The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-05-29

nov peopossd g au,snd da3es hoek rsfhes
more than eve years. and she charter 81
the company uas granted ~ The United
States sovsrnmsnt But shs form Of en-
tefpsfss ssmaansd corporate. and - -
mains nader the pending measures
The canals 81 oa<z. Manchester and Cor
inth were III bsift by corporations. and .
Ffsnch corporation still manages the 6sez
canal. altAough England owns the major
fty Of ths stock By purchase. The Sica-
raEue canal ought to b bailt at once: and
Ought - b practically under Amer
lean control. q the SUES canal y under
Eaeiish control. Il will - gia1 day for
this coast when that canal u built under
American governmental control. outside
Of IT. enormous commercial advantags. for
IL viii assure this coast sdscient naval pro-
tection, which il has not today and nsvsr
viii have until the building Of this canal
forces ~ to become Whist - ought TO b.
. great naval power. Whsn'ths Nicaragua
canal y built our e0vsfnmsnt viii
b logically compelled - protsst Il;
il cannot protscs Il without . grest
navy. The czsasioa q this Grsat navy
viii b sure to ~ accompanisd By ths
proper fortiticas3on a. or Pacific coAst
land deSsnsss. 6aa Francisco win be
thoroaghly fortified; - viii Puget sound;
% win He mouth Of ~ ColumbiA We
shall hsvs strong Asss On this coast and
oo the Gulf Of Mexico: Ne shall hsvs
fortified navy yards. navaI supply and
coaling stations: We shall have large In
crease Of manufacturing plants necessary
for armored ship building. and the making
Of guns both for coast and ship dslsns&
We cannot dodge our destiny; . country
with 20,o00 miles Of ssacoast, and with
about half OF Il on this coast. cut on from
the other half By IN isthmus which CONF
pels ct present wide dstour around Cape
Horn befors the naval forces Of the Attain
tic seaboard can give the hand to thoss Of
the Pacific. 10 . military and naval ab-
surdity. The cutting a. . waterway across
the isthmus, which viii shorten this de-
tour By u. 900 miles. b military and naval
necessity unless ~ proceed on the idiotte
assumption that ws are TO b forever at
peace with I'll the world
II " never expected to firs shot the
Nicaragua canal = . necessity to the de-
vslopmsns Of the commercial civilization,
Of this eoast. and II Ne do ever sxpsct to
b q var with any power the building and
psotsction q this eanal u indispensable
to the protection Of this Pacific coast and
the coast Of our Gulf States. The other
day the Eriecson. . torpedo war ship huilt
for the govsrnmsnt was launched on the
Mississippi, thousand miles from salt
water. She carries thrss rapid-irs guns
and - 70 have contract spssd Of twenty
four knots. which will make her the fast
81 var vessel afloat. Build the Nicaragua
canal and ~ have not only the TESTS Of
the Atlantic and Pacific ssaboard
within easy junction Of each other.
but the nssts that vs can build
on the Ninissippi and send down
70 the Gulf can quickly rs-snforcs thsm.
With the Nicaragua canal ones built ~
can concentrate easily our naval vessels
whether built on the Atlantic or Pacific
ssaboard or on the interios waters Of the
Mississippi II the Pacific coast needs
protsctios " can assemble our Atlantic
and Ninissippt nssts: Il tAs Gulf eoast or
Mississippi waters need reinforcement We
can extend our Pacific hand through the
Nicaragua canal. It ID disgrace 70 our
national common sense that the canal was
not built ten pears ago. and that ~ are not
what We must b some day. . great naval
power.