The evening times., 1900-05-03
The Hepburn Cnnai Bill.

The Hepburn Canal Bill.
The large majority by which the Hep
burn bill. providing for a truly American
Nicaragua Canal, passed the House of
Representatives yesterday. is sufficient
evidence OF the national popularity OF the
measure. 1t is to be regretted that the
author of the bill found it necessary to
modify the fortifcation provision. although
perhaps the right OF defence is sufficiently
covered as the matter now stands.
The American Nicaragua Canal PROPOSE
tien has been near to the hearts Of the peo-
pie for twenty years. Every Congress dur
ing that time has contained a majority
pledged to thsir constituencies to work,
fight. and vote for the great public enter
prise. But every Congress has contained
members of influence who we're the hire
lings or tools of mighty capitalized inter
ests bitterly determined to defeat the viii
OF the country, and at any cost to prevent
the construction of an inter-oeeanie canal.
BY what means they have succeeded in
blocking the progress Of the movement. Mr.
Hepburn has told US. in part, in his inter
esting oOlloquy with Mr. Cannon of Illi-
nois. for the past five years one of the chief
Instructors. But the struggle could Lot
have been prolonged as il has been.
against the odds OF an overwhelming pub
lie sentiment if the corporations and COM
bination interested had not watered the
field Of combat with copious and ever-in-
creasing floods of gold. They have been
among the most liberal contributors to sue
cessive Republican campaign funds. and
they have shouldered the expense of many
a Congressional district campaign for a
decade at least. They have thus secured
protection" until now, and. although il
might be doubted that the Administration
would dare to continue its fight against
the canal. after the vote of yesterday. they
do not despair of defeating the Hepburn
bill in the Senate, or securing the adoption
of a substitute which would be worse than
no canal
Believing il to be Hanna's policy and
personal interest to kill the canal project.
We are compelled to consider him most
unfortunate in his choice of agents; par
ticularly in ore case The guerrilla fight
which Burton conducted during the two
days debate on the Hepburn bill. being
obviously hopeless. was extremely foolish.
1t resulted neither in change or delay. Il
did result in exposing the hand of his pa
tron and OF the Administration In a way TO
put the friends Of the measure in the Sen
ate and the whole American people on
notice
The Mckinley Salisbury substitute. of-
fered by Burton just before the final vote.
warns the country of what it may expect
should the Senate act in the matter ct
this session. We do rot mean that the
plot Will succeed, but, remembering the
Porto Rican infamy. there is always a
chance that it might. The Administration
scheme is to have the President empow-
cred TO select and negotiate for route
for the canal This OF course is only
another way OF providing that the whole
job ard the money to pay for it shall
be placed absolutely and irrevccabIy in
the control of Hanna and whoever NAV be
associated with him in the deal. And al
this point the old infamous, and blasted
Panama Canal scheme bcbs up serenely
from below.
Granted that the President is given au-
thority TO select the routei 1t would be
base flattery to think for moment 5hat
he would not make his selection in ac-
cordance with the wishes of those who
have directed his course throughout the
present Administration. What will then
happen? IL will be urged that great deal
of work has been done on the Panama
Canal, that it can be bought cheap for
cash, and that il is the shortest route.
Also. that every consideration OF justice
and humanity demands that We should
take il of the hands OF the syndicate Of
Administration hackers in New York who
have secured an option on IL for the fruit
full purposes Of speculation. II is a sin
guisr instance of miraculous conversion
that every person and corporation known
to &c in the anti-canal combination for
the past five or six years. while ready to
continue the struggle against the Nicara-
qua Canal to the last ditch. is now appar-
emily willing to compromise with the coun-
try on the Panama route.
This is i interesting phase OF the situa-
tiOn and one which il is highly desirable
the friends of the Hepburn bill in the Sen
ate should watch with critical care Why
Is 1t tha' magnates who swear that the
Nicaragua Canal would ruin them, should
look with complaeency upon the digging Of
the Panama Canal? In the light Of public
knowledge, the question ought to answer
itself. Finding that the American public
are not TO be balked of their determine
tion 10 undertake some inter-oeeanie wa
terway. IL is obviously good politics to
direct the energies of the nation to one
that can never be successfully CONSTRUCTED
and operated. The plan is a simple one II
1t could be carried out the country would
proceed to pour money into the de Lesseps
rat hole. until IL became apparent that the
enterprise was an impossible one Then
the people would become sick and disgust
ed with the business and. after wasting
sixty or sevent. millions, it would be
dropped. Then we should hear no more
about Isthmian canals Tor another genera
ton The general idea is rather neat one
from the ay-Pauncefcte, New York syn
dicate. and anti-eanal point of view II
should have been kept In reserve, how