New-York tribune., 1900-08-16
1STByJAN CANAL CONCESSIONS.

| The report that the cancellation of the Mari
time Canal Company's concession in Nicaragua
has been followed by similar treatment of the
Eyre-Cragin concession seems to be received
in the United States generally with little sur
prise and with some degree of complacency.
With the first named corporation there is un-
questionably much sympathy, because it did
q large amount Of legitimate and beneicent
work In the face of a bitter and not always
scrupulous opposition, and unequivOcally stood
for the construction of canal under American
control and for the upholding and promotion of
American mercantile interests. Whatever mis-
takes it may have made it deserved n better
fate than TO be defeated and crushed out of
existence by unhoy selfishness and anti-Ameri-
canism. With the other corporation there is less
sympathy. because-we may say without hOstil-
ity or injustiCe-it had not proceeded far enough
nor sufficiently demonstrated its benefcent pur-
poses TO command any widespread interest.
The lack OF concern, save in sentimental
way with which the cancellation of these con
cessions is regarded by the public is not to be
interpreted as an indication of lack of interest
in the canal project. On the contrary there
Is a widespread feeling that the failure Of
these corporations may actually be a good
thing for that project. The ground has now
been cleared FOR q brand new enterprise, free
from the embaTassments of the old ones and
with better promise of success The United
States Government can now negotiate con-
cession Of its own and proceed with the con-
struction of the canal without any fear of
wranglings over conflicting claims And 1t
is now, as most men think evident that
the undertaking is one for the Government
rather than for any private corporation. The
authority and responsibility of control involved
are such as are best to be exercised by a SOW
ereign Power and not by chartered corpora
ton. Under Government proprietorship there
would not, of course be such an opportunity for
exploiting the industrial, social and vaudeville
resources of the isthmus as some private con-
cessions have contemplated. But that is a
deprivation which the people of the United
States will regard with indifference. What
they want is canal under the American flag,
not company" stores and variety theatres.
No certain information is yet at hand as to
the course to be pursued by the corporations
whose charters have been forfeited. They may
acquiesce in the forfeiture as inevitable and
irreversible, or they may hope TO make ef-
fective protest against it or to secure some in
dennity. 1t is, of course a hardship for them
TO lose the considerable sums of money which
they have invested But whatever action they
may decide upon is hardly likely to alter the
newly established facts in the case. They have
done their best and have not succeeded. IT
now remains for the United States Govern
ment to do the work it should long ago have
done. If 1t shall undertake 1t promptly and
Alright there is every ground for confidence that
the result will be more fortunate than that of
the two enterprises which have Just come to
grIef0 dsila