Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-12-24
The Nicaragua Canal.

The Nicaragua canal bill in the Senate
goes over the holiday recess but there is
a general impression that it will receive a
passage soon after the reassembling OF that
body There may be an attempt to delay
the measure. Senator Turpie's long
winded and weak arguments took up
valuable time but as he made use presum-
ably of all the arguments in opposition,
we believe his hostility will be a help
rather than hindrance. His attack upon
the canal company was manifestly unjust
and Senator Morgan's explanation of the
attitude and the position of the company
will be accepted as the truthful one In
deed the viciousness of Turpie's attack up
on the canal company leads one to suspect
the animus behind it.
From the presentation of the case before
the Senate it seems apparent why the com
pany is In position where the credit of
the United States is needed in order to
have the canal built for a reasonable out
lay, built at an expense which will not
necessitate levying of exorbitant tolls upon
the vessels that shall pass through the canal
when it shall be completed. Capital
is not readily loaned to a private company
for such u huge undertaking. more es-
pecially in this case, since the failure of
the Panama canal enterprise. Those
who believe that a canal across the isthmus
at the point proposed Is not only possible
but feasible, will nevertheless doubt the
ability of private corporation to carry it
through unaided and will not lend money
to the scheme except it be at exorbitant
rates. But with the credit of the United
prise is assured 1t is also apparent that the
United States can by no principle of equity
or justice destroy the concessions which
the company has secured in n business-like
way nor confscate the results already
achieved by the company. The~plan pro-
posed, it is believed, not only protects
the taxpayers of this country against rob
berry, assures the completion of the enter
prise but affords our government control
of the canal in u way especially desirable
and which it is believed can not and GER
tainly has not been seriously called in
question from constitutional standpoint.
Moreover of all the plans proposed this
will leave the United States practically
free from foreign entanglements and at
the same time secure to her control of
this water way which it is imperative she
should control. We feel sure that the
unpatriotic suggestion, coming from one
or two obscure sources, that it matters
little who builds the canal or controls it,
is opposed by the overwhelming sentis
ment of the people. The taxpayers of the
country, without half appreciating the inn
mense benefits to accrue from it want the
canal built want the United States gov
ernment to build it and believe the pre-
ponderance of evidence demonstrates
that the plan proposed in Congress is the
most feasible 1t is difficult to see where
in the government is to lose if the canal
company he not all that it should be but
it is known that the company is composed
of some of the most honorable and wealth.
lest business men in the country
Moreover, Senator Turpie is not con
sistent in his arguments against the pro-
ject. AT first he takes the ground that to
attempt to build the canal is most reck-
less. He would have us believe that as
matter of fact itscannot be built. The
next thing he proposes is a board of engi-
neers to make survey of the proposed
route AT this point he deplores this leap
In the dark. He would have us believe