Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-16
A N[N CANAL TREATY
Presif S Gives Assurance OF an
5 cement With Great
s Britain.
Mo s a confers With the Presi-
I on Canal Matter...The
8 Panama Route.
Representative Of French Syndi-
cate in This Country TO Sell
Franchise.

cate in This Country to Sell
Franchise.
Washington, Oct. Ex-senator Morgan
who was one of the presidents callers
today talked about the prospects Of the
Nicaragua canal bill at the coming ses-
sion of congress The president told
Morgan he would submit to the senate
new treaty on the subject, which
more nearly met his views than the
first Hay-Pauncefote treaty, but did not
go into particulars.
Washington, Oct 16-The arrival in
this country of NJ Hutin, president of
the Panama Canal Company, is expect
ed to lead directly to an offer OF sale
of the Panama property to the govern
ment Of the United States. It is the un-
derstanding of Admiral Walker and his
confrereso fthe isthmian canal commits
sion that NJ. Hutin has come to pre-
pare the way for definite OFFER OF.
sale.
A majority of the members OF the
American canal commission believe the
Panama route to be superior as an en-
cheering scheme to the Nicaragua
route. They have excellent reasons for
this belief, chief among them being the
treacherous shoals and violent winds OF
Lake Nicaragua, and the almost tnsu-
perable difficulty of constructing a safe
and permanent channel in the mud bed
of the tortuous, swift, foodswept course
of the San Juan river, thru which the
Nicaragua canal is designed to run for
about forty miles.
AlthO this is the private belief of
majority of the members of the com
mission they carefully avoid the expires
sion OF any such opinion in their official
report, and for obvious reasons Itwould
be the height Of unwisdom to make such
a report, extolling the advantages OF
the Panama route, in advance OF the
submission OF a definite and binding
proposal OF sale by the Panama Com
pany II, as is believed. N. Hut;n has
come to America prepared t. clear the
way for an offer OF sale. and such an
offer actually makes its appearance in
this country in proper form, there II.
little: doubt that the comm .ssion, will
amend its report and point out to con-
gress the advantages of the Panama
route.
The commission is now prepared to 60
certain length in praise OF the advan-
tages of the Panama project. but 1t will
not set value to exceed S50.0 900 upon
the property of the French company.
The French have actually spent about
S150. 900, 900 upon their canal; and have
wasted about $4,000. 900 more. But the
company is bankrupt. It has tried 10
:aise funds with which to complete the
work, and has failed. The stockholders
and bondholders realize that IL the
United States decides in favor of Mica
ragua and actually begins work the
Panama property will be worth nil.
Hence the belief of the members OF the
American commission that the Panama
company will accept fifty or seyenty-
FIVE millions in case congress can be In
duced to make them such an offer.
At the present time a large mai jolftya
of the members of the lower house BE-
lieve in Nicaragua rather than in P1ne-s
ma. There is no doubt that public opin-
ion, governed largely by sentimentais
considerations, also fayors the Nicara-
guam route. The senate is divided, and
in that body there is a large contingent
which does not believe in any isthmfan
canal at all. but is afraid to say 30
openly. Being actually friendly to the
transcontinental railroads. most of
which are still more or less earnestly
opposing the canal, they contrive to hide
their opposition under other measures.
First they oppose treaty which clears
1t &;n fold nj a, II
probable the new treaty will be ratified
almost without opposition, they must
make flank movement by favoring
Panama il the house favo.s Nicaragua.
and If the house chances to favor Pam
anna the senate may show increased tn-
terest in Nicaragua. Amid all thesescon-
ditions it is going to be an extremely
difficult matter to secure action.
A new route for the isthmian canal 1s
suggested by n. NJ. Grill of Pontiac,
Mich, who claims to have been engaged
for ten years in prosecuting and locat-
ing mines and timber lands in Colonn-
bia. He writes to the department OF
state that he has discovered place sew
eral miles in length where there 10 no
mountain range OF backbone between
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, which
he thinks would be more desirable IN
every way for the location of an inter-
oceanic canal than any route on the
isthmus yet surveyed. He expresses the
opinion that at some remote age there
was a natural water way between tho
two oceans by this route, and says thar
the existence of this comparatively level
connection between the two oceans is
worthy of the attention and serious con-
sideration of the United States govern-
ment In connection with the project for
an isthmian canal.
The letter has been referred to the 18th
mian canal commission for its fnforma-
tion. Engineers say that there is very
small probability Mr.. Crill's discovery is
of real value. During the last half cen
tury almost every foot of the isthm..s
has bene traversed by engineers and
surveyors In the interest chiefly of the
American government or American
canal promoters, but some of them for
foreign governments or promoters. 1t
is deemed scarcely possible that there iss
an available route. superior to botl,
Panama and Nicaragua, which has
hitherto escaped attention.
Survivors of the Seventy seventh Illt-
nois Volunteer Infantry held their r.
union at Peoria. s.s