The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-01-19
CONGRESS PROBLEMS.
Continued from First Page.

comes law, as also seems l1kely, Will
take at least SO, 600, 900 yearly for ten
years. These two measures alone
would require an annual outlay OF
about $35, 900, 600 for several years, thus
probably necessitating a postpone
ment of the revision of the customs
duties and internal taxes for some
years. This will be hard luck for the
brewers, for they were quite conf
dent short time ago that they would
be able to bring reduction Of the
tax on beer from 80 to 81 barrel.
That looks impossible now.
AS Chairman of the Senate Commit
tee, Senator Morgan, on Inter oceanic
canals, reported to the Senate yester-
day, a bill to provide for the construc
tion of the Nicaraguan canal by the
United States along right of way to
be acquired from the governments of
Nicaragua and Costa RIGA and over
which this Government is to exercise
control and have the right to erect
defensive works. All this is ito be
done under lease, thus leaving the
sovereignty in the land still with the
Central American governments. 1t
is in a word the Hepburn bill with but
slight and unimportant notifications.
The adoption of the Hepburn bill by
the Senate Committee was an unusual
concession to the House
1t looks as though an understanding
has been reached all along the line
for Congressional action that will en-
sure the early beginning of actual
work on tie isthmus waterway. 1t
looks as though no serious objections
will be made to the American plans
by England, and also as though nego-
| tiations are in an advanced state be-
tween this government and the Cen
trail American governments interested
for the right of way. There is still
some talk of protests being entered by
England and Germany, but those best
informed concerning the inner diplo-
matte workings of the matter agree
that whatever protests have been made
have no sinister object, but simply
mean that the commercial nations
are DESTROYS of securing the neutrality
of the canal when built.
The Clayton-B ulwer treaty that has
always been invoked as bar against
the building of the canal by the Uni
ted States no longer stands in the
way, if it ever really so stood. This
unfortunate treaty at it's worst has
never been more than cloud. 1t has
been confidently felt always that when
the United States meant business and
was ready to begin the work that
cloud Ewould disappear. The treaty
has been held to be virtually inopera-
tive for many years, but it has never
been formally abrogated. England
may attempt to use it to extort from
this country compensation somewhere
else, in Alaska, for instance, but be-
yond that it is dead, and with firm
ness on theT part of this country it
will not serve even that purpose.
The canal when built will be Amer
lean from end~to end. That has al
ways been the aim of Senator Morgan
and of the advocates of the enterprise
in the past. Its main object is to
shorten the journey from our Atlantic
to our Pacific coasts both in peace and
war. The United States will claim
and exercise the right of using it in
it's own wars the same as one of our
transcontinental railroads. The coun-
try at war with us would be refused
this use of the canal unless they could
capture it. The war vessels of coun-
tries at war with each other but not
with us would be allowed to pass
through, but not to. fight each other in
the canal or in the ports at each end
or within the three mile limit at sea
from those ports. In peace the ships
of every country would have free use
of the canal on the payment of tolls
and under proper regulations. Thus
the canal would be neutralized save
as to ourselves. We being its owners
would exercise an owners rights and
privileges. 1t will be recalled that
during the war with Spain Spanish
squadron fully armed passed through
the Suez canal Ell route to Manila
though the commander thought better
of the scheme and turned back before
he had arrived i'll zone OF danger.
The friends of the project are san
guine that the measure will reach the
President within the next sixty. days.
The times are propituous for the en-
terprise. The opposition which has
heretofore met it at every turn in this
country has melted away. The Pacific
railroads that have hitherto fought
are now favorable to it. Even the
Panama lobby that was in evidence
here last Congress doing what could
to complicatesand delay matters is as
quiescent as though under the influ
ence of sleeping powders. The Treas
ury is in fine condition to under
take the work. The revenues are
largely in excess of current ex-
noOditurac and will oon+;u,,o - L.