The Springfield herald., 1900-02-23

Nicaragua and Costa Rica will give
their consent for the construction of
this great work. 1t will traverse either
the border or the interior of Nicaragua
for II distance of about 100 miles. 1t
will give to that state waterway
from its capital and Its most productive
region to the sea. 1t will place that
country on one of the leading water
ways Of the world, bringing 1t into i'm
mediate contact with large foreign
commerce and those who conduct 1t.
In very many ways the state Will have
advantages not now possessed, and
that will be for n long time lost II an
other route by which the oceans are
connected should be adopted. All of
these considerations induce the belief
that these two enlightened states Will
be glad to aid our government cordially
and efficiently in carrying out this
great design. II is true that the esti-
mates of cost are variable, ranging as
they do from less than $40, 100000 to n
possible $145,OOO,OOO. 1t is, however.
proper to say that the size and charac-
ter of the canal estimated for Is as var
liable as the cost. The earliest esti-
mates were for n canal suited to the
ships Of the time. The later estimates
are for ships of this time. Fifteen feet
depth and fifty feet width was the size
Of the earliest project. Thirty feet
depth and $50 feet width are the di-
mensions Of the later proposed canal"
For several weeks skillful attorneys
have been engaged in drafting Il law
for the American Federation Of Labor
to be introduced into Congress to pre-
vent future Interference by United
States courts with strikes and other Ia
Dor movements. The purpose of the
proposed law Is to prevent employers
Of labor from appealing to the courts
for injunctions and other orders for
their own protection and the protection
of non-union labor which they may cm'
ploy. This Is not new subject. II
has been under discussion for many
years, and number of bills have been
introduced into both houses of Con
gress from time to time to exclude or
ganized labor from the Jurisdiction OF
the courts. but no bill yet drafted has
commanded the support and approval
of any committee In Congress. The
American Federation of Labor took
the matter up last fall and employed
some OF the nblest attorneys in the
country. The result of their work, in
the form Of a bill, has been submitted
to the executive council of the fedora
tion, consisting Of President Gompers
Vice Presidents Mcclure, James Dun.
can, James O'Connell. John Mitchell
Max Morris and Thomas l. Kidd
Treasurer John B. Lennon and Sccrc
tary Frank Morrison, which now has Ii
under consideration. AS soon us II re
ceives the committees approval 1t will
be introduced In both houses of Con
gress and is awaited with great inter
est by labor men. There Is almost uni
versal doubt on the part Of lawyers in
Congress whether 1t is possible for hui
man ingenuity to devise n method by
which the labor unions may be made
exempt from the action of the civil
courts. Representative Lorimer OF CHI
cago, q member of the House commit
tee on labor, who has been in Congress
several terms, and has always taken n
deep interest In the subject, having
framed bill himself to restrict the use
Of injunctions, admits that he hns been
unable to draft measure that was
worth the paper it was written on.
The correspondent of the Chicago
Record writes to his paper as follows:
1.-The action of the Senate In passing
the currency bill by such an over
whelming majority ought to remove
the financial question from politics ill.,
definitely, because, even If Mr.. Bryan
elected president in November and had
n Democratic majority In the House of
Representatives behind him he could
not repeal this law for at least six
years. The tariff question is out of
politics for the same reason. 1t will be
ut lenst six years before the Dingley
law can be repealed or materially nj
tered. If the Democrats should capture
every seat in the United States Senate
between now and March 4, 1906, they
would not be able to secure n majority
until that time. Nor is 1t possible by
any political maneuver or by any vote
of the people at the polls to pass law
for the free coinage of silver at 10 to l..
or at any other ratio, until 1DO6, eX-
cept in the improbable event of an cpl
demic which shall carry Off the Re
publican majority In the Senate and
the election of an equal number of free
silverites to fill their seats. Hence sew
ernl of the Democratic leaders argue
that it Is useless for their candidate
for the presidency to 20 before the
country upon the free coinage issue or
the Chicago platform. The suggestion
that the chances of Mr.. Bryan's clec-
ton will be strengthened by the GER
tainty that he cannot disturb the tinnn-
cial policy of the government is met
WITH unOtner suGSestioh 'iiht nc 10 ue-
privcd of his strongest argument, and
that all who believe with the Republi-
cans on other issues will give up the
silver fight and stand by the party of
expansion, progress and prosperity.
The Republican leaders say they fear
no injurious results from the measure.
and that they rejoice at so easy vic
tory for the economic principle. The
overwhelming vote by which the bill
was adopted, the fact that only one
Republican voted against it, and that
there is no longer any Republican op-
position to the gold standard from the