Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1900-02-17
FIERCE OPPOSITION
TO CANAL TREATY
Proposed Naturalization of Nicara-
guam Waterway Strongly OBJ
jected To by Senators.
UNITED STATES MUST CONTROL II
Naval Officers Are Amazed at FRO
posai TO Prohibit Forfiflcations
- Sucz Only Neutral in
Name.

Chicago, Feb. 12.--The Washington
correspondent Of the Times Herald
says:
When the proposition was made that
| the United States surrender all advan-
| tagcs in the Nicaragua canal for the
glorious privilege of bearing the eN-
pense and responsibility alone, "A
storm OF opposition was reused In
| Washington. This storm appears to
be gathering force with each passing
day.
The treaty in its present form Is
practically beaten, and the admins
tration which proposed il admits that
| this IS so.
From no quarter comes iiercer op-
| position to the proposed surrender
| than from American naval officers.
| Our navy men have always supposed
| that when the United States put $50
| 100000 or $500, 100000 into an isthmian
| canal it was 10 be done TO secure stra-
| tegic as well as commercial advantage.
| They have never supposed that we
were 10 put up the money and then
| give orr enemies the same rights in
the canal as we ourselves enjoy.
Naval officers are amazed that such
a proposal has been consented TO by
the president, but as the treaty has
the sanction of their commandcr-in-
chief they are dcbarred from public
expression Of their views. ! had Il talk
with one of the most distinguished
officers Of the American navy, one
whose reputation as strategist and
n builder Of our naval power all over
the globe is not second 10 that Of any
OF his confrercs. lie was unalterably
opposed TO the pending treaty.
An Admirnl's View.
"What provokes me most" said the
admiral, "is the constant assumption
Of the British press and the British
agents i'm this country that they have
made n great concession TO America
They appear to think themselves enti-
tied 10 great credit for their gencros-
ity. II they have surrendered any
thing Of value | AIN unable to see what
il is.
They lay great stress, too, upon
the fact that the SueZ canal was nca-
tralized by the convention Of Constan-
tinoplc. That naturalization is held
up as the model which we should fol-
low i'm the isthmus. Now. the truth is
that every naval expert in the world
knows the naturalization of the SucI
canal is theoretical, not Il practical
naturalization. It is a naturalization
upon paper.
"In order to obtain the capital with
which TO dig inc canal naturalization
was proposed at the outset The en-
tcrprisc was never considered any
thing but neutral affair. Capital from
all countries was invited and entered.
The first boards Of directors were in
tcrnationaI. as are recent boards.
"Whcn Britain bought the controll-
ing stock naturalization was fact.
But what did il amount TO? Practi-
cally nothing. Britain in control Cf
the ditch is required 10 permit her en-
cmy's vessels to pass through If they
present themselves. But here is the
crucial point-none is ever likely to be
presented.
SutZ Neutral Only in Name.
and for this very good reason.b be-
cause they cannot get there the adj
miral explained. THE Sucz is Il canal
in the midst Of continents, while the
isthmian viii be a canal in the midst
Of oceans. That is the difference.
"ro get to SucZ ships must pass
through the Mediterranean on the
west and the Red sea on the south.
Britain controls the entrance TO both
these seas.
AT the entrance to the Mcdterra-
rean stands Gibraltar. There, rs cv-
cryone knows, Britain has one of the
greatest fortressrs in the world. She
is constantly making it stronger.
"Shc is at this moment building new
docks and yards in the harbor on the
east side of the rock. She is providing
the fortress with new scarchlights,
due TO the fact that some years ago n
French fleet slipped through the
strait unobservcd during the darkness
of n thick night The British do not
propose to have such a thing happen
again.
"They have Gibraltar provisioncd to
withstand a siege of four years dura-
ton. They have planted the strait
which is only fifteen miles wide, full
of torpedoes and mines, controlling
them from the shore.
ut is well understood that in case
of war no ship of Britain's enemy
could enter the Mediterranean. To at
tempt to do so would be TO invite al
most certain destruction.
$50 much for British neutralizatica
of the western approach TO the en-
trance 10 the Sue2 canal. How about
the southern approach?
AT Alden. at the mouth of the Red
sea, stands n British fortress, tlanked
by another coaling station, yard and
dock. \ feet is always kept there.
We have not very full information rs
to the strategic value of Aden, but we
do know that a few years ago the
British government thought well
enough of il to appropriate S15O,OOO
for works there and Sl,0O0,000 for arm
ament. I'm addition to quick-firing and
machine guns there are ten-inch-
scven-inch and siX-inch rifled guns.
We understand that larger guns were
recently installed, though naturally
is difficult 10 get.
"In naval circles il is well under
stood that tins fortress and base, in
cooperation with fleet of moderate
size, is able TO protect the southern
TO the SueZ canal quite as
fully as Gibraltar protects the west
ern approach.
"But this is not all. In the Mcdi-
terrancan Britain has also Malta, Il
great naval base, and Cyprus. She also
has Il number of important fortltica-
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