The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-08-08

Commercial Aspects Of the Subject Con-
sIdered in the Light ss Statistics of the
Past by Mr.. Nimmo, Who sees No Pros
peot of this Canal Paying for Itseif-Prof.
johnson Lock. IHto the Future and De-
ciArss the Canal a Necessity.
The inter0ceanic canal e. still on trial
BY this is meant the prop0sed ship canal
uniting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Whether the Nicaragua T0gte, whicn at
oGe time was practically settled upon 50
FAR as American interests were concerned,
or the Panama route, "a which the new
Freuch company Is endeavOr!ng 30 enlist
the sympathIes and practical help OF In
Gle sam. will be chosen Is az present
matter Of some doubt. The decision will
probably rest on the Investigations and
report Of the Walker commission. ap-
pointed last June 10 look into tae COM
paratiye advantages Of the two routes.
mere have been two previous commits
sioDs the Ludlow commission Of $50 and
the Walker commission OF lssI, ami alto
gether there has been appropriated Tor
The furtherance Of their Investigations
over a million dollars. This seems an i'm
mense sum 10 be expended In preliminary
surveys merely for the purpose Of making
mp our minds whether we will 30 irtO the
canal business on a national scale, but
Uncle Sam Is IL cautious Old fellow. and II
Is probably worth his while before he
jumps into a pretty big ditch. When he
does IL Will be Tor the purpose Of finish
ing 10 regardless Of cost, so the million
spent IN investigating the matter thor
oughiy may be many millions saved in
the end
That the canal will eventually be dug,
and that the United States viii own or
control II. are facts generally accepted as
beyond dispute. Indeed, some foreign
critics are beginning 10 wonder why il
has not been done before, but everything
ia good time. Heretofore tho inter oceanic
canal has appealed 10 the American pub
lie merely as a great possibility Of the in
definite future. Since the var with Spain
and the acquisition Of the Philippines IL
is beginning 10 loom up as an imme late
necessity. Still II is not 20 be expected
that an enterprise or such magnitude,
even a manifest necessity. Is going
through without opposition or criticism.
As a people we are particularly long on
Every step forward Is bound 10 meet with
opposition, and with a people accustomed
10 write as well as 10 think freely much
Of this matter is bound TO find its way into
print. sun, as free discussion Of a sub !
JeCt is the best way 10 bring 1t before the /
public and hasten its cOnsummation, this /
- 10 DC commended.
Its Commercial Aspects.
The National Geographic Magazine In |
fits recent issue has a couple Of articles |
pro and con the canal The "cOn" man |
in this case is Mr.. Joseph NimmO, jr., |
formerly chief of the Bureau of Statistics |
in the Treasury Department. IL Il be /
true that figures cannot lie," then Mr.. /
Nimmo presents a strong case from his |
standpoint for he has them AT his finger
end and marshals them in strong array. /
He claims that too much time has been /
given 10 the purely technical problems |
OF the canal, its engineering features. SC, |
and 10 little TO the commercial side Of the |
question. or how il would pay after it |
Is finished. In this argument he has !
several authorities on his side.
In his book entitled 1.-THE Nicaragua
Canal and the Monroe Doctrine" Prof |
Eeasbey says: What we need is another
ard Of experts 10 study the commercial
scts OF the canal The Hon. Thomas
Reed, in his article in the North Amer
:can Review for May, 1889, in referring 10
'the possible tonnage which would pass
through the Nicaragua canal" says: 1T |
would seem, therefore, that after the ques
ton OF cost is determined or perhaps
while ii is being determined, a commission
OF competent persons, unprejudicel, should
be invited TO study this part of the SUBJ
ject. We shall then be equipped with the
necessary facts to enable US to lodge of |
the commercial success of the undertake
ing" To which Mr.. Nimmo adds:
Near the close of the last Congress
The fact seemed TO have dawned upon the
minds or certain leading Senators and
members of Congress that the commercial
inquiry should have preceded any appro-
priation for the construction Of the ca
nal; but the act OF March 3. 1898, appro-
priating Sl,e9o.000 for the examination of
beth the Nicaragua and the Panama
routes. refers only 10 the engineering, the
proprietary, and the financial features of
these schemes, and contains not n word
as to their commercial. economic or mill
tary aspects. Action has, however, been
taken whereby a committee of three Of
the commission OF nire has been assigned
TO the duty of inquiriRg into these par
ticular aspects of the subject This is not |
IN terms authorized by law. but Il appears
10 be the beginning OF an inquiry OF deep
est interest to the people of the United
States"
Rival of the Railroads.
Ihen Mr.. Nlmmo argues that as 10
commerce between the Pacific coast and
It's principal Eastern markets, in what
may be called the Middle States. the rail
routes arc greatly superior to the water
route in all respects: Says he:
The average rail rate in the Irpita5