The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-08-22
THE NICARAGUA CANAL
DIPLOMATIC COMPLICATIONS
BETWEEN THIS COUNTRY
AND ENGLAND.
TREATY RIGHTS ARE INVOLVED

JOAN Bull Looks With Fear and Envy
Upon Uncle Sam's Interest in the
Canal, and the Commercial Hold
It's Completion viii Give This COun-
try Upon the Republics OF the Span
ish Main-WIll the Bulwer- CLAYTON
Treaty be Violated. by United States?
LONDON, Aug. 21.-The st. James
Gazette this afternoon publishes scare
article asking how Great Britain stands
with the United States government in
the matter of the Nicaragua Canal, and
saying that it will he well if the Right
Hon. George N. Curzon, Under Secre-
tary of State for foreign affairs, is asked
to give some explanation on the subject
in the House of Commons. Continuing,
the st. James Gazette remarks:
Gas far as can be seen, we are heading
straight for crisis and there will be
either diplomatic deadlock between the
two countries, or the English will surren-
der important treaty rights. The dead
lock can be avoided by discreet handling
of the facts by the foreign office and
a surrender need never occur. Should
situation be brought about in
which the United States finds it can ig-
more the U. s. of Central America, then
goodbye to any hope of retaining, much
less extending our commercial hold on
the Republics of the Spanish main, a
market in which we already suffer from
uncommonly sharp competition from the
Americans and Germans"
The st. James Gazette then proceeds
to rehearse the history of the Nicaragua
Canal, claiming that the accedence If
the United States government to the re-
quest Of the American Canal Co, to
guarantee further capital for it would be
an infraction of the Bulwer- Clayton
treaty. The st. James Gazette then
quotes President Cleveland's reference
to the canal in his message of 1894, and
says:
"These carefully weighed words were
designed to create minimum of dis
trust in the foreign office, and when
read in relation to the consistent, moral
support given by the United States to
the companies, enterprise and the instant
demand of the United States people that
their government guarantee the whole
capital, come what may, it is plain that
the ultimate object is not so much the
cutting of the canal as the firm and final
establishment of the United States au-
thority in Central America. With the
canal completed wholly by the United
States, the independence of the Repnb-
lfcs would be merely formal. 1t is true
that English financial assistance was
sought by the American syndi-
cate, lest the United States gov
ernment falter in giving the guarantee,
bue these negotiations have collapsed be-
cause il is not proposed to allow the Eng
lish capitalists their due share of con-
troll, but it is sufficient indication of the
exclusive power the Americans mean to
exercise on the Isthmus. The cardinal
point of the whole matter is, does the
government mean to enforce the Bul-
yer Clayton treaty. If so, will she
join the United States guarantee
Of the capital2 If not, what steps
have been taken to secure the neutrality
Of the canal and the equality of rights
and opportunities of British subjects? 1t
is conceivable that events may so shape
themselves in the near future that the
United ates will be practical masters
of Central America; but, before we con-
sent, any abrogation of the Bulwer- Clay
ton treaty must be made by ourselves. "