The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1898-11-17
THE KEY TO THE PAcIFIc.

ago of the Nicaragua canal route. He
Published an extended report of his
Investigations under the significant
head of "The Key to the Pacific" In
it he maintained that such a canal
would render ''grenter service to the
new world than the Suez canal does
to the DID," adding: sit will bring
Japan, Northern China, Australasia,
and part of Malaysia nearer to the
Atlantic cities of the United States
than they are now to England" For
these reasons he held that the canal
would be the key to the Pacific. The
developments of the last six months
have greatly emphasized the truth OF
Colquhoun's words, and have given
them an Importance which could not
have been foreseen before the an
nexation of Hawaii and the battle of
Manila, says the Inter-Ocean.
The Forum of November contains
a paper on the Nicaragua canal,
written by ex Senator Warner Miller,
in which some new facts are given,
besides a restatement of many facts
made fairly familiar to the public by
current discussion of the general sub
ject. "One-half of the money wasted
at Panama." he asserts, would have
built the Nicaragua canal" This is
a startling assertion, but Mr.. Miller
gives details in justification of it.
The waste at Panama is set down as
$256.0O0, 900, while Admiral Walker
estimated the cost cf the Nicaragua
waterway at 1925, 100000, and Pro
fcssor Haupt at $9O,OOO,OOO. Mr..
Miller's own figures are 100000,
and he asserts that the work could be
done in five years. If the house Of
representatives should pass next
winter the senate bill, 1t would in eff
feet insure the completion of the
canal early in 1904, at maximum
government guaranty of bonds to, the
amount of the sum named by Mr..
Miller for the cost of the canal.
Even if the $1OO,OOO,OOO IN ques-
tlon should cause an increase of the
national debt to the full amount, it
would be a good investment. AS
General Tracy said in one of his re-
ports as secretary of the navy, "the
canal must be built or two independ-
ent naYies maintained, one in the
Atlantic and one in the Pacific, and
the increased cost of building the
navy and maintaining it would be
very much greater than the cost of
building the canal.' But there is no
doubt that the canal would pay the
interest on the bonds and relieve the
government of any burden. The
Suez canal pays from 18 to 20 per
cent year net profits on Its total
cost. Practically a" government
guaranty would not add dollar to
the government debt. and in return
for it, under the senate bill, the gov
ernment would get controlling in
terest in the stock GO per cent?. The
entire country-the South and middle
West with their coal and iron, the
Atlantic seaboard with it's manufac.
lures and commerce, and the Pacific
states with their manifold unde-
veloped would share in
the common benefits.
Mr.. Miller gives some interesting
figures in reply to the practical ques-
tions which the subject suggests. He
takes Shanghai, the dividing point of
the trade spheres of the Suez and
Nicaragua canals, as the base of a
highly interesting calculation. At
the present time our commerce labors
under the net disadvantage of 2,O3O
miles in voyages to Shanghai, as
compared with that of Liverpool.
This is about three fonrths the dis
tance across the Atlantic. But by
fbo 4