The times., 1899-03-31
SENATOR MORGAN IS
NOT FOR ANNEXATION
He Does Not Think Nicaragua
Desirable.
We Would Have to Take in Costa
Rica as Well.
He Believes the Proper Policy Is n
Canal Open to All
Nations.

Speaking of the report coming from
Nicaragua that there is strong sentiment
developing among the citizens of that Cen
tral American Republic for annexation to
the United States, Senator Morgan said
last night that such proposition was not
to be thought of by the people of this coun-
try. The Alabama Senator, who is perhaps
the best informed man in this country in
regard to the Central American Republics,
on account of his careful study of the 18TH
mian canal proposition. which he has
championed for years, gave his reasons for
thinking the United States would net con-
sent to take in the Central American
States as follows:
THE policy OF the United States is not
to destroy or devour or swallow up the
Central American Republics, but to build
them up and cherish them and assist them
in rational methods of government. Doubt
less there are several of the LatinAmeri-
can States that now feel disposed, as they
have heretofore. to become members of the
American Union. They get into that way
of thinking whenever they find their own
governments are unsatisfactory.
Il think it would be unfortunte for us
il We should undertake to annex one or
two of the five Central American States
unfortunate for them. Besides, it would
give Mexico just grounds of apprehen-
sion that the next step we would take in
territorial ACKNOWLEDGEMENT would be to ab-
sorb that Republic within our limits, all
of which would be an irrational view cf our
future.
THE question of anneXing Nicaragua is
one entirely apart from any necessity that
relates to the canal. We already have
Nicaraglta's consent and Costa Rica'S con-
sent to the opening OF a canal through the
isthmus, and it requires very little to be
done TO accomplish that result economi-
cally and to the satisfaction of those
States and of the whole world. Whereas,
if We throw away the present opportunity
and start out on a new field of adventure,
including annexation, in order to get
canal, we should be very apt TO excite the
suspicious of other nations as to the sim
cerity of our effort TO open canal that
should be equally free to all nations Of
the earth / do not think we should think
of opening such a canal as l speak OF
through Florida, il it would be an adyan-
tage. for the use OF other nations, under
any circumstances, and if we owned Nicar-
aqua and Costa Rica, the world would
scarcely believe US If We should tell them
that our purpose in opening canal
through either country was TO facilitate the
commerce of all nations.
1T is not necessary TO annex Nicaragua
or Costa Rica in order to have all the con-
troll of a canal there that We need. IL is
better not to do so. However. If annexa-
tion were the only possible way for us to
get an isthmian canal, / should favor that
as national necessity that was unavoida-
ble But ! do not look upon it in that
way.
TO annex Nicaragua for the sake of a
canal would not accomplish the purpose
unless We should destroy the sovereignty
of Costa Rica. for she has just as much
control over the canal route as Nicaragua.
At least in more than four-fifths of the
waterways leading from the lakes in the
San Juan River Costa Rica has rights that
are identical with those of Nicaragua, and
the San Juan River is an inseparable factor
of the canal. So If we commence to annex
States to build canal, we have got two
to annex instead Of one.
Il believe that the putting forth of these
new ideas are the paroxysms of men
who feel that the American people are go
ing to create a waterway through that
isthmus, and who are terribly disturbed
because they are not going to be permitted
| TO control the communication on lines OF
| traffic by railway between the Atlantic and
the Pacific Oceans.
We had better take matters as we find
| them; cultivate good relations with the
other powers of the earth and proceed on
| lines that have not been objected to by
any of them, and will not be, to open
| that waterway between the two oceans"