The San Francisco call., 1898-10-08
NICARAGUA OR PANAMA.

! HILE the events of the war, by demonstrat- | \Aj ing the need of short waterway between our
 AA Pacific and Atlantic coast has revived popular interest in the Nicaragua canal project and
 increased the force of the demand for its construc- ton and operation under the control of the United States, it is evident there will be strong oppo- ston in the field when the subject comes up in Con- gress The promoters of the Panama canal have come to the front, and urging the adoption of their route instead of that across Nicaragua.
 The agents of the Panama scheme in this country have presented the argument in favor of their line, and it has been well received in some quarters. They claim that their IS the logical one that it crosses the land where 1t narrowest presents fewer difficulties in construction and that canal that point would be more serviceabe to the general de mands of the trade; that the time required for a ship to pass through the Panama canal would be only few hours, while about two days would be needed for the passage across Nicaragua.
 Commenting upon the claim that the Panama route is the better fitted to meet the demands of trade, the Boston Herald says: "We fancy that this latter statement is true with respect to all trades cept that of the Western of this country, and the needs of this section far supplied by our transcontnenal railway systems that it is hardly desirable to build canal to meet the wishes of this particular trade if the construction is of disadvantage to all other classes of business. For Australia and South America the Panama route IS much to be pre- ferred the Nicaragua route"
 That is peculiar statement to come from an American paper, and shows the extent to which the Panama promoters have succeeded in influencing Eastern opinion. It should hardly require any argu- ment to convince the people of the United States that the which will bring our Western and our Eastern into the closest relation is the route that Congress ought to fix upon. Our Government is not particularly interested in opening canal for the benefit of the general trade of the world with South America and Australia, but it has deep and abiding interest in the opening of one that will ac- tate the passage of warships and merchant vessels from side of the republic to the other
 There are other considerations that tell against the Panama project. One of these is that of econ omy forit seems to be conceded the Nicaragua route can be opened up for ship canal much cheaper than the at the isthn1us Furthermore the Panama canal is essentially French enterprise while that at Nicaragua is American and 1t appears the latter would be much more completely under our control than the former could ever be-
 Both companies will press their claims upon Con- gress until decision is reached and one or the other IS chosen. There IS some to believe the Panama promoters really seeking less to transfer their route to Congress than to head off the Nicar- agua scheme. At any rate the opposition is becom- ing formidable, and it behooves the advocates of speedy beginning Of the work to be on their guard lest the controversy between the two projects should lead to indefinite postponement of the great and much needed enterprise.