The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1900-12-25
NICARAGUAN CANAL.
Senator Lodge Explains the Amend
ments to Eay-Pauncefote Treaty.
England Is Asked to Accept Reser.
walton of Rights in Time of
War Which She Granted
in the Suez Treaty.

Washington, Dec. %. - Senator
Lodge, who had charge of the Hay
Pauncefote treaty in the senate, Fri
day made the following statement:
'The senate amendments are very
important, but they are also very
simple, although there seems to be
some misunderstanding in regard to
them, owing to the fact that ali
debates upon the treaty took place
behind closed doors. Now that the
amendments and votes have been
made public by order of the senate,
it may not be amiss to explain them
briefly.
The American people desire to
build, and mean to build and control,
the isthmian canal. They recognize
that the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, made
so years ago under conditions no
longer existent, stands in the way
They have no desire to clear it from
their path in violent fashion by
formally denouncing it or by passing
laws and taking action in contraven-
ton of it's provisions. They wish to
remove it by amicable arrangement
in a suitable and becoming manner.
The Hay-Pauncefote treaty was
framed for this object. The senate
is part of the treaty-making power,
and treaties sent to it for ratifica-
ton are not strictly treaties, but
projects for treaties. They are still
inchoate.
''In the exercise of its undoubted
rights, without. the slightest rehec-
ton upon any one, and without
shadow of hostility to a friendly ma
ton, the senate, continuing the ne
gotiations begun by Mr.. Hay, offers
three new propositions to England.
They ask her to omit the clause in
viting other nations to adhere, which
does not touch her at all. They ask
her to conform to our desires by
agreeing in unmistakable language
to the suppression of the Clayton
Bulwer treaty by the Hay-Pauncefote
treaty, which is the whole purpose
of the negotiation. They ask her
finally to accept in this treaty the
reservation of rights in time of war
which she granted Turkey in the
Suez convention, and of which, as the
present pOssessor of Egypt, she is
now herself the beneficiary.
These propositions are all essen
tial to American interests, and are
fair, reasonable, friendly and in no
possible sense offensive. England's
interest in having the canal built, be
it great or small, is second only to
that of the United States, for she
alone has, like the United States,
large possessions in North America
and both an Atlantic and a Pacific
coast. We agree that all vessels of
commerce and of war shall pass
through the canal on the same terms
as our own, and in war between
other powers we agree to preserve
the neutrality of the canal toward all
belligerents. In Difference to the
wishes of Nicaragua and Costa RIGA
in regard to this treaty, and not to
them, we relinquish the right to erect
permanent Notifications, and, al
though there is no need of such for
tifcations, the right to erect them
is an important right, and its relin-
quishmenJ goes to the last verge of
concession.
''The vast expense of the canal is
ours, the maintenance and defense
of it are ours, and the American peo-
pie will never permit canal there
which they do not control, because
the defense of the United States
Overrides every other consideration.
In building and maintaining the ca
nal we assume that burden by which
the whole world will benefit, and if
we bear the burden alone, the power
and control must be ours alone also.
''We desire to dispose of the Clay
ton-Bulwer treaty in the most friend
ly way possible. We are most averse
to any other disposition of it. Eng
land does not intend to go to war
with us to prevent our building of
the canal, and if it is physically posi-
BILE to. build it we mean to do so in
any event.
Under these circumstances we are
very clear that it is as much for Eng
lands interests as ours to accept the
new propositions in the friendly
spirit in which they are offered, and
thus end a controversy over an out
worn treaty which is only a STUN
bling block to both nations. 1t is
not to he doubted that the English
ministers, whose ability, experience
and reputation are known to all the
world, will duly weigh all these con-
siderations and rightly comprehend
the purpose of the senate amend
ments and the spirit in which they
are offered"
senator Frye's Wife Dead.
WASHINGTON Dec % The v,,ifa of