, 1890-11-15

teal parties, the unbounded advantages to
Colombia OF the work must be abuulDnt!v
clear. President Nunez is one of the aDiest
and most far-seeing statesmen Colombia, or
indeed any of tbs South and Central Ameri-
can Republics, have ever had, and he is the
last man who would TAIL to seize upon every
point. 1t is just possible that the President
may want to know how far, if at all, Lit.
Wyse is sustained pecuniarily for the floating
of the project he is DESTROYS of undertaking..
Runour has it that Il reply to some suca
inquiry by cable, on the part Of the Govern
meut, was not satisfactory. II LIT. WYse be-
not backed by any guarantees for tie raising
OF the required funds, it may result in his
having to sell the concession, An is con-
lecture. Nothing can be known with Ger
tainty until the return of the commission
from Fonama, new in Bo.ota awaiting re-
suits. In the meantime rnol;c opinion is
excited and there is q revival o. tie Old tax
Of aFitating for q secession the STATE OF
Panama from the Repuht H'.l &bso,ase
and complete autonomy, ana So ireeing -a.j
most important unit OF the Republic from
the letters imposed upon her BY the conflict
ing interests OF the other States of the Union.
1t is doubtful if This vii be effected, still
more so if it be desirable. 1t would Of course
be 4 great pain to Panama individually.
The Government, however, is syrOng, and
this hayward sister would not be permitted
to go, at all events, not in peace. 1t may be
taken for certain that the Government Of
Colombia know where her interests lie. The
construction OF the Canal IS OF vital inpor-
lance to her and to any government guiding
her destinies. Any delay therefore in coming
to a final settlement on the latest scneme
for the revival Of the project, must be pre-
sumably based upon q wise and saIu-
tary hesitation. Lr. Wyse is, as we have
before said no picnic explorer he is
an engineer of emjnonco. En is we'll
I'D fayorIbly known in Colombia. There
must undoubtedly be some ,ood and ample
reason for the hanging fire of the negotia-
tions. II it be caused by want Of guaran-
tees as to the qChence Of the smcws OF war
wherewith to carry on the enterprise, the
reason is an obvious AID a sufficiently pc.
tent one. If on the other hand an opposition
to the scheme is based on q report to the
Congress of Co ombia by the Foreign Minis
ter8 upon the subject Of the Canal. then there
is another aspect put upon It, With respect
to this Report, IN q very lengthy and able
exposition of the whole question orr Con-
temporary-The panama Star and |IIeralo''
remarks, THE whole report teens with the
exploded and mythical arguments as to the
possible benefits to accrue to Colombia by
allowing the concession to lapse and then as
Stunning her reversionary right What the
value Of this reVerSion is, viii be best re-
vealed in our Contemporary own words.
"At the expiration Of the current Canal
Concession there will practically be no Canal
property and plant to revert to Colombia. In
the event Of the now asked prolongation of
the connection being denied, the residue of
the Company's movable properly will SIMPLY
he removed and sold for what It will fetch by
the Liquidation, the much coveted 4ovcrblon,
only affecting the stationary DrouorGv. such as
houses land Of these only thoo situated on
the line of the G nall and Une works actually
accomplished on the Canal itself. e. tho
Canal excavations, the river deviations, and
similar works, The value of all which may be
judged with tolerable precision from the
Technical Commission report on the work
done and that yet to be done And as to
such reversionable actual property as does ex-
l6t outside the vain imagination of aerial ar
Chitects it cannot be- claimed until the &C.
taal expiration of the concession, and if left
uncared until 1892, we fancy that small value
would then attach to the hastily constructed
wooden Villas and other buildings that now
adorn the Line. Nor will the Panama Rail
road prop0ty be found TO form an asset Of
the Company for it is a we'll known fact that
the shares have been securely nypothecated.
What, then, do the patriotic" graspers after
shadows hope to inherit from forcing the en-
terprise over the brink OF the abyss of total