The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1900-12-06
Neutral Or Notf

y Neutral d NotfF
fsem ST. Paul Globe;.4 ~
The main point at ISSUE now in re- /
gard tSsthe Nicaragua canal project, |
iae thalanestion wletherhit shah be
neutral or under the exclusive con-
troll and ownership of the United
States. This is very grave question.
Before ACTION is taken the adPap-
tages on both sides should be well |
weighed.
If the f;nsal ,l,ecop,es the exclusive
property s4stle 4Jei.eas SAFES then
of course we shall fortify it. and in
ep$s ASs wax the enemy would not be
,Aff*91 n Ske it. But at the same
time. so much of our naval strength
would depend on that canal. that it 4
would be the first point of attack on
THE HArtfof thef enemy. awe would
therefore have to mainltain a sufficient
fleet there to keep the ships of the
enemy from getting within shooting
distance of the canal. for a single well
sditepdidl shen might destroy some lock
and close the canal as effectually as
if it had never been constructed.
But the nayies Of several European
powers are at present eonsideranIy
stronger than 'ours. and will probably
continue so for sometime to come. 1t
would therefore be very difficult, Or
practically impossible. for us to make
the canal safe against hostile attack.
and as long as we are not able to do
that, it would be of no use to us in
case of war. But in any case. we
would have to maintain an immense
fleet at an enormous expense for the
special purpose of protecting the canal
unless it should be possible to build
the canal. and construct it in such a
manner that no locks or other vul-
nerable portions would be within
| reach of the enemy's guns as far as
the forts could hold them back. This
might be possible on the eastern
coast, where the canal passes quite a
distance through low level plain,
but at the western etremity, where
the shore rises quite abruptly. It
would probably not be possible. There
it will probably be necessary to build
| locks close to shore where the guns
of the enemy could easily reach them
| in of CIV forfiGca
tons.
4 On the other hand. if the canal is
made neutral all the powers will
have an equal interest in protecting
/, it. In case of war the enemy could
not destroy it without coming in con-
tiict with all the neutral powers,
whose commerce and shipping would
suffer thereby. But theoretically the
lenemy would have the same right to
use it that we would have, and hence
lit would not do lis much good. Our
4 main object in building that canal is
to secute for ourselves in case of war
the advantage of enabling our Allan
w anu Suucdi SsAS " So-OpCi'
ate without giving the enemy chance
> to do the. same. a...
OF course we would have police
control over the canal even if it were
; neutral. and in consequence of this
Il fact it is now claimed that in case Of
Iiwar the enemy would not dare to use
t a canal 200 miles in length, Ovel
which We have police, control, ant
levery, foot of which might be paved
NTH to.pedcos Ii ms claim is true
!. it means IL great deal. but ii IT. will tx
we'll to consider first what complica
!, tons might arise. If by the use q
torpedoes we should undertake to dc
stroy the ships Of the enemy in neu