The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-01-14

A
intercst here In tho Nicaragua canal prof.
ect. Publication Of the report of the en-.
gineoring commission which was sent
down to investigate the canal plans has
attracted vast amount Of attention from
public mon IL Is "A pleasure 60 note that
there Is I'm Washington an abiding faith Ina
the future OF this project. Nearly every
public man | meet expresses himself In
favor OF government aid TO the enterprise
under some plan or other, though OF course
thore Is great difference OF opinion as 90
the form which this aid should take
Moreover, most OF the senators and rep
resentatives with whom have talked say
there Is a strong public sentiment In their
section OF tho country In favor of tho ca
nal. The people look upon this great engi-
neering feat rs one Of the phases Of the
manifest destiny OF the continent, and
they will never be satisfied till the channel
is cut and vessels are slipping through it
from ocean 90 ocean.
Cost OF the Enterprise.
Owing 20 the nature OF the report made
by the engineers which Is that the canal
will cost nearly double the sum estimated
by the canal company, which has hervto-
fore been depended upon for the facts, II
Is admitted even by the warmest friends
OF the project that IL will be necessary q
have still another careful and expert IN
Quiry made The engineers, who were
compelled u finish up their work rather
hurriedly in order to report 10 the prcsi-
dent within the limit OF time set by con-
gress, recommend that another commits
sion be sent 10 Nicaragua 20 make thor
ough investigation OF the route, with de-
tails Of all items OF cost. It Is believed
congress will adopt this plan. While a
delay of a couple of years will thus inter
vene, it will be time well spent, for by tho
time that commission shall have concluded
its labors we shall know all about the
canal and be able TO approach its oonstruc-
ton with certainty that we know what
we are about and where we are going TO
come out.
Mr.. Blainc's Dream.
Every few days / see in the papers refer
ences TO the Nicaragua canal aud the most
positive statements that this must be dis
tinctively an American enterprise, with
no foreign capital employed in its con-
struction and with control of the water.
way when completed resting solely in the
hands of the United States. 1 wish it We're
possible TO carry out all Of this dream. l
remember conversation which I had
some years ago with the late Mr.. Blaine,
in which he described in his enthusiastic
way what a great thing IL would be for the
United States 20 build and own and con
troll that canal, closing II in time Of war
to the ships of an enemy and using IL ms
an adjunct 10 our navy. not only by hav-
ing a free channel for IL 20 use in pass.
Ing quickly from ocean To ocean, but by
in Lake Nicaragua q great
naval QUILTING station, where ships could
% repaired and have their bottoms scraped
III safe from any attack by the enemy.
dr. Blaine's dream was OF canal which
you'd make us master of the western
World, not only from naval point of
lew, but commercially, because he be-
eved we could secure for our merchant
hips an advantage in dues not 20 be given
o the ships OF other nations. Along with
he Nicaragua canal he wanted ap,SxspS-
gaAaI md the acquisis 1Iexatlon i
- -s~--l.--.-.I--~s, lNn of naval |
tation in the West Indies 1t is a curious
circumstance that Mr.. Blaine mentioned |
o me the island Of st. Thomas in the |
Nest Indies, the very island of which |
here is now talk of the United States |
,uying from the Danish government.
Attractive rs was this scheme Of Mr.. |
3laino's, and illustrative of his ambition |
% enlarge the commerce and power Of his |
fear part of IL can never be !
'ealized. The late Secretary Gresham also |
made careful study of the Nicaragua |
ANAL question as involving the future POI |
itical and commercial development OF |
his country lie was aware OF Mr. Blaine's
dCa, and Endorsed 1t almost entirely. But
Mr.. Gresham discovered
state OF facts which apparently had escaped
Mr. Blaine's attention. Mr.. Gresham
'ound that 1t would be impossible TO ma.
.ionalize canal like that cutting the
American isthmus. That could only be
done In the face OF the opposition Of the
great nations of the world.
One of the foreign ministers resident
here called Mr.. Gresham attention to the
treaty of Constantinople, by the terms of
which the Suez canal was neutralized most
While it is true England
owns the Suez canal she has bound herself
by treaty not TO fortify 1t, not to main
tain upon 1t any warships and not to
charge greater tariff for the ships Of
other nations than is charged to the ships
of English owners. In short, the canal,
in the eyes of international law, is re-
garded simply as part Of the high seas.
Tonnage dues are needed to keep the
waterway in repair and to give adequate
return TO the capital invested in it, but in
no commercial, political or military sense
does IL add anything whatever to Eng
lands strength. In time of war the YES
sells of other nations are guaranteed free
passage through the channel and are also
guaranteed against attack whilo in transit.
The instant a warship enters the canal it
becomes mere bird of passage harmless
as n dove. 1t loses all of its military char.
acter On emerging az the other end it Is
again n warship, but within the canal it
neither assumes the offensive nor is re-.
CURED to defend itself
For the Worlds Benefit.
1t Is often stated in the press that,
through control of the Suez canal. Eng.
land rules the eastern world, but this is
not true in any sense. From military
standpoint, her station at Malta, or her
great fortress at Gibraltar, is worth in
flnitely moro to her than her possession of
the SueZ canal. 1t may well be imagined
that Great Britain would not have con.
sented TO diyest the canal, of which She
owns the greater part of the stock, of all
its military and commercial advantages
unless she had found IL necessary to do so
But the great powers, all of which together
no nation would care TO face in combat
insisted that this artificial waterway be-
longed TO the world and not to any single
nation; that nature had placed that OBJ
| etacla IN naviuuffOn thpro and tho oonoro
development of civilization had made IT.
removal possible; that this was benef
conferred upon all the world and not up
on any particular people. England, there
fore, signed tho treaty and gave up every
thing but her ownership Of tho stock
which Is immensely valuable.