Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-25
A NEW YORK SCHEME
Is What Colonel Andrews Calls the
Nicaragua Canal, in Which
He Takes Little Stock.
GENERAL RAUM'S PENSION VIEWS.
Not Less Than Fourteen Millions of Coun-
terfeit Money in Circulation
Daily in America.
GENERAL RAUM'S PENSION VIEWS.
TIE MoRGUE BILL READY FOR ACTION.
ckss With Number Of People Topics Of Considerable
Interest

lam glad to see that The DISPATCH
is opposed to the Nicaragua Canal bill,
said Colonel James Z. Andrews yesterday.
at is great scheme on the par: of New
York syndicate, of which e1-Secretary War
ner Miller, is the head. From what can
understand they have made a contract with
themselves to build the canal for the Gov
ernment for so much money. What l would
like to know is when they advertised for
bids and ii there was any competi-
tion. 1t is an easy thing to make
an agreement and sign a contract among
themselves. 1 am assured by Congressman
that the bill doesn't stand the ghost OF
chance. The estimates are made on the hc-
ures OF Cuban engineer whose chief claim
to distinction is that he comes from that
country and is able towithstand the tropical
fevers. He could live in that climate for
ten wears and it would never hurt him, but
men from this territory couldn't stand It.
A Strong Point in Favor of Tehuantepec.
''Of course, am interested in the Tehuan-
tepec ship railroad. Only one man in
million knows that the Isthmus is 1, 800
miles long. The Nicaragua Canal is To-
Gated about 800 miles from the Panama
Canal. One strong point that L claim for
Tehuautepec is that it is near the coast OF
the United States and in line with the
mouth of the Mississippi. In the event OF
war the Government could transport troops
to any point along the Gull of Mexico in
three DAYS and protect its coast trade. A
great many vessels ply between points along
the Gulf and San Francisco. With the
canal so far removed from the coast line
these ships woul1 be compelled to move
away from many ports they now reach to go
through the way to the East 1t would be
almost impossible to send soldiers in times
of war overland to the canal, and it could
only be reached by water.
The English Tramp steamers on Top.
ut has been claimed that the canal would
help shipbuilding In the United States. The
opposite will be true. The tramp steamers
of the English are the freight carriers
to-day They swarm about the English
docks, and will come by telegraph on
short notice. The American sailing
vessels can't begin to compete with them.
Down where the canal will be located
scarcely breath of air stirs, and calms
prevail. At times little whirlwinds spring
up that last for ten minutes. The Amer
lean sailing vessels could never work
through the canal without being towed, and
this would consume too much time and
money. What would the result be? The
canal would be mouopoIized by John Bull
and his cheap steamers, as ne
runs the Suez Canal at present.
The French struggled to build it.
and John Bull gets the benefit. He has
the money and the ships, and could easily
control the Nicaragua Canal. We can't
compete with the English ship builders
until we can get down to hard pan, ard can
buy cheap materials and hire men who work
for low wages. When vessels were made of
wood, the American was ahead, for timber
was cheap, but they consist of iron to-day,
and the English have the coal and the ore.
England leads on the seas to-day, and the
American Government would be foolish to
build canals for them, l speak now from
an American standpoint"