Evening star., 1898-12-13
MORGAN ON THE CANAL
The Debate Opened With Two Hours
Speech.
MIR. Turpie Suggests POstponemen,
Until the Report of the Commis-
sion Can BE Read.

Senator Morgan of Alabama spoke over
two hours in the Senate yesterday after
noon in opening the debate on the Nicara-
qua canal bill. He began his speech as
The Stars report of the Senate proceed
ings closed and during his remarks he
answered a number of questions in rela-
ton to the canal project put to him by
senators.
After Mr.. Morgan called up the canal
bill it was read in extenso. On behalf of
the committee Mr.. Morgan offered amend
ments to the bill.
Mr.. Turpie Suggests POstpOnement.
Before Mr.. Morgan took the floor Mr..
Turpie offered suggestion to Mr.. Nor
gan the advsablity of postponing the con-
sderation of the bill until after January 1.
He called attention to the fact that the
President in his message suggested that
matters should remain in statu quo until
the report of the canal commission was
made. 1t was an open secret, he said, that
the commission would report by the first
of the new year. The report would deal
with questions timely and vitally import
ant in connection with the bill. 1t would
report officially upon the feasibility of the
enterprise, the practicabihty of routes and
the estimated expenditure. The work of
the commissio had cost a quarter of
million. Why not wait? Why go it blind?
ME. Morgan Salu Indl III tiie TGHidIhS Ht
proposed to submit he thought he could
satisfy the senator from Indiana and the
Senate that it was unnecessary to defer the
discussion of the subject. The country, he
said, had reached a conclusion upon this
question and would not be satisfied, he
thought, to see this session pass without
the enactment of legislation which would
secure the building of the Canal.
Mr.. Morgan said the bill purported to be
ard was an amendment to the charter
granted TO the Maritime Canal Company
February 20, 1889 The right to amend that
charter had been expressly reserved in the
act creating the company, and the govern
ment, in creating the company, was COM
mitted to an effort to carry into effect the
concessions granted by Costa Rica and
Nicaragua. 1t had not made itself liable,
but it had committed itself through the
company it had created. Nicaragua ana
Costa Rica recognized what was the uni
versa1 opinion of mankind, that the canal
across the isthmus must be built under the
protection, control and management of
some great maritime power. The terms of
the Menocal-C -Cardenas concessions prove d
this. The two sovereign republics became
parties to stock in the company when or
ganized Nicaragua retaining per cent of
the pad-up stock and Costa Rica 1i2 per
cent They had waived their sovereign
rights In favo: of the Congress Of the
United States. They had waived them for
the benefit of their own countries in order
to accomplish that without which they
| the map of the world. We stood pledged
by that treaty with Nicaragua to protect
| the canal. Our armies must go there if the
rights of the canal are invaded
CIayton-Buiwer Treaty.
The rights of an exclusive character pos
sessed under the treaty of 1861 wera in vio-
| lation of the Clayton -Bulwer treaty. But
seven years before Great Britain had pro-
| cured a treaty with Nicaragua identical in
| terms so that the Clayton-Bulwer treaty
| had vanished into thin air by Great Brit
aims act. This bill declared that this meth
| Cd of legislat tion was not in conflict with the
| Clayton-BuWer treaty. The question OF
| British intervention was very remote. II
was only conjnred in the mind of those
who doubted the wisdom of a canal Ii the
sense of the Senate We're taken, he had no
! doubt it would be in favor of a declaration
| that the Clayton-Bulwer treaty was abro-
! gated. The main difficulty which con-
| fronted US arose out of the fact that when
Cleveland withdrew the Frelnghuysen-
| CabilIo treaty he expressly took the ground
that 1t established an entangling alliance
and violated the Clayton-Bulwer treaty.
1T could not violate a treaty that was was
dead" said Mr.. Morgan. so that Mr.
Cleveland by his first diplomatic act
| against the judgment of Congress, gave vi
tality to a treaty that was dead"
A question was raised to the language
of the bill guaranteeing the neutrality of
the canal in case the United States were at
war with a country. Mr.. Morgan said that
the language of the bill specifically except
ed such case.
Neutrality Of the Canal.
Mr. Hoar differed with Mr.. Morgan. If
the United States were at war with Eng
land, and England should dispatch hos
tile fleet to San Francisco, could that fleet
pass through without interruption? asked
Mr. Hoar. Did the statement in the bill as
to the right of the United States to protect
the canal in time of war give the right
to say the canal was not neutral? he asked
Mr.. Morgan said no nation would mlsun-
derstand the language of the bill, but he
was willing to accept any language that
would make our right more specific.
Mr. Hoar suggested that the clause re-
lating to the neutrality of the canal should
be amended so as TO read: Except as to
nations at war with the United States"
Mr.. Morgan said he would accept the
amendment. No senator should vote
against the bill on this account.
Mr. Morgan said the President. in whom
Congress had so wisely and confidently in
trusted a fund of s50,0OO,O00 to be used ''at
his discretion could certainly be trusted
to hear and determine the objections OF
Nicaragua or Costa Rica or the stockhold-
ers of the Maritime Canal Company. Mr..
Morgan said his plea was plea for action.
This bill did not seek to build the canal: it
simply placed the question in the hands of
| the President.
that he did not believe it would be COM
petent for the United States, Independent
of any corporation, to proceed to the con-
struction of the canal under the treaty of
1867.
AT the conclusion of Mr.. Morgan's speech
the Senate, at $40 pm, adjourned.
Petition In Rankruntey