The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-19
FOR A NEW CANAL TREATY.
Negotiations With England May
Soon BE Opened.

soon be opened.
NEW YORK, March 1s-The CONNER
cial Advertiser prints the following from
its Washington correspondent:
"A prominent member of the Foreign
Relations Committee of the Senate ex-
presses the opinion that before the meet
ing of Congress in December a new trea-
ty will have been negotiated with Great
Britain which will answer all the pur-
poses of the Hay-Pauncefote Convention
yet meet with the approval of the Senate
The Senator quoted is one of those who
opposed any amendment to the Hay
Pauncefote Treaty. and who hoped earn
estly that 1t would be ratified without
change He expects that the State De-
partment will recognize the situation at
the other end of the Avenue. and will
strive by preliminary consultations with
Senators to prepare an instrument which
will satisfy them.
There is really no vital point of diff
ference between the two countries, ne
says. England is as anxious as the Uni
ted States that the canal should be built
and is quite willing that 1t should be built
and controlled by the United Stetes prac-
tically under such conditions he Uni
ted States may lay down. tppen to
know that when the IL uncefote
Treaty was drawn II was opposed by
Lord Pauncefote that its terms were pre-
cisely what the United States would want.
He yielded to every suggestion and had
only one object in view-to have the canal
built according to our ideas. and to clear
the path of everything which stood in the
way.
The amendments which the Senate
proposed were useless-the Davis amend
ment especially. 1t goes without saying
that in case of war no hostile nation would
try to send a ship through the canal, to
attack the coast or fleets of the United
States. That would be the rankest and
most reckless of folly. The Senate amend
ment, therefore, was a matter of pure
sentiment and so was the British refusal
10 accept it. The United States could not
have been aided by the amendment and
the change could not have hurt Great
Britain.
g There is really no obstacle In the way
of negotiating new treaty containing
in other language all that the Senate
asks for. For that matter several Sena-
tors who voted for the amendments have
since assured me that they believed they
made mistake. and that in similar cir
curnsta noes they would not so vote again.
One thing is bound to hasten negotiations,
That is the certainty that. unless new
treaty is offered, Congress will abrogate
the Clayton Bulwer Treaty next winter.
Senator Stewart of Nevada is out
spoken in his criticism Of the action of
the Senate.
L regard the amendment of the Hay
Pauncefote Treaty by the United States
Senate as the worst political blunder of
the times he says. In my opinion that
treaty was the greatest diplomatic
achievement by this country during the
present generation. With or without the
Clayton-Bulwer Convention it was just
such a treaty as the United States ought
to have been anxious to make, not only
with England. but with all civilized ma
tons. The consent of the whole world
that the United States might build the
canal, TO be used by the commercial
world on the payment of such tolls or
charges as would pay interest on the in
vestment, coupled with the pledge of all
commercial nations to maintain the neu-
trality of the canal, both in peace and
war, would have been the best and only
available guarantee for the uninterrupt-
ed use of the same by the United States
in common with all other nations.
- The fertilization of the canal by the
United states would nave involved enOl-
nous expense and invited the hostility of
the world. 1t would be the central point
of any war in which the United States
might be engaged, and therefore utterly
useless at the very time when its use
would be most important and desirable.
1t is absurd to assume that the CONNER
cial world would be less scrupulous in
maintaining the neutrality of the canal
ga tln-y,
maintaining the neutrality of the ports Of
a weak and helpless nation. The blunder
in amending the treaty has involved the
Senate as well as the Administration in
diplomatic controversy with Great Britain.
which has postponed the commencement
of the canal for two years, and may re-
suit In the indefinite delay of the most
important project that has been contem-
plated by our Government since its foun-
dation.'
today with Senator Morgan respecting
isthmian canal matters and tine advisa-
bility of reopening negotiations for a
treaty with Great Britain. The Secretary
is losing no opportunity of acquainting
himself with the views of Senators on
that subject, and the conference today
with Senator Morgan is only one of about
a dozen he has had on the same subject
with leading Senators and Representatives
since the adjournment of the Fifty-sixth
Congress"