dropped at this stage, even though the
treasury of the company has been exhausted.
Whether it comes from the French government
or from some other government, or the Bank
OF Paris or some other private source, the
money to complete the Panama canal will be
forthcoming, and no threats or prohibitions
will prevent the contamination of the enter
prise.
'Supposing that the Edmunds resolution
passes the House and receives the Presidents
approval and is communicated by the President
to the various governments of Europe, what
then9 II the European governments pay any
| attention to it they will refrain from giving
canal company, but if they pay no attention
to 1t whatever they will do in that respect
probably just what they please"
NO WEAKENING OF THE MONROE DOCTRINE.
That resolution has not yet been considered
by the House committee on foreign affairs. A
meeting has been called for tomorrow to con-
slider it. 1t is therefore uncertain what action
they will take upon it. They will, however, be
cautious in their action, but the sentiment Of
the House on both sides and Of
permit any weakening of the Monroe
doctrine, and if the resolution is amended it
Is not expected to be in a way to weaken it in
this particular. A STAR reporter called the at
tention of several prominent members of the
dissented from it most positively. They re-
sent the imputation of improper motives in the
resolution to the interest Of the Nicaragua
canal as false and insulting
JUDGE cHIPMANs VIEWS.
Judge Chapman, being a member of the
House foreign affairs committee, where the
resolution will be considered tomorrow, did
not care to discuss it directly. He said. how
ever: "There is no doubt that the true Ameri-
can sentiment on the subject is against Euro
pean governments acquiring rights in Central
America which will enable them to control the
transit between the Atlantic and Pacific We,
as government, will not acquire such rights,
and at present remit the entire matter to
private enterprise"
WHAT MR.. RAYNoR THINKS.
Mr.. Raynor. also a member of the foreign
affairs committee, said that the action of the
House he had no doubt would be very eau
tious, and that they would not interfere with
the private rights of any citizen of any nation,
but that undoubtedly the sentiment of the
nation would not permit any European govern
ant 10 anlt
purposes of establishing control This
diplomatic criticism" he said, ''confuses
two very distinct propositions. This gov
eminent has no objection to foreign
| capital being in vested in Central
America or elsewhere on this continent
There is no objection to the expenditure of
capital by Europeans constructing canal or
railroad in Central America as a private enter
prise. When it comes to a foreign government
undertaking such a work and extending its
control to enterprises on this continent, it is
quite different thing. The Monroe doctrine
does not apply TO European citizens, but to
European nations. The Nicaragua canal bill
just passed permits all the stock of that COM
pany to be held by foreigners, but majority
OF the companys officers and directors must
main in America. The statement
that the Edmunds resolution is designed
in the interest of Nicaragua is without the
least foundation. The Nicaragua canal would
DC Duilt anyhow, anu III uO6S not matter what
becomes of the Panama far as that enter
prise is concerned. This diplomat confuses
things. AS understand the Edmunds resolu-
ton, it makes no objection to Frenchmen or
men of any other nationality inaugurating and
prosecuting any enterprise on this continent.
1t merely protests against anything of the sort
being done by European nation"
THE CRITICISM NOT WELL FOUNDED.
Mr.. Dingley said that the criticism was not
well founded. The idea that our failure to
protest against French citizens undertaking, as
a private enterprise, the construction of the
Panama canal, barred US now from protesting
against a foreign powers taking control of that
work, he considered absurd The so-called
Monroe doctrine is not violated by foreign in
dividuals, therefore in the first instance when
the circumstances were different, we made no
protest. When it was proposed that the
French government absorb the private COM
pany, and make the construction of the
canal national work, under government con-
troll, 1t is an Offense against the Monroe doc
trine; and all who believe in the enforcement
| OF that doctrine. he says, will approve the Ed
| munds resolution. AS far as the construction
OF the Panama canal is concerned he did not
think it possible to ever complete it. The posi-
ton taken by the small opposition to the reso-
| luton in the Senate, he said, was in keeping
with the general foreign policy of the State de-
partment, under Secretary Bayard, which was
to surrender everything.
SENATORS DECLINE TO TALK.
Efforts to induce Senators to express an
opinion on the interview in the World were