Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1900-02-15

senate committees to jOstle the
resident and his commission out of
the way, and jam this canal bill
through Congress with rush, is a
proceeding SO brutal, so redolent of
the "pot-house politician" as to be
almost without parallel in the his
tory of American politics.
Briefly stated, the history of the
Isthmlan Canal question is as fol-
lows: In 1892, when the Maritime
Canal Company, which was attempt
ing to build the Nicaragua Canal, be-
gan to run out of funds, the Senate
introduced bill authorizing the gov
eminent to guarantee the bonds of
the company to the extent of $780,
100000. Congress very properly re-
fused to do this without investigation
and in 1895 appointed a commission,
presided over by Gen. Ludlow, to
make personal examination of the
route. This commission reported
that the surveys of the Maritime
Company were incomplete, its plans
largely impracticable, and that the
cost of the canal would be 100 per
cent greater than the estimate, or
$134, 100000 instead of $67, 100000 as
estimated by the Maritime Company
It was further suggested that $780,
600 be appropriated for q commission
to make such q thorough examination
as would enable a reliable estimate of
the practicabilIty and cost of the can
al to be made. Acting on this sug-
gestion, Congress IN 1897 authorized
the appointment of the Walker Com
mission, which reported last May
that with certain radical changes in
the route and construction, the MIC
Rragua Canal could be built for q
sum which two of the members put at
Sis, 100000, and the third, who was
the ranking engineer of the Commits
sion, estimated at $135, 100000.
During the last Congress, however,
there was published a report of IN
Improbable authority on the present
state and possibilities of. the Panama
Oanal-a scheme which the American
public, and indeed the world at large,
supposed to be practically defunct
This report was drawn up by an in
ternational commission composed of
several of the most distinguished can
al and hydraulic engineers in Amer
lea and Europe, who, after careful
consideration of the revised plans for
the completion of the canal, reported
that they were thoroughly feasible
and that the canal could be complet-
ed for the sum of $102,OOO,OOO The
publication of the report produced a
lengthy discussion of the compare
tive advantages of the two routes, in
which it was shown that the Panama
Canal would be shorter, 46 miles
against ITO, that the danger zone, or
the length of canal in which ships
would be avove tide water, would be
only % miles as against 1877 miles,
and that two good terminal harbors
existed at Panama against none at
Nicaragua. 1t was stated that the
Panama Company would agree to the
United States completing the Pan
anna canal and holding the controlling
interest, and it was suggested that as
this country had already by treaty
hn - .
anna route, it would be folly to con.
struet a second canal when by taking
hold of the Panama project we could
secure every advantage of q military
or political nature that would accrue
at Nicaragua, in addition to other ad.
vantages of physical and CONNER.
clRl nature that existed only at Pan.
anna.
During the last Congress a desper.
ate effort was made to rush through
bill authorizing the immediate con.
struction of the Nicaragua Canal
bat after exhaustive debads the OBJ.
Viously wise conclusion was reached
that it would be better to appoint
another commission for the express
purpose of examining not merely the
Nicaragua and Psnama routes, but
any other possible route across the
Isthmus. The President was accord
ingly empowered to appoint an 18th
milan Canal Commission, and 81, 1000,
900 was appropriated for It's expen
SEES. The commission was disnatchef