The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-03-05

An Effort to Sidetrack the Nicaragua
Canal Bill
BEING MADE BY REPUBLICANS.
Administration Wants It Deferred lnlit
After the Election.
NEW REASON HAS BEEN ADVANCED.
Surveying Party Has Located Qulcksand On
the Site Of The Dam.
COMMISSION IS NOT READY TO REPORT
Democrats Are Unanimously In Fa-
Nor OF the Passage of the Bill
mt This session.
tw REASON HAS BEEN ADVANCED.
Surveying Party Has Located Qulcksand On
the Site Of The Dam.
IS NOT READY TO REPORT
Democrats Are unanimously in Fa-
Nor OF the Passage of the nil
mt This Session.
Special to Tho post.)

Washington, March 4.--Indications
pointing to a concerted plan ON the part
of the administration and certain other
prominent republicans to sidetrack the
Nlcaraguan canal bill until after tho
presidential election are becoming plainly
apparent. and there are public men in
Washington who would not be much sur
prised il anal action on this measure
was postponed uutil the short session OF
the lifty-siNth Congress, which Will begin
next December Arguments which are
made to appear plausible are being adj
yanoed against the passage Of any bill
authorizing tho construction of the inter-
oceanic waterway at this sessioA and the
opposition is at It's wits end in inventing
new ones. Until today tho argument
which was played with the best OBJECT
was that the house ought TO wait until
the senate acts on the Hay Pauncefots
treaty. which declares for a neutral non
fortified canal The Hepburn bill 1t win
be remembered, provides for fortified
waterway and for certain discriminating
rates in favor OF American ships.
Now a new reason has been advanced,
and it is being used for ali it is worth.
1t Is said that a serious obstacle in tho
way OF building the canal along the Nioa-
ragua route, as at present laid out, has
been found by tho party surveying it.
Commander stanton of the navy. who IS
the secretary of the Nicaragua canal
sa.sV ~. ,at -fp.Ka
Washington. Is reported to have received
communication 20 the effect that i'm
mense beds Of qucksand underlie tho
spot few miles above the entrace OF the
san Carlos river into the San Juan river
where II was proposed to build the largest
dam ever constructed, and which will
have to be built somewhere In the vicinity
In order to increase the headwGsers OF the
san Juan to a proper depth This alleged
obstacle is being used by the opposition
20 Immediate action on tho canal bill
with as much vigor as the circumstances
will justify.
Another argument which Is being al.
vanced In favor OF delay is that the new
canal commission which was appointed u
year ago to mako resirveys aud investi-
gate the feasibility Of both the Panama
and Nicaragua routes, will not be ready to
report before congress adiourns in June.
~ 10 tubAbul tue TtpUIL VIII not DC COM
plo ed and submit d be orc next De- ember,
when the short session begins. The com
mission has completed the survey OF the
Panama route and now is engaged on tho
Nicaragua route. as Is indicated above.
Those who are insisting upon the i'm
mediate passage of the canal bill declare
that the report of the commission is not
at all essential to action on the measure.
The little obstacle at the San Carlos river
is OF no consequence from the standpoint
of the consideration OF the bill at this or
engineers and not for congress TO deal
W In. Moreover. the Nicaragua route has
been surveyed two or three times, aud
there Is no question at all OF It's being tho
best that could be found across the Gem
trial American lsthmus.
The democratic party in congress Is
practically unanimous in favor OF the pas
sage OF the canal bill and opposed to the
ratification OF the Hay PauDcefote treaty,
which revitalizes the old Clayton Bulwer
convention which 1t is contended Great
Britain long ago vitiated by her actions in
British Honduras and on the Mosquito
coast But certain republican leaders are
Injecting politics into the project. They
realize that this congress will be a most
extravagant one, and that tho appropria-
lions will be almost unprecedented in
size The notorious hlllion-dollar con-
gress will be far outdone by the present
body. This Is the secret OF the opposition
10 the passage OF the canal measure at this
session.