The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1901-11-21
THE CANAL TREATY.
Lord Pauncefote Is Instructed to
Sign 1t.

Washington, Nov. 1s.--Lord Paunce-
fote has received authority from his
government to sign the new treaty
drawn up by Secretary Hay and him
self in relation to the isthmian canal.
This brings the matter to satisfac-
tory conclusion.
Important Provisions.
On what is deemed excellent author
ity, the following are the provisions
which give the United States exclusive
military as well as civil control:
"The United States is invested with
the sole right to protect the canal from
damage by an enemy.
1.-THE United States has the right to
exclude an enemy's ships from the use
of the canal.
'The United States alone of all ma
tions has the right to defend itself in
the waters adjacent to the canal"
The principles above noted are i'm
portant because they were forced from
Great Britain and neutralize the So
called DECENTRALIZATION" of the canal.
In time of war it is plain, from the text
of the treaty, that the United States
will have privileges not to be enjoyed
by other nations.
No Discrimination.
More important than the above
agreement between the United States
and Great Britain is the following ex-
tract from the treaty:
1.-THE canal shall be free and open to
vessels of commerce and war, of all
nations observing these rules, on terms
of entire equality, so that there shall
be no discrimination against any such
nation"
There was more discussion on the
verbage of this proposition than any
other between Lord Lansdowne, Am
bassador Choate and Lord Pauncefote.
Lord Lansdowne insisted that the
phraseology should be that the ma
lions should agree to observe the
rules. The American diplomats, how
ever, insisted that if the nations where
in the treaty to "agree" to certain
things that word would imply con-
tract with foreign nations, and the OBJ
ject of the new treaty was to give
exclusive American control. Lord
Lansdowne and Lord Pauncefote
yielded.
Changes in Governments.
An extremely important provision
of the new treaty is article four, the
| point of which is "that no change OF
sovereignty or of international rela-
tions of the country or countries trav.
ersed by said ship canal, shall affect
the general principle of naturalization
hereby established, or the obligations
of the parties under this treaty"
By this article no changes in the
governments of Nicaragua or Costa
Rica, or their relations to any other
impair the rights of the United States
in the canal. Thus, if Costa Rica OIL
! Nicaragua should ever become a part
of the United States, or by the fortunes
of war dependencies on any other
country, the right of the United States
would still be intact.
The preamble of the new treaty has
been changed slightly. The change
| consists of the insertion of the words
"by whatever route may be considered
| eXpedient" after the words "a ship
canal to connect the Atlantic and the
Pacific oceans"
The other points in the new treaty
which have heretofore been conjectur.
al, are that Great Britain agrees to
omit the clause prohibiting the fortif,
cation of the cana"
That the United States has the right
by this very treaty, to close a cana.
against a belligerent, and to defend il
"by whatever means are deemed nee,
essary." This gives the United States
the right to fortify. heretofore denied
The fact that Great Britain has
agreed to the treaty as prepared here
has already been announced.
FavOrs Nicaraguan Route.
Washington. Nov. 1S.-The isthmiar
canal commission. of which Rear Ad
| miral Walker is chsirman, has com
| p.eted its report. The commission is
unanimous in its conclusions. 1t favors
the adoption of the Nicaraguan route
IS the most feasible and most practi
cable for an isthmian canal to be 'un,
der the control, management and own
| ership of the United States"
| The commission estimates the cost
of the proposed canal at about 5000,
! OOOOOO This is for a cana with g
depth of IS feet; a width at the bottom
| 81 IN Fao+ ;Drroa cipr Of +urDs 10 on