The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-12-25
The Panama Canal Company

One side is always good until the
other side is heard, but on all the
facts at hand it appears that Senator
Morgan's attack upon Mr.. Hutin,
president of the.Panama Canal Com
pany, is fully justified. Weeks ago the
Courier-Journal noted and commented
on report that Mr.. Hutin had
decided to cast in his influence with
the transcontinental railroad lines in
opposition to any isthmian canal in the
event that his exorbitant price for the
Panama concessions and work was not
paid. Reference was then made to the
impudence of foreigner in endeavor-
ing to control the legislation OF Con-
gress in his own interest.
OF course, the Nicaraguan canal
project is Of vital concern to the peo-
pie engaged in the work of trying to
construct a canal across the Isthmus Of
Panama. Should both canals be com
pleted there. would necessarily be COM
petition between them for business.
with a corresponding diminution, of
patronage to each. It may be readily
conceded that only one canal is needed
and that two could not be financially
successful. But the interest of the
Panama people goes farther than that.
A canal projected and backed by the
United States is certain of compile
ton, because there will be no trouble
about getting the money needed. The
Panama route would be altogether un-
certain if there were no other project,
because the necessary funds are not
in sight. There is plenty of capital
in France, it is true, but so much has
been wasted on the Panama project
by bad management and corruption
that the enterprise has lost the conf
dence of investors. The one chance
which it had to get the money neces-
sary seemed to be to get the route
adopted by the United States.
To offer the work done at Panama
and whatever concessions were trans
.ferrable to the United States was a
perfectly legitimate business step. 1t
was just as proper as it is for US to
offer to the people of other countries
our cotton or our wheat. The Canal
Commission was authorized to investi-
gate the Panama route, and hence was
obliged to seek information as to the
terms upon which the work already
done could be had Mr. Hutin, it
appears, has represented this as an
offer on the part Of the United States
to buy his canal AS a business man
he must have been informed that the
commission was simply endowed with
power to investigate and bad no au
thority to purchase. His suggestion
that the difference as to the price
ought to have beer submitted to arbi-
tration is extremely ludicrous. The
commission made simple calculation
and found that the Panama route. at
the price named, would cost more than
that across Nicaragua. There WAS
nothing, therefore, to arbItrate, 10
say nothing Of the absurdity of sum-
moning court CT arbitration to
decide whether two parties shall
make contract or not.
Mr.. Hutin has bad his day in
court, and the time has come for him to
subside There was at least a posi-
bility of his selling his wares to the
United States if lie had named fair
price. but he either could not or
would not sell at sucn q price. In his
attempt to defeat the whole project
because be was not paid muore than
his property was worth he is no longer
within his rights. It is an American
question with which he as a citizen of
France has nothing whatever to do.
Luckily his unwarranted intrusion is
more likely to hurt than to help the
transcontinental lines in their effort to
defeat the canal bill. Courier Jour
! nal.