The San Francisco call., 1898-12-14
ARGUMENT IF
 N|CARAGUAN
 CANAL PLANS Senators Are Not in
 Accord. VARIED VIEWS PRESENTED TURPIE STYLES MARITIME COM PANY A FRAUD. Morgan Opposes Motion to Delay Consideration of the Bill and Scores the Grace Syn
 dicate.
VARIED VIEWS PRESENTED
TURPIE STYLES MARITIME COM.
 PANY A FRAUD.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

session of the Senate was largely con- stunned in discussing the Nicaragua canal bill. Turpie made the principal speech in opposition to the bill at tacking it on the ground that it Is in the interest of the Maritime Canal Company, which he characterized as a fraud and bankrupt. He moved post ponement of the matter until after the holiday recess. Morgan defended the bill and the Maritime Company and opposed the motion to postpone. Berry and Rawlins both offered amendments materially affecting the bill.
 Previous to the proceedings upon the canal bill, Morrill, made an address in support of the bill authorizing the pur- chase of a site for Supreme Court building, and this and several other bills were passed.
 Berry gave notice of an amendment that he will offer to the Nicaragua canal bill providing for the direct appropriation of money for the construction of the canal and limiting the cost to ll5,O0000O. The amendment provides for the construction of the canal by the Maritime Company and gives the Government a lien upon the property to be foreclosed under circum- stances fully enumerated. Berry stated the object of the amendment to be to eli- minate the bond feature of the bill An other amendment was intended to deprive the Maritime Canal Company of any shares of the stock, leaving the United States, Nicaragua and Costa Rica the only stockholders.
 Rawlins also gave notice of an amend ment to the Nicaragua bill, providing that the act should not go into effect until the Government should secure by treaty the right to fortify and garrison the canal, to send armed vessels and munitions of war through 1t in time of war, and to close 1t against any other nation with which the United States may be at war
 Turpie (D.) of Indiana then addressed the Senate on the Nicaragua canal bill, saying that no one could excel him in zeal in advocating the ISthmian canal, but while he saw the vast advantage of the proposed waterway, he was also fully aware of the difficulties in the way of putting the plan for canal into execu- tion. While not opposed to the canal as such, he was opposed to the scheme of the Maritime Canal Company and he de- nounced that company as the most ven omous and effective opponent of a real canal enterprise. He did not believe 1t possible for Shat company. with it's bad odor, to construct the canal, and he held out of the way of the genuine canal en- terprise. He developed this line of attack at length, denouncing it a scheme of confiscauon, the object of the Maritime Company being. he declared, not to cut canal, but to 'cut a channel of communi- cation at the least possible cost between l the empty coffers of that beggarly corpo- ration
 Turpie asserted that the Government could not lawfully guarantee the Mari time CompanyS bonds as proposed. The case was not parallel to the Pacific rail- road companies. as in those cases the bonds were made directly payable to the companies As to the possibility of for eign jealousy operating to prevent the construction of the canal by this Govern ment, Turpie declared that there was no civnlzed nation that would not be pleased to see the canal constructed. The Mari time Company had been guilty of innum- erable frauds, but even if 1t had not he would not support the pending bill, be- ownership of the canal by. the United States. All obstacles would disappear before movement on the part of the United States to construct the canal The tries was made to the Maritime Com pan and to it only of whose 'vapid empty and thoroughly groundless preten- sions the Government of Nicaragua had evidently become tired
 Turpie renewed his plea for a postpone ment of the question until the Nicaragua Canal Commission should report. He said he had favored the appointment of this commission because he knew that no commission could report in favor of the the present commission had Information was wanted on the three points of feasi- bility, time and expense, and the SeRn.c nad rlSnl to IflS information before acting upon the bill. Turpie closed for the day with motion for postponement of further consideration of the bill until January 10 by which time the report of the commission would be received.
 Morgan antagoniZed the motion, plead ing for the continuation of the debate saying there were many points connected with the enterprise upon which light could not possibly be thrown by the Walker re- port. He denied that the Maritime Com pany had ever applied to the United States for assistance, but, on the other hand, the aplication had been made to them because they owned the only con- cesson. He declared in answer to a sug- gestion from Turpie that it would never be possible to get an agreement binding the United States, Nicaragua and Costa Rica because of Costa Rica's suspicion well that Nicaragua was desrous of nothing so much as the downfall of Costa Rica He spoke of Costa Rica's ''par- gain counter in the matter of granting concessions, and when Turpie interrupted him with the statement that this was nor he retorted that Turpie was growing sen- timental on the subject. He declared that Grace's purpose in getting a new con- tract was not to build a canal, but to own it- to hold up the Government He denounced this concession as a "rascally twice in one day without being invited and had urged the abandonment of Gov ernment aid. In reply to a question from him Grace had said he expected to eet his money to build the canal from Lon don. This fact showed where we were drifting, and was there a Senator who would be willing to see the canal placed under the control of foreigners?
 The Senate at o'clock went into ex- ecutive. session, and at 5:15 D. m. ad-