Arizona republican., 1899-11-22
Mr.. Hepburn to Reintroduce the
Nicaragua Bill.
The NEED OF THE WATERWAY
He Believes Law Would Have Been
EaaCfed Last Session If Vote
Could bave Been Taken-Infer-
eStS Opposed to fhe CaIsfruc-
fion OF the Canal by This Gov
ernm ent.

Washington, Nov 21.-Representa-
tive Hepburn of Iowa, who was chair
man of the house committee on inter-
state and foreign commerce. does not
believe that any legislation for an
isthmian canal can be obtained at the
coming session, although he will make
the attempt.
'The opponents of the Nicaragua
canal" he says, gained something in
the way of postponement by the pro-
position in the last river and harbor
bill authorizing the appointment of a
commission to investigate the proposed
1sthmian routes, and especially the
Nicaragua route and the Panama
route. The Nicaragua route had then
recently received the careful attention
/ of a commission, of which Rear Ad-
miral Walker was at the head The
commissioners made a very careful and
elaborate surveys and a most satisfac-
tory report. But on the claim that
sufficient attention had not been given
to the Panama route, the whole mat
ter was postponed, and a survey of
that route ordered. Newspaper state
ments inform us that the commission
/ engaged in that duty will not be able
| to report to congress at this session
THE friends of the Panama enter
( prise will naturally throw every i'm
pediment in the way of the United
States building the Nicaragua canal
There will be no necessity for two
waterways across the isthmus; the
building of one precludes the other.
The Panama people say that 500 900
will be necessary to complete their en-
! terprise, and / have no doubt they are
satisfied that they could not raise that
sum if investors knew that the gov
ernment intended completing the Mic
aragua canal. The people who claim
ownership of the Panama enterprise
say that $SS0OO, 900 has been expended
in work and that they have $50. .000, 900
invested in the railroad, in harhOrs.
wharves, docks and plant. That $11S.-
100000 will be almost total loss un-
less they are able to raise at least $780,
600, 900 more to complete their work, 50
that it gives them a very large stake
to play for, and that they will throw
every obstacle possible in the way of
the Nicaragua enterprise l have no
doubt.
THE Maritime Canal company man
ayers think that they have some in
| IereSIS Indl Iney WdHl W pIeSelNe anu
1 presume will be quite unwilling that
the United States should undertake
to complete a canal unless it is done
through them or unless they are paid
for what they call their investments.
Then, another party of men, headed
by Cragin, fancy that they have GER
tain interests at stake, having, they
say bought from Nicaragua a conces-
sionary right to build canal to take
effect on the lapsing of the rights of
the Maritime Canal company. l think
they claim that the latter's rlghts
terminated October 10. Just what the
moneyed value of the Cragin syndi-
Gates rights would be 1 confess l can
not say; 1 would not regard a fran
chise to build a railway to the moon
as being very valuable and 1 would not
think that a franchise to build canal
that will cost $125,000,000 would be
very valuable to a man who had not
the $125, ZOO, 900, and who could not
raise that sum. But whatever thelr
rights are, I suppose that they Will De
very clamorous in their attempts 10
defeat any enterprise in which they
cannot be benefited.
There is yet another corporation,
which used to operate steamboat line
ana a stage line dlOh6 biC
route of the Nicaragua canal some
time in the fifties that claims interests
for which valuable compensation is
demanded, should the government un-
dertake the work. This latter conces-
sion was once controlled by Cornelius
Vanderbilt.
II do not believe the government
needs to bother itself about the con-
cessions of any of these people. have
no doubt that both Nicaragua and
Costa Rica will be glad to give us all
territorial rights we may need in pros
ecuting and finishing this work. TO
| Nicaragua the canal bears the same
relation that our whole lake and river
and railroad transportation systems
bear to the United States. The set
tied and productive part of Nicaragua
/ to a great extent, lies west and north
| of Nicaragua lake. Between that re
! gion and the Caribbean Sea, the coun-
try is mountainous, with no prospect
! of railways, and their expected outlet
must be by way of this canal. The
present navigation of the San Juan
| river is very irregular and very ca
| pensive. Freights go westward TO the
| Pacific, thence to Panama, thence oy
rail to Colon, and thence u market.
and no people can be more interested
| in the United States building that
| canal than the people of Nicaragua.
There is no doubt that the house
would have enacted necessary legisla-
ton at the last session for the COM
pletion by the United States OF this
enterprise if a vote could have been
had and 1 have no DOUBT that hotA
branches of congress are in favor of
the enterprise, but whether the ap-
pointment of the commission and the
desire for it's report will delay matters
of course, cannot say. 1 shall rein
troduce my bill for the construction of
the Mica "a pua canal the heginninP of