The record-union., 1893-01-17
THE NICARAGUA CANAL.
Its Endorsement Causes a Dis
cuSSiOn in the Senate.
MGOWANS BIT OF ORATORY.
An Avalanche Of ElOquence in the
Lower House.
KING COUNTY NOW PROPOSED.
The Assembly Committee On Attaches Fayors
Re0rn-COnnittees Considering Bills
The National Guard
KING COUNTY NOW PROPOSED.

Both branches of the Legislature opened
up business yesterday with the evident
determination Of making plenty of noise,
even if they accomplished nothing in the
way of legislation.
There were wordy wrangles in each
house, in which the numerous aspiring
orators were given a chance to shout, and
IN which some took advantage of the op-
portunity to declare their animosity to-
ward railroads and other corporations.
1t was made apparent, particularly in
the Assembly, that some of the law-mak-
ers believe, or pretend to, that to conduct
any kind of a corporation or enterprise
requiring capital is crime.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
The principal debate in the Senate was
over the proposed Endorsement of the
Nicaragua Canal. Two joint resolutions
had been offered on this subject. One of
them favored the Morgan and Sherman
bills, which are pending in Congress, and
provide that the Government shall assist
in the enterprise and should retain a con-
trolling interest in the corporation. The
other resolution, which was offered by
Senator Ostrom, differed from the first in
that it declared in favor of the United
States having absolute and full control OF
the concern.
Both resolutions had been referred to
the Committee on Federal Relations and
the latter reported back a substitute,
which was couched in more flowery Ian
guage than either of the originals, and
4
In consequence Mr.. Ostrom made a
speech against the substitute. He liked
the language of the preamble, he said
but didn't go a cent on the resolution,
and thought it should be remodeled so
that it would conform to his idea of abso-
lutte ownership on the part of Uncle Sam.
Mr.. Ostrom said he, like everybody else,
believed that the construction of the
canal would be a great benefit to the
entire Pacific Slope, and that California
would get the cream. He would go to
almost any length to secure the compile
tion of the canal, but he would drop the
project
LIKE \ HOT CAKE
If it was intended to place the canal out
Of the reach of the people who propose to
pay for it, and give it over to private in
dividuals. The Government, he de-
clared, had constructed several rail
roads on the latter plan, and could
not get its money back. This
was bad financiering, he thought, and the
people should insist that 1t be not re-
peated. "If our money is going to be
used to construct this canal, why should
we not reap the beneft?" he asked
Then he argued that the Government was
going to have trouble getting control ofthe
canal as the Nicaragua Canal Company al.
ready had control of Lake Nicaragua and
proposed to control the canal for ninety.
nine years. Under the Morgan or Sher.
man bills the canal would be a failure, in
his opinion, as the people would have tc
pay double for it in tolls, fraights, etc.
In conclusion, Senator Ostrom moved
to amend the substitute according to his
motion, but he was headed off by Senator
McGowan's point of order that motion
could not succeed a long speech.
M'GowAN's SPEECH.
Some unimportant business was trans
acted-enough to get Senator Ostrom ir
order-and then he renewed his motion
to amend.
This brought Mr.. MCGOWAN, the bright
young statesman from Humboldt, to his
feet, and he gave the Senate the first bit O
genuine eloquence it has had this session,
Senator MCGOWAN considered Mr.. Os.
trom's objections to the substitute techni.
cal and captious. He doubted the sound.
ness of the Yuba Senator's argument. II
the first place he had gone off wrong OIL
his comparisons between the possible out.
come of the canal project and the Govern.
ment's experience with railroads. They
were not parallel cases in any sense. The
Government never controlled nor at.
tempted to control any railroads. nor th(
directories of them. 1t had never ever
essayed to hold any of the stock, nor as
sumed to dictate how the roads should bt
operated. In its dealings with those enter.
prises the Government simply occupied
the position of a mortgage, and nothing
else. 1t was an entirely different PROPOSE
ton from that now suggested in the com.
mittee's substitute with reference to the
Nicaragua Canal. No man of business
who
HAD MONEY TO INVEST
Would want any better terms than thosi
proposed i'll the Morgan bill, to the Gov,
eminent In that bill the United States i.
to retain so per cent. of the stock, and ou
of a board of fifteen directors will namt
nine of them. What more could b.
asked? What more complete contro
could the Government want? What bet
ter protection could the people desire
But this was not the strongest point tht
young Senator had against Senator Os
trom's idea about absolute ownership
Under that proposition the singular stat
of affairs would be presented of the Gov
ernment owning a narrow strip of lanC
extending through Costa Rica and Mica
ragua. Such an idea of foreign jurisdic
ton was preposterous. Anybody by
stopping to consider the matter momen
could see that all sorts of complication,
would arise. Nations were not in tn,
habit of giving away their land to othe
nations. They usually looked with envy
, upon encroaehments and projects of thi