The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-02-18
Chairman Hepburn Goes Into Full Details
on the Project.
BENEFITS TO ACCRUE TO AMERICAN SHIPPING
Great Britain First Violated the TeayUnted
States Legally Free to Act-Private Concessions
Not of Any Interest

character. but we think the people OF no
other country would have a right TO object |
IL the people OF the United Stntes saw
at to construct a ship canal from New
York to san Francisco on the territory |
belonging solely 10 the United States nor |
would the people OF any other country
have the right to object II Mexico. on her
own territory, constructed a canal across
the Isthmus Of Tehuantepec. Nor yet
again could any one rightfully object to
Nicaragua constructing canal on her own
soil from the Caribbean sea to the Pacific
ocean. Now IL this be true, II these states
would have the right on their own terri
tory. using their own means TO provide
for themselves this great advantage tor
their commerce. could not either OF them
grant to another State upon terms entirely |
advantageous and satisfactory 10 the par
ties, the right 10 construct canal similar |
to the one under discussion No one would
have the right 20 quarrel with Nicaragua
In thus disposing to the United States |
right that unquestionably belongs to
her. The fact that it would enable US ia |
an emergency and In certain directions 20
increase the efficiency Of our navy, does |
not constitute such a statement Of facts |
as to allow our rivals to object to our |
building this canal. other nations are
now making large additions 10 their naval
powers by the use of their ship yards. |
the efficiency Of our navy by Increasing
the number of our ships. When we have |
these ships we have the right to send them |
wherever we choose, and the mere fact |
that the rapid transfer through the Mica
ragua canal OF our naval vessels TO tbs |
Pacific or from the Pacific to the Atlantic !
increases the efficiency of a given squad |
ron, surely ought not to be regarded as
an undue advantage that the United States |
would have through this waterway, We
want to increase our power on the high |
seas. Our people are intent on having !
their full share Of the commerce of the
world. This canal Is an aid In that dl-
rection II is true that 1t will disturb
the conditions OF equality that now exist |
but every effort that the successful mer-
chant makes Is an effort to disturb this |
equality and to secure advantages for
himself Steamships instead of sail yes
sells tho huge vessels OF today instead
OF the smaller ones OF nifty years asv
improvements In machinery manufacture,
all these are efforts TO disturb the equal
ity Of conditions that exist between mer-
chants They are all deemed justinable,
pralseworthy and the securement Of this
/ short route is only an effort of greater
magnitude In this same direction. We !
save 10000 miles III the passage TO China
over the old route by way OF Cape Horn.
Our government would have precisely the
'
the Sue2 canal by British merchants as
! would the English government OF OUT
! using the Nicaragua canal. At all events
| Nc want our share OF the worlds com
merce and 10 secure it we must have all
the utilities that are possible. Nor can
We expect to get our share without nerco
struggles. There Is now the most Intense
rivalry for this commerce on the part
Of commercial nations, aud our rivals will
use all political, commercial influences and
diplomacy with all OF It's arts menacing
Perhaps to drive us out OF the field
There are persons who say that we are
bound by treaty stipulatious with the
government of Great Britain to refrain
from carrying out this enterprise This
statement we do not believe We rec.
ogni2e the fact that nfty years ago the
United States and Great Britain entered
into az alliance to secure the building
of the Nicaragua canal. Any persons whl
dispassonately study carefully that treaty
must come 10 the conclusion that the prl-
mary supulatous In tho Clayton Bulwer
convention looked 10 the immediate build
Ing OF canal under the influences that
might be exercised by the two govern
ments rather than TO a prohibition OF
either 20 build H."
After quoting the treaty the report goes
on; No one can read that article without
concluding that the Nicaragua canal con-
templated was an undertaking early to be
completed through the kindly aid Of tbs
two governments Great Britain has al.
lowed nifty years to elapse without any
movement on her nnlt 10 carry out the
provisions OF that article. II has been a
dead letter from the day the treaty waA
signed to the present moment and the pro-
visions Of the first article were agreed 10
necessarily Ia connection with the seventh
that neither government shall have en-
elusive control over said shin canal. being
the ship canal that was provided for In
The seventh article and which the two ma.
tions were 10 Use their friendly offices IN
Immediately securing hut suppose This
Is not true and that we ara bound as
was Great Britain bound not 10 secure
the Nicaragua canal, This Nicaragua
canal win not he properly described I'm
other words by calling II The short route
to the East aud then partly paraphraslng
the sentence Great Britain and the United
states bound themselves not To secure
as against the other the short route 10 the
East In 1850 the Nicaragua route was
the opy short route 10 the East that
any man had In his thoughts, aud the
spirit Of the agreement was that Great
Britain would not secure the short route
10 the East without consent and co-opera-
tion Of the United states, hut In violation
OF The spirit Of the contract Great Britain
has in her control over the Sucz canal
secured for herself short route to the
completely for all practical purposes as
though II was on the soil OF Ireland one
that Is completely under the control OF her
guns at Gibraltar and the islands IN the
Mediterranean and the Red Sea and yet
we are hlandly told that Notwithstanding
; the failure on her part 70 observe the let
ter OF the seventh article and the spirit
OF the first article that we were bound by
a treaty Of alliance entered into fifty years
ago, The last fifty years have wrought a
remarkable change In our relations to a
waterway crossing the isthmus: 1850 was
only four years removed from our fret oe-
cupauon OF California. II was only four
, years later than the passage OF the nrst
, party OF emigrants from the Mlssissipoi
, river under the protection OF a military
force to Oregon. II was but two wears
after the oession OF lame land interest,
| In the Pacific coast from Mexico, u was
, only three years after the Settlement II
The disputed boundary OF our No tAw s.
taelhe pessessl0rs IN 1850 not mora than
lo,tf0 Inhabitants were en- tho p,cIa,
coast Our coastwlze trade with that eoaai
was insignificant in value or amount. nav
. We have millions of citizens liylne on tha,
coast We have hundreds OF millions az
commerce, We have taous inds NJ miIllana
az wealth. We have acnui~ed Alaska. III.
vail. tho phillnplne islanis thc-> Is n,