New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-03-09
TO AMEND CANAL TREATY.
GIVING THE UNITED STATES THE
RIGHT TO DEFEND THE WATER
WAY IN TIME OF WAR
fBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.1

fBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNEl
Washington March S.-The Senate Committee
on Foreign Relations will meet tomorrow to
consider the HayPauncefote Treaty relative to
the Nicaragua Canal. The subcommittee. con-
sstng of Senators Davis, Lodge and Morgan,
will report to the full committee. Their report
is favorable the treaty with amendment
providing that the United States shall have the
right to defend the canal in time Of The
provisions to prevent fertilization still remain.
The amendment is considered sufficient to
allow the United States to shut up the canal in
time Of and refuse to allow vessels OF an
enemy to pass through.
Ground on which to base demand for mill
tary control Of the canal has been discovered it
ia contended, In the tenth article of the Suez
Canal Treaty, which served admittedly the
model after which the Hay-Pauncefote conven-
ton drawn. By this article 1t was provided
that the clauses neutralzing the use OF the
Suez Canal should not interfere with the
measures which His Majesty the Sultan and
His Highness the Khedive in the name Of His
Imperial Majesty and within the limits of the
firmans granted. might find it necessary to take
for securing by their own forces the defence of
Egypt and the maintenance of public order
Article XII however expressly limits the scope
Of the military powers granted to the Sultan and
the Khedive by declaring:
The measures taken in the contingency pro
vided for in Articles TX and x Of the present
treaty shall not obstruct the free use or the
canal. In any event. the erection of permanent
Notifications inhibited by Article VIII remains
forbidden.
NOT PARALLEL CASES.
1t is difficult to see how a parallel be
raised between the military powers granted the
Khedive and the Sultan and those now asked by
the United States, unless both Nicaragua and
ID bn tod VplV ~
territory. The Khedve of Egypt or his suze-
rain, the Sultan. exercises sovereignty over both
shores of the SueZ Canal and of its southern
outlet the Red Sea- and could plausibly de-
mand the right Ito secure the defence of Egypt
and maintain public order as against any for,
eign or domestic enemy trying to use the neutral
, canal a base Of hostile operations.
The United States, however owns no territory
adjoining the line of the proposed isthmian
canal, and were the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty
made TO conform in all respects TO its model,
the Constantinople convention. the defensive
powers granted to the Khedive and the Sultan
would logically be conferred on the republics
of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Perhaps the In
genuty OF the committee may convert the new
canal into "a part of our domestic coastlne,
and thus create basis for the claim that the
American hands of military supervision and
mastery of the proposed waterway 1T Is not
clear however. how such an amendment could
be Incorporated in the pending treaty without
so changing it's scope and purpose as TO make
necessary new canal negotiations with Great
Britain on radically different premises from
those accepted by Lord Pauncefote and Secre-
tary Hay.
CALL FOR CANAL CORRESPONDENCE
Mr.. Mason to-day introduced in the Senate a
resolution calling on the State Department FOR
all the correspondence between the Government
OF the United States and the Government OF
Great Britain relative TO the Isthmian canal
authorized by the late Secretary Blaine and
also "a chronological reorganization OF the con-
tentions made by the various Secretaries OF
State since the signing Of the Clayton Bulwer
Treaty to the validity OF this treaty. the re-
plies by the Government OF Great Britain and
the violations OF the terms OF the treaty on the
part OF Great Britain which have been held by
the Government of the United States have
operated ahrogation OF the treaty The
purpose of the resolution Is announced be
10 secure from the state Department COM
plete explanation as to the attitude Of the
various Secretaries of State relative to the
Clayton Bulwer Treaty" In the preamble Gen
eral Lew Wallace is quoted saying that Mr..
Blaine had told him while Secretary of State
that he had written a note to the American Min
lister TO Great Britain nstructing him to take
the position that Great Britain had by her own
acts rendered the treaty void. This statement
is cOntrasted with the statement attributed 10
the State Department that Mr.. Frenghuysen
was the only Secretary OF State who had held
the view that the Clayton Buwer Treaty had
been cancelled