The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-02-19

soil from the Caribbean sea 20 tne fa-
ciiic ocean and no one would havs the
right TO qusrrel with Nicaragua In dis
posing TO the United States q right thai
Internationally belongs 90 her. The fact,
says the report, that 1t would enable
US In an emergency Rnd In certain dirsc-
lions to increase the efllcie"cy Of our navy
does not constitute such state of facts
as allows our rivals to object to our
building this canal
At oil events, we want our share OF the
worlds commerce and TO SECURE IL We
must have ell of the utilities that are
possible. Nor oan We expect to get our
shnie without fierce struggles.
THE LAYToN-BULwER TREATY.
Continuing, the report says:
"Thers are persons who say that we
are hound by treaty stipulatious with
the governments Of Great Britain to re-
frain from osrrying ont this great enter
prise. This statement We do net be.
lie,e. We recognize the fact that 60 year;
ago the United States and Great Britain
entered into an alliance to secure thu
building of the Nicaraguan canal. Any
person who d'spassionately studies that
treaty must come 20 the conclusion that
the primary stipulatlons in the Clayton
Balwsr convention looked to the imme-
dia,e building Of u canal under the intlu.
cree that might be exerted by the two
governments, rather than to prohi :
bition Of either to build Il"
After quoting the tIeaty, the reports
goes on:
"No one can read that article without
concluding that the Nicaragua cana
contsn plated was an undertaking entire
ly to re completed through the kindly
aid of the two governments. Great Brit
ain has allowed so years to elapse without
any movement to carry out the provisions
of that article. 1t has been a dead letter
from the day the treaty was eisned &c
the present moment. Tbs provisions Of
the first article were agreed to necessary.
~ In connection with the seventh, thai
neither government she'll have exclusive
control over said ship canal, being tho
ship canal which the two nations were TO
use their friendly offices In Immediately
securing. But suppose that we are
bound, as was Great Britain bound, not
to secure the Nicaragua canal. The
spirit Of the agreement was that Grsa'
Britain would not secure the short route
TO the East without ths consent and
co operation of the United States. But
in violation of the spirit Of the contract,
Great Britain has through her control
over the Suez canal, secured for herself
q short routs to the east, one that IL on
her territory as completely under the con
troll OF her guns at Gibraltar and the ISL
abis of the Mediterranean and the Red
Sea.
FIFTY YEARS OF PROGRESS.
1.-The last fifty years has wrought re-
markRble change In our relations to a
waterway crossing the isthinus. In
1850 not mors than ten thousand inhabi-
tants were On the Pacific coast. Now we
have millions of citizens living on that
coast, We have hundreds Of millions Of
commerce. We have acquired Alaska,
Hawaii, the Philippine islands. We thinh
1t safe to say that neither the United
States nor Great Britain has continuous
ly regarded the clayton Bulwer treaty AZ
In force. In 1868 the United States and
Nicaragua exchanged Publications of q
treaty Of friendship. commerce and nayi
CATION. 1t gives to the United States tbs
right to Geud its forces into Nicaragua
to defend the citizsns OF the United
States and their property. the pIopert,
in contemplation being the Nicaragua
canal. 1t Is possible that the Uritet
States would have secured from Mica
ragua the right thus to use her military
forces If the authorities had not believed
that the Clayton Bulwer treaty was abro
gated. But IN 1860, Great Britain bersel
concluded q treaty with Nicaragua II
which there was an article almost iden
tical with the article above quoted,
at Is doubtless true that In 1850 Grsa
Britain and the United States oontem
plated the speedy commencement of th'
canal They propc sed to have joint In
terests by joint contributions to 10. Bet
the possibilities Of Suez canal ohange'
the interests of Great Britain. She NJ
longer desired the Nicataguan cana
for her own use. Shs directed her CON
d uct With reference to the new condi
tions, yet still uses this ghost Of deaf
treaty 10 brighten the people OF the Unit
ed States from securing the great advan
tage certain to dew TO US from the sue
cessful completion of this great under
taxing"