Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-12-31

mcnt. In the national DemOcrdtlc pldG-
form, adopted at Chicago in 1892, it is
declared that "the early construction OF
the Nicaragua canal and its protection
AGAINST foreign control as of great i'm
portance to the United States.
Thus it is clearly evident that the canal
bill now pending in the United States
Senate is il no sense a partisan measure.
1t is purely national in its designs and
objects, and as such it should stand be-
fore the American public. The great
commercial bodies of the country have en-
dorsed and urged it, even with stronger
emphasis than the conventions of the
great political parties. No member OF
Congress has yet ventured to oppose it
openly and directly. 1t is obvious how
ever, that covert and indirect effort is
being made to throttle the great Ameri-
| can enterprise. Whether this method OF
obstructing and trying to defeat the bill
reported by the distinguished committee
If foreign relations, has it's origin and in
spiration in certain railroad jealOusles
and monopolizing fears, or in the narrow,
provincial, niggar1iy views of the parties
| to this side warfare against the canal, 1T
may not be easy to determine. Perhaps
| Senator Turpie could answer this inquiry
His line of attack and his methods OF
| warfare plainly show that he is uncom-
promisingly hostile to the canal undertak-
ing. He assumes that the canal cannot
be built, but if it can be made, will cost
| much more than it's advocates assert 1T
will cost. Only a lawyer himself, with
no special business aptness or expert
ence, or any practical acquaintance with
canal engineering and construction, he
bravely assumes to know more about such
undertakings than trained and expert
enced engineers and business men of the
highest character. But his efforts to re-
futc the engineers have utterly failed.
So far the work on the canal has been
done at less cost than the estimates. In
refutation of Turpie's bold assertions
Senator Perkins of California. a genuine
son of Maine, a maritime man of large ex-
perience, stated that responsible parties
in his state stand ready to give bonds to
do important parts of the future work at
figures considerably below the engineers
estimates. Though there have already
10, fJ,,,
canal was first proposed, the pending bill
provides for another survey, before much
more shall be done, provided the United
States executive deems it necessary on
due investigation.
But the main objection passed by Tur
pie and other enemies of the great enter
prise is that of cost-the same urged
against Suez and other like undertakings.
But this is not solid objection against
an undertaking absolutely necessary to
the future welfare of the United States
and to the common interest of mankind
Judas in his time made similar obiec-
ton to highly useful expenditure.
Even had Suez canal cost 5000, ,000,0 900
instead OF the 800, 900, 900 the actual ex-
penditurc, it would pay six per cent. on
the first named sum. Should the Nicara-
qua undertaking cost 5000, 600, 900, in
stead of the present estimate, it would
still prove national undertaking which
would return to the American people
many times more than the COST locking
together the two halves of this mighty
republic rendering our national defences
much stronger and less expensive.
At the cost of $780, 900, ,000 Englishmen
have just completed the Manchester
canal, mainly to aid the growth of one
city and limited area of interior country.
Poor little Greece, just emerging from
long decadence and poverty, has recently
finished the COrinth canal with an ex
pense to her treasury many times more
canal. The city of Chicago alone is ex-
pending on ship canal nearly or quite
one half the carefully estimated expense
of Nicaragua. Germany is about complet-
ing great ship canal from the North sea
to the Elbe and the Baltic at the cost of
$50, 900, 600 millions of dollars, though it
shortens the ship voyage but 7o0 miles
MS against the TO- 900 miles saved to ships
from New York, Philadelphia and other
American commercial centres to San
Francisco and other Pacific cities This
German canal is built expressly to in
crease the commerce and the naval power
of the empire whose area and resources
are small when compared with those OF
the United States when her treasury is
taxed heavily to support her immense
army, though the tonnage and freight
that will pass through this canal will be
small in comparison with what cannot
possibly fail to seek passage through the
Nicaragua canal. Holland with very
small territorial area has made herself
wealthy and commercially powerful by
her foresight and bold and persistent en-
terprisa in building and maintaining
4 a Il. l..