The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-03
NEUTRAL OR NOTs

The main point at issue now in re-
gard to the Nicaragua canal project, is
the question whether it shall be neutral
or under the exclusive control and own
ership Of the United States. This is a D..
very grave question and should be most
carefully considered before action is
taken. The advantages on both sides
should be we'll weighed.
If the canal becomes the exclusive
property of the United States, then of
course we shall fortify it, and in case of
war, the enemy would not be allowed
the use Of it. But at the same time, so
much of our naval strength would de-
pend on that canal, that It would be the
first point of attack on the part of the
enemy. We would therefore have to
maintain a sufficient fleet there to keep
the ships of the enemy from getting
within shooting distance of the canal,
for a single well directed shell might
destroy some lock and close the canal as
effectually as if it had never been con-
structed. But the navies of several
European powers are at present consid-
erably stronger than our own and VIII
probably continue so for some time to
come. 1t would therefore be very diff
ficult, or practically impossible, for us
to make the canal safe against hostile
attack, and as long as we are not able
to do that, 1t 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
strong forts at both ends of the canal,
and construct it in such manner that
no locks or other vulnerable 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
for quite a distance through low level
! plain, but at the western extremity,
where the shore rises quite abruptly, it
would probably not be possible. There
| it will probably be necessary to build
locks close to the shore where the guns
of the enemy could easily reach them,
in spite of the strongest Notifications.
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 conflict with all
the neutral powers, whose commerce and
| shipping would suffer thereby. But theo-
| reticaIly the enemy would have the same
right to use it that we would have, and
| hence it would not do us much good
| Our main object in building that canal
| is to secure for ourselves in case of war
the advantage of enabling our Atlantic
and Pacific squadrons to cooperate with
| out giving the enemy a chance to do the
same.
| OF course we would have police control
over the canal even if it were neutral,
and in consequence of this fact it is now
claimed that in case of war the enemy
will not dare to use canal zoo miles
in length, over which we have police con.
troll, and every foot of which might be
paved with torpedoes. If this claim is
true, it means great deal; but it will
be we'll to consider first what complica-
lions might arise. if by the use of tor
pedoes we should undertake to DESTROY
the ships of the enemy in neutral waters,
such as the canal would be. But if NO
objection can be raised on this ground,
then by all means let the canal be neu-
trail. 1t would relieve us of the burden
OF protecting it. 1t would interest all
the powers to such an extent that no
one would dare to destroy it, and at the
same time. if we had war. we could
] use 1t and the enemy could not. 1t would