Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-05-22
Intcrooeanic Canals.

We hal supposed that the Panama
o,nal project was sleeping the sleep Of
de.,fb and would never be heard OF again
elsewhere than in history. But the Phila-
deltl.a Telegraph says that new face
n. been Pat upon that project by the
c,uproin,se efsted between the liqui-
dators II the old Panama Company ana
The contractors and others who plundere1
tho GA concern How anybody can be
expected 10 place any confidence in these
rlundcrcrs we cannot understand.
The report Is that VI. ElGel, famous
IA connection win his tower. has effected
a settlement hy which h. engages to
Iaahc restitution Of 100000 francs, and
ether PARTIES similarly involved in the
Panama scandal have either returned
or agreed 10 return smaller sums. These
sums s,om TO be ludicrous!y small in
Wis. T.. ihc fact that the subscribers to
g.. Panama canal have already sunk
tnt.c Laudrcd millions in It, and have
nothing 10 show for their most unwise
Investment.
J1.s report from Europe comes just IN
time TO be employed against the Nicara-
t.l-cauN scheme. This very week this
hu,r scheme is 10 bc considered in the
Ifop,r committee and VIII. It is 10 be
h,r.a find favor IN tn" eyes Of that COM
m.tice ana SO reach The House Of Repre-
sentative, at am carly day. The Panama
r-h,me has already cost the visionary
,.pl,ai,sls WHO invested their money In
tat worthless venture wc suppose we
may safely say three times as much
a. The whole Nicaragua scheme is ox-
pcctci 10 cost. Surely. no other moneyed
men as visionary as those whose ioollsh
scheme iuinoi so many small investors
ia France can bee inNeieled into this new
project We say with the Telegraph that
in v..,.. be crime for the originators
o. this new scheme. or rather p'rpetU1-
ton az the old one. to lead the small in
Ncsters in Europe 20 sink another dollar
ia this worthless ditch.
However. Jet US not be frightened from
oAr rropu-;y by these wild reports from
Europe This N.caragua-canal scheme Is
o1, watch promises TO do 50 much for
Amci!ct tlaL We need not be surprised
If Eufercan capitalists look upon IT with
Jealous eyes. nor that they are casting
about Ia find some project which they
can advocate as Il competing one The
duty If Congress is to proceed at once
10 begin work upon this Nicaragua
scheme. There is nothing else lin sight
which promises TO do so much for THIS
country. We fear that delay might WORK
misch Il to this measure. 1t stands nj
present as national scheme so far as
the United States Government Is con-
ocrned. Ii has been endorsed by senators
from all sections. Sherman, Frye. Doiph'
and other leading Republicans stand side
~ side with Morgan and other Demo-
Gratis 1t would be q great pity II the
northern congressman should change
ground on this question, and oppose the
canal as n scheme which will beneft the
Southern States rather than the northern.
And il Is not impossible that this might
be the result OF the hesitating. hating
course which some OF our northern con-
sressmen are pursuing. But the scheme
is IL national one. able to stand upon
it's ovn merits.
For our part, we would consider the
ACQUISITION Of Hawaii in connection with
the construction of the Nicaragua canal.
Bu, these two international questions
may be considered separately II thereby
either or both OF them can be pushed
forward. Both OF them are certain OF
ultimate success. The people OF this coun-
try cannot he blind to the incalcuiable
benefits which they will derive from
schemes which promise SO much as do
these two-schcmes which VIII make the
United States the very centre or the
whole commercial world.