The herald., 1895-09-15
NEUTRALITY OF THE NICARAGUA CANAL

NEUTRALITY OF THE NICARAGUA CANAL
1t has bean given oIt that. Secretary
Olney will formulate a project for the
holding of an international con ference
some time in the coming winter at
Washington to consider the construc-
tion of the Nicaragua canal and to
settle the international status OF the
big ditch after mpletion. To this
convention the maritime nations of the
world will be invited. This determin
zion on the part of the secretary OF state
is significant Of two important things
that the present administration intends
to push the building OF the canal, and
that it realizes the necessity of definitely
settling the attitude of other powers to-
ward the scheme. The latter can best be
done by such a conference as Mr.. Olney
has IN miud. The measure now before
congress requires the government guar
antee of canal bonds to the extent of
500, 900, 900, and at is evident that the
president and the secretary of state have
wisely concluded that before the people
OF the United States make an investment
of such magnitude that 1t be secured
ernments by explicit understanding be-
tween all the powers which might in any
degree be interested IN the use or control
OF the canal. 1t is not intended to gain
the consent of any power to the construc
ton of the work, but to secure pledge of
absolute neutrality and to provide for
the uninterrupted use of the waterway
by the m merchant and war vessels of all
nations in times of war or peace, upon
terms of exact equality. A treaty in ac-
cordance with such an understanding
would obviate the necessity of the United
States maintaining naval or military
force for the canals protection in the
event of an international conflict, and
would place it in the condition of strict
neutrality now occupied by the Suez
canal. The latter, according to the treaty
of Constantinople, participated in by Ger.
many, Austria, Spain, France, Italy,
Netherlands, Russia and Turkey, is in
the condition of complete neutrality that
a marine highway intended TO facilitate
the commerce of the world should always
occupy. The very common impression in
this country that England enjoys any
military advantage from the ownership
of the .Suez canal has no other foundation
than that of ignorance to rest on. While
England has found the canal stock a most
profitable investment, and to the extent
that she is Interested in the merchant
marine of the world has been greatly
benefited by the canal, the possibility of
it being OF any exclusive strategic i'm
portance from military standpoint is
entirely eliminated by the following
clause of the treaty we have noted:
The Suez maritime canal shall always
be free and open in time of war as IN
time of peace, to every vessel of COM
mercs or war, without distinction of flag.
Consequently the high contracting par
with the free use of the canal, ir time OF
war as in time of peace. The canal shall
never be subjected to the exercise of the
right of blockade.
England did not yield control Of the
Suez willingly, but because of the pres
sure brought to bear by the other powers
and the intimations, more or less direct,
that an exclusive control of the waterway
by any one government would not long
be permitted.
The Nicarsuguan enterprise will oc-
cupy relatively the same position in the
1t will be built for the trade of all ma
tions. not for that of the United States
alone; it Will be to the interests of all
to see that passage through it is not i'm
peded or obstructed at any time, by any
one government or combination of gov
ernments, and 1t is hardly likely that the
maritime countries will refuse ready as
sent to an international agreement of t he
kind desired by the administration. OF
course it may be thought by some people
that this republic should endeavor to re-
tain sole control OF the canal and be in
position to open or close it as We see fit.
This view might have some force if We
contem plated any schemes of territorial
extension southwark then, possibly, pos
session of the canal would be an essen
tlal part of the game. But such is not
the case. With the exception of the
Maine and Massachusetts, senators and a
few thoughtless followers, very nearly
everybody in this country is satisfied
that we have quite enough to do to solve
the problems that belong to the territory
already within our Jurisdiction, without
undertaking the care of those that would
come with the acquisition of foreign ter
! rlt0ry. Inc United states Is wholly IN =
terestej in the canal as great instru-
mentality OF comm cree its real interests
| lie in its entire freedom from any kind
OF political control, and it is the part of
/ good, plain sense to arrange for the
maintenance OF that freedom before the
credit of the union is loaned the com pany
which undertakes the task OF linking the
| oceans.
| The people of this union are chiefly in
| terested in the victories that are renown-
ed of peace. They, more than any other
of the civilized peoples of the world, seem
fully to comprehend the great and pleas
| ing truth that the mission of tho human
race is the mission of cons truction and
not of destruction. Theirs is the WORK OF
developrnen ent and production; their only
war the war of progress; their real con.
quest the conquest OF the obstacles that
nature has interposed between man and
the satisfaction of his wants.
in sustaining with their wealth any
undertaking intended to facilitate the dis
tribution of the worlds products, every
safeguard essen tial to the protection o.
tnat wealth and the conservation of the
objects OF the undertaking snoud be