The age-herald., 1900-02-18
FAVORABLE REPORT
 ON THE CANAL BILL
House Committee Sets Forth the Great Advantages to be Derived
 by Constructing Waterway.


 ico on her own territory constructed canal across the istihmus of TeEauntepec. Nor yet again, could any one rightfully object to Nicaragua constructing canal on her own soil from the Caribbean sea to the Pacific ocean. Now, if this be true, if these states would have the right on their own territory, using their own means to provide for themselves this great ad- vantage to their commerce, could not either one of them grant to another state, upon terms entirely advantageous and satis'fac- tory to the parties the right to construct a canal similar to the one under discussion? No one would have the right to quarrel with Nicaragua In thus disposing to the United States a right that unquestionaby belongs to her The fact that it would enable us in an emergency and in certain directions to increase the efficiency of our navy does not constitute such a state of facts as allows our rivals to Object to our building this canal. Other nations are now making large additions to taeir naval powers by the use of their shipyards. We certainly possess the right to increase the efficiency of our navy by increasing the number Of our ships. When We have the ships we have the right to send them wherever we choose, and the mere fact that the rapid transfer through the Nicaragua canal of our naval vessels to the Pacific or from the Pacific to tine Atlantic in- .creases the efficiency of a given squadron, surely ought not to be regarded as an un- due advantage that the United States would have through this waterway.
 Wants to Increase Naval Power
 We want to increase our power upon the high seas. Our people are intent on hav- ing their full share of the commerce of the world. This canal is an aid in that direc- tion. It is true that it will disturb the con- ditions of equality that now exist, but every effort that the successful merchant makes In an effort to distribute this equality and to secure advantages for himself. Steam ships or sail vessels. the huge vessel of today instead of the smaller one of fifty years ago, improvements in machinery, in manufactures, in all of these efforts to disturb the equality of conditions that ex- ist between merchants. They are all deem- ed justifiable, praise worthy, and the se- curement of this short route is only an ef- fort of greater magnitude in this same direction. We save 10000 miles in the pas sage to China over the old route by way of Cape Horn. Our government would have precisely the same right to take offense at the use of the Suez canal by British mer- chants as would the English government at our using the Nicaragua canal
 At all events we want our share of the worlds commerce. and to secure it we must have all of the utilities that are possible. Nor can we expect to get our share with out fierce struggles. There Is now the most intense rivalry for this commerce on the
 
 will use all political, commercial influences and diplomacy with all of it's arts, menac- inG, perhaps, to drive us out of the field. There are persons who say we are bound by treaty stpulations with the government of Great Britain to refrain from carrying out this enterprise. This statement we don't believe. We recognize the fact that fifty years ago the United States and Great Britain entered into an alliance to secure the building of the Nicaraguan canal. Any person who dispassionately studies care- fully that treaty must come to the conclu- sion that the primary stipuations in the Clayton-Bulwer convention looked to the immediate building of a canal under the ! influences that might be exercised by the two governments rather than to prohib- iton of either to build it."
 The ,yton-Buiwer Treaty
 After quoting the treaty the report goes on:-"No one can read that article without concluding that the Nicaraguan canal con- templated was undertaken early to be completed through the kindly aid of the two governments. Great Britain has al- lowed fifty years to elapse without any movement on her part to carry out the provisions of the article It has been a dead letter from the day the treaty was signed to the present moment. And the provisions of the first article that neither government shall have exclusive control over said ship canal, being the ship canal
 
 the two nations were to use their friendly offices in immediately securing. But SUD- pose this is not true, and that we are bound as was Great Britain not to secure the Nicaraguan canal. This Nicaragua ca- nal can properly be described in other words by calling it the short route to the east. And then partly paraphrasing the sentence, Great Britain and the United States bound themselves not to secure as against the other the short route to the n hn ioar tu,o only short route to the east chat any man had in his thoughts, and the spirit of the agreement was that Great Britain would not secure t'he short route to the east with out the consent and cooperation of the United Sates. But in violation of the spir- it of the contract Great Britain has, through her control over the Suez canal, secured for herself a short route to the east-one that is on her territory as completely for all practical purposes as though it was on the soil of Ireland; one that is completely un- der the control of her guns at Gibraltar and the islands in the Mediterranean and Red sea, and yet we are blandly told that, notwithstanding the failure on her part to observe the letter of the seventh article | and the spirit of the first article. we are bound by treaty of alliance entered into | fifty years ago. Change in Relations "The last fifty years, however, wrought a | remarkable change in our relations to a | waterway across the isthmus; 1850 was only | four years removed from our first occupa- tion of California. It was only four years later that the passage of the first party of | emigrants from the Mississippi river under the protection of a mili.ary force to Ore gon. It was but two years after the session of large landed interests on the Pacific | coast from Mexico; it was only three years