The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-05-04
The Nicaragua Canal

The Nicaragua Canal.
The passage of the Nicaragua canal
bill by the house of representatives on
Wednesday. by the tremendous majorl-
ty Of 100 relieves the question of any
political color. The vote stood 225 ayes
to IS noes. Members of the house of all
political parties were anxious to regis
ter their support of the measure, which
provides for the construction Of the
canal by the United States government,
which shall control and protect it when
completed and appropriates $1O.OOO'OOo
with which to commence operations.
The cost of the enterprise is limited to
$14OOOOOOC.
That the sentiment of the country Is
in favor of an inter-oceanlc canal can
not be denied, Whether the bill just
passed by the house is the best that can
be devised. or whether it ought to BE-
and can be amended with advantage
are questions for secondary eonsidera-
ton.
In discussing this question an eastern
publication, which has been devotinS
some time to an investigation of the
subject, remarks that the main ques
ton is, shall the construction and oper-
alton Of the canal be undertaken as IL
national enterprise. under such condi-
lions cas- will place and keep 1t under
the control of the United States, while
at the same time assurance is given
that all other civilized nations shall BE-
permitted to participate. on just and
equal terms. in all the commercial ada
vantages ana privileges which such n
great inter-oceanic waterway will af-
ford? We affirm that this question can
be rightly answered only in the atiirma-
tive and that the reasons for such an
answer aye cogent, convincing. and
conclusive. This proposed waterway
between the two greatest oceans which
are traverssd by the commerce aud
trade Of the whole civilized world, is the
one link now needed for the complete
betting of the globe with thu spced!esS,
safest and cheapest possible route Of
water Communication and Transports
tloa. With this hitherto missing link
supplied. all vessels that sail the seas
Will be able to avail themselves OF thu
most direct and shortest possible route
between the opposite sides Of the world.
All the great and most important marts
Of trade and all the centcrs Of radIatlrg
commerce will be brought nearer to
each other, many of them by thousands
Of miles, than they are to-day. Three
fourths of the whole present commerce
Of the world. which depends IN whole,
or In part. on sea service has its hiGn-
ways Between the 10th and the Goth
parallels Of latitude north Of the equa-
tor.
All the Important shipping ports and
commercial cities OF the United States
and Of England, Germany. France,
Russia, in short of all Europe, and of
China and Japan are within this belt.
For the vast commerce between the
eastern and the western hemisphercs
there is now no continuous waterway,
except by It's DETECTION by many thou
sands of miles southwark and around
the extreme southern points OF Africa
and South America, and thence again
by an equally long northward route to
the several ports OF Its destination. The
suez Canal has provided a waterway
across the eastern half OF the world,
whereby the long detour voyage via thu
Cape OF Good Hope can be avoided. The
Nicaragua Canal will open through the
western hemisphere waterway of
greater capacity, more easily accessible.
and one that is destined and certain TO
attract and command a commerce far
greater In volume and value than that
which now avalls itself OF the Red Sea
route.
with the opening and operating Of
the Nicaragua Canal will come the
uniting. for all purposes of travel aud
trade, OF the Atlantic and the Pacific
oceans, making them practically one.
Then viii follow the working of n verS
large percentage OF the carrying trhd
between the great European shipping
ports and China, Japan ana the far
east which now utiifzcs the suez Canal,
Red Sea and Indian ocean route, to thu
shorter, more direct and more economI-
cal sea-road via the transcontInental
American ship canal to the Pacific
ocean. London and Liverpool. Ham
burg and Bremen ana all northern Eu-
ropean ports wildly the American canal
route. b. brought much nearer to Hong
Kong aad Yokahama than they now
are.
The immense advantage to our own
American commerce Of opening this
new water route to the Orient is obv!-