The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-09
ossrRUCr1xG THE CANAL BILL.


No sooner is one obstacle to the passage
of the bill for the construction Of the
! Nicaragua canal removed than another
comes into view. A few weeks ago It was
said that the great obstacle was the Clay
! ton-Bulwer treaty A provision of that
| treaty prevented the canal from being a
| purely American enterprise. The Secre-
| tary OF State began negotiations with the
! British government for the purpose Of
having the treaty so amended that the
United States could construct own and
control a canal across Nicaragua. When
it was announced that Great Britain had
agreed to our request for such an amend
ment to the treaty as was wanted in this
country, there was very general rejoic-
ing. ana Senator Morgan was quoted as
saying that the canal bill would be passed
inside of a month.
Hardly. however. had the rejoicing be-
gun over the prospect that the work of
building the canal would soon IL begun
than objection to the amended treaty was
made It was declared by some senators
that the Senate would not ratify the treaty
in its amended form. because the United
States had not been given absolute poliu-
cal and military control over the canal
that Great Britain had only consented that
they should have absolute commercial con-
lrd of it.
Il is true that the amended treaty pro
vides that the United States shall not
have the right to close the canal in time
of war 10 the warships of their enemy
that the canal shall be neutral just as
the Sucz canal is. Ii is probable that the
Secretary OF State made no effort to have
the right conceded 10 the United States
to fortify the approaches of the canal,
or to erect fortihcatons at any point
along its line He had in mind doubtless
only one thing, and that was to make the
canal purely American enterprise for
commercial purposes.
If the amended treaty should be defeat
ed by che Senate it is pretty certain that
the canal bill would not be passed at this
session of Congress, and it might not be
passed by this Congress. 1t Is a question
whether it is matter of very much i'm
portauce to this country to have military
control Of the canal. 1t is certain that if
the effort to get it were made there would
be very general opposition the part of
other nations. If we should have exclus-
i've military control 1t is doubtful if it
would be of very great benefit to us. An
enemy could easily destroy the canal py
using dynamite at some point along its
course To have the right, therefore, to
stop the warships of an enemy from pass
ing through the canal might not be of any
considerable practicable use. Suppose the
treaty IS held up In the Senate because
it does not give us the right to use the
canal as we please from military stand
point. ana efforts are made to have it SO
that right. what will be the result? 1t is
more than likely that action on the canal
bill win be delayed for years, because not
only Great Britain. but other nations
will object TO permitting the United States
to exercise military as we'll as CONNER
cial control of the canal.
The Nicaragua canal should be in all
respects neutral. and should be for the
use of all nations If we undertake TO
| construct it with the idea that we are to
control it for military purposes whenever
we think ii is to our interests 10 do so, We
shan meet with obstacles that will be very
difficult to overcome. The canal is of far
more interest 10 US than to any other
country, and it is important that it shall
| he built as soon as possible. Why then
put obstacles in the way of its construc-
tion-obstacles that it may take years to
remove?