St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-06-22
A Committee Of Its Cham
pionS Talks to the Plat
form Makers.
Monroe Doctrine Quoted in
Support Of the Great
Project.
Its Great Merit as a Defensive
Measure Emphasized in
Strong Words.
Other Powers May Step in and
Control the Project in
Short Order.

8CHICAGO, June 21.-The Nicaragua
canal committee, consisting of l.. Arch
er, of California, chairman; George l..
Converse. of Ohio; S. ii. Hawkins, of
Georgia; E. E. Cragin, of Illinois. and
henry d. Pierce, of Indiana, appeared
before the committee on resolutions this
evening and argued for the adoption of
the following plank:
We recognize the Monroe doctrine as
embracing a cardinal principle of the
Democratic party and insist upon its
enforcement whenever circumstances
may require, and to that end, for both
defense and commerce alike, we de-
mand that the Nicaragua canal be built
with American money and absolutely
controlled by the United States. The
completion of this work will be the
greatest achievement of this age. sur
passing in Importance that of the Suez
canal. We favor such governmental
aid, surrounded by every proper safe
guard as will secure the above object,
and the speedy completion of the work.
Judge Lawrence Arthur, of Cali
fornia, the chairman of the legislative
committee of the recent Nicaragua ma
tional convention, made an invincible
argument before the committee on res
OlutiOnS:
Has Solid Sponsors.
eve appear before you, gentlemen of
the committee, in behalf of the Near
aqua CANAL" said lie, las committee
appointed by the convention in st.
Louis on the I'd and Sd days of June OF
this year. That convention had rep
resentatives from nearly all of the
states of the Union, and was intended
to be and was, in effect, non-partiSan.
The personnel of the convention was of
very high order, perhaps unsurpassed
by any body of men that was ever as
sembled in the United States. repre-
senting largely the capital and the bus
mess qualifications of the country.
ut was the deliberate opinion OF the
convention that the project of building
the Nicaragua canal was feasible at
cost of less than S100,000,000. This Opin-
ion was based upon surveys and expert
mentS made by competent engineers of
the United States, as we'll as by others,
and with the light of experience cleaned
from the Nicaragua canal as a success
and the Panama canal as failure, such
opinions are certainly entitled TO be ac-
cepted. Regarded
n As a Measure of Defense
in the event of war bringing by deep
water the Pacific coast so near to the
gulf and the Atlantic coast; regarded
equally as matter of commerce, it is
proper that the United States should
!. give the project its aid and have gov
ornamental control OF it. Everything
combines to bring about the building of
the canal. If we do not do it, other
capital will be used, and the control
thereof may fall into the hands of some
other power, thing to which the
United States could not and would not
submit.
A committee similar to this was ap-
pointed to appear before the national
Republican convention at Minneapolis.
That convention inserted a resolution
OH the subject in its platform, and we
want to ask for something more and bet
ter than that, and have, therefore, ven-.
tured to draw up and present to your
consideration the resolution which l
have just submitted.
Hon. A. l.. Converse, of Ohio, also
made a few remarks, directing himself
particularly to the feasibility of the
Nicaragua canal and the progress which
had been made in the work. In dem
OnStrating his argument he made free
use of maps and charts, showing that
the construction of the canal was en-
tirely practicable and involved compar-
atlvely but small amount Of eXcaya
ton when the distance from coast to
coast was considered.