The times., 1901-03-13
PLEDGED TO THE PANAMA ROUTE
Republican Senators Not Worried
Over Grent Britain'- Action.

The action of Great Britain in reject
ing the Hay -Pauncefote Treaty as amend
ed by the Sedate was discussed at length
yesterday by members of the Senate
| Committees on Foreign Relations and In
ter-Oceanic Canals The reply made By
Lord Lansdowne has had the effect OF
making several prominent Republican
Senators speak plainly as to the prospect
of the Nicaragua Canal ever being con
structed by this Government and the
hostile attitude taken by the Administra-
tion men in the Senate has been eX
planned.
1t was learned yesterday that majority
of the leading Republican Senators are
pledged to the Panama Canal and will
so vote al the coming session of Congress.
Both the President and Secretary Hay are
said to favor the Colombian route. and
now that the necessary concessions nave
been offered by that Government. there
is nothing they believe in the way OF leg
islation making the United States owner
and operator of the de Lesseps ditch.
1t was stated yesterday by two members
Of the Senate Committee on Foreign Reia-
tions that Secretary Hay has begun nego-
tiations with Colombia and that negotIa-
tiOns will Immediately be entered into with
Great Britain, to whom the Panama pro-
ject offers no objections and who Will
welcome an agreement When Congress
again assemblies all diplomatic obstacles
will have been removed and a Canal bill
can be passed.
Senior SilveIa. the Colombian Minister,
has already formally submitted proposals
to Secretary Hay for the acquisition of
the Panama Canal by this Government
Both Mr.. Hay and the President have
invited the Colombian Government to fur
ther discuss these plans and proposals.
with a view to obtaining an agreement.
The United States, Great Britain, and
Colombia will play the game on the canal
chess board. Costa Rica and Nicaragua
are to be ignored, as protocols have al
ready been entered into with these Gov
ernments without results. They will be
mere spectators.
While the Colombian Government is
willing to concede almost anything to
have the United States complete the ca
nal, it is known that Minister Silvela
makes the following demands:
F'irst-That Colombia shall lease to the
United States for a term not exceeding
200 years, the territory across Whlch the
Panama Canal is being constructed
Second-In return for such lease Colom-
bia shall receive either a percentage OF
the tax on tonnage or a lump compensa-
ton.
Third-The rights Of the new Panama
Canal Company must be recognized
Fourth-The new Panama Canal Com
pany shall sell its concession, with the
consent of Colombia, TO the United
States.
Fifth-Colombia releases the United
States from the terms of the Panama Ca
nal Company's concession which give
Colombian vessels free passage throuSn
the canal and which provide Tor an an
nual payment of S250,bO
These PROPOSALS are not final. but mere
" sent ont as the basis of negotiations.
1t is held by the friends of the Pana-
ma route in the Senate, and they are
many, that the Nicaragua proposition Is
absolutely dead and can never amount TO
auvthing The reasons given for tins
are that the canal can never pc CON
structcd without the consent OF Great
Britain and this the latter will never give:
1t is further claimed that the report of
the Walker Commission shows that the
Panama is more advantageous than the
Nicaragua route and that all political oD-
stacleS can easily be removed.
The Democratic members OF the senate
Committee on Inter-Oceanic Canals eN-
Dressed no surprise at the news yesterday.
one of them stated that the distractions
placed in the way of the Nicaragua
Canal by FIVE of the leading Republican
Senators had opened all eyes to their pref
ereuce for the Panama scheme and that
when they voted for the Hay-PauncefDte
Treaty 1t was with the knowledge that
Great Britain would surely reject that
The general opinion yesterday
was that there was no hope for the Mic
araguan route.