The evening times., 1899-01-30
DIPLOMATIC WORK
BEFORE MR.. CHOATE
Problems That Will Face the
New Ambassador.
Matters of Paramount Importance
Awaiting Attention.
Points Tint Lord Salisbury VIII In
sist Upon in the Construction of
an Isthmian Waterway.
ew York, Jan. 3O.-A London dispatch

New York. Jan. 30.-A London dispatch
to the journal says:
There are four subjects of first import
ance that will engage the attention Of Am
bassador Choate as soon as he has reached
his desk at the American embassy, in Vic
toria Street and has been received by Lord
Salisbury and the Queen.
Chief among these, of course, is the qu s.
tion of the building of the Nicaragua Ca
nal.
Those who are close to Salisbury and
who are supposed to know his intentions
in the matter argue that he will not listen
to any abrogation of the Clayton -Buiwer
Treaty. He will insist, they declare, that
the building of the canal be left to private
corporations, and point to the Suez Canal
as an example. II the United States pro-
poses building this great waterway a5 a
government property, England will still
insist that il be not fortified. The fortifi-
cation of the canal Engiishmen declare,
would no longer leave it neutral. and again
the Suez Canal unfortiiied, is pointed to as
parallel.
England on the Canal Question.
This is undoubtedly the attitude of Eng
land on the Nicaragua Canal question.
But in discussing it English statesmen
are careful to say nothing of the fact that
| Great Britain owns $40. 900 600 in the
original capital of this well paying canal,
| and that this important holding has in
| creased in value until it Is now worth a
| trifle over Sill 600 600 and steadily paying
| large rate of interest. They also fail to
| mention the further interesting fact that
| England is in possession of Egypt, max
/ g 81 4
| able by her authority there to close the
canal as she likes.
By a convention signed on October 20,
| 1883, the Suez Canal was exempted from
| blockade, and vessels of all nations
| whether armed or not, under that agree
ment, are allowed to pass through it in
| peace or war. What would happen in the
event of a conflict between England and
any other power however, is easy to con-
lecture. Even when decrepit Spain tried,
! during the recent war. to get Camara' S
! fleet through the SueZ Canal to reach the
| Philippines, it was England that prevented
| her from doing so by arranging that no
| coal should be furnished the Spanish ves-
sells.
British Trade With the West Indies
After the Nicaragua Canal question,
next in Importance will be the discussion
of English trade with Porto Rico and Cuba.
| Already English shippers and English mer-
! chants are complaining that their business
with those two islands is suffering since
| the United States came into possession of
! them. They say that the American coast
| wise shipping laws are divertng the trade
| of those two islands to the United States
| When told that this is to be expected as
one Of the natural results of a war in
| which the United States was the victor, the
| Englishman is by no means convinced that
he is not being imposed upon.
The Briton has always been and still is
| extremely watchful of his interests beyond
the seas in all parts of the globe. Nine
| tenths of his creed consists of clauses pro-
( tecting his shipping, and he will try TO
convince Mr.. Choate that things are all
! wrong in the tariff schemes of Cuba and
| Porto Rico as applied to the United States
| on the one hand and Great Britain on the
| other.
Other Important Topics.
In this same connection the West Indian
reciprocity treaty, which has been under
discussion through several administrations
! will be taken up again. AS the name i'm.
| plies, this seeks to gain for the products
of England's West Indian possessions en-
trance into the States free of duty in re.
turn for similar recognition of American
machinery and food stuffs in the British
West Indies.
The Canadian reciprocity treaty is an.
other one OF the serial stories of diplomat
ic endeayCr to which MIR Choate will bt
expected to supply the concluding chapters
In addition to these delicate subjects are
all OF the important questions so fast aris-
ing in connection with the situation in tht
Far East. Mr.. Choate may, therefore, no
look for q dull time during his representa-
tion of the United States at the Court o.
/