The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-12
FAVOR TIE PANAMA CANAL
Administrator Senators Pledged
TO the De Lesseps Route.
Negotiations With Colombia Said to
Have Been Begun by Secretary
Hay-Friends of the NicaTaSuan
Project Have No Hope of Success.

The action of Great Britain in rejecting
, in. Hay-Pauncefote Treaty as amended
by the Senate was made the subject OF
( discussion today among members Of the
Senate committees on Foreign Relations
and Inter-Oceauic Canals. Lord Lans-
dowue's reply has had the effect Of max
! ing several prominent Republican Sen
aJors speak plainly aS to the prospect Of
thu Nicaragua Canal ever being con
structed by this Government, and the hos
tile attitude taken against the waterway
hS the Administration men in the Senate.
has been explained.
1t was learned today that a majority
of the leading Republican Senator's are
pledged To the Panama Canal and viii
50 vote at The coming session Of Congress.
Both the President aud Secretary Hay are
said TO favor the Colombian route. and
now that the necessary concessions have
been offered by that Government, there
+ Is nothing they believe in the way of leg
IsiatiOn making the United States owner
/ and operator Of the De Lesseps ditch.
it VAS stated today by two members OF
the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
! that Secretary Hay has begun negotia-
lions with Colombia and that negotiations
VIII Immediately be entered into with
/ Great Britain. to whom the Panama pro
j ject offers no objections and who VIII
welcome an agreement When Congress
/ again assemblies. ali diplomatic obstacles
VIII have been removed and Canal bill
can be passed.
Senior SiIvela. the Colombian Minister
+ has already formally submitted proposals
I 10 Secretary Hay for the acquisition of
/ the Panama Canal by this Government
Both Mr. Hay and the President have
n
Iaher discuss these plans and proposals.
! with a view to obtaining an agreement
! The United States Great Britain, and
( Colombia viii 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 viii be
! mere spectators
While the Colombian Government is
! willing - concedc almost anything 10
have the United States complete the ca
nal, it is known that Minister SilTela
makes the following demands:
! First-That Colombia shall lease to the
United States for term not exceeding
20 years. the territory across which the
Panama Canal is being constructed
Secord-In return for such lease Colon-
lIa shall receive either a percentage of
the tax on tonnage or lump compensa-
ton.
ThIrd-The rights Of the new Panama
Canal Compans- must be recognized.
Fourth-The new Panama Canal Com
pany shall sell its concession. with the
consent OF Colombia, to the United
States.
Fffth-Colombia releases the United
States from the terms Of the Panama Ca
nal Companv-s concession which give
Colombian vessels free passage through
the canal and which provide for an an
nUal payment OF $4,000
These proposals are not final. but mere
" sent ont as the basis Of negotiations
IL 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 70
ANYTHING The reasons given for this
are that the canal can never he con
structed without the consent of Great
Britain and this the latter viii never give
1t is further claimed that the report Of
the Walker Commission shows that the
I Panama is more advantageous than The
/ Nicaragua route and thai all political OBJ
stacIes can easily be removed
The Democratic members Of the Senate
Committee on Inter-Oceanic Canals ex-
pressed no surprise at the news today.
one Of them stated that the Instructions
placed in the way Of the Nicaragua
Canal By five Of The leading Republican
Senators had opened al eyes TO their pref
erence for the Panama scheme and that
when they voted for the Hay-Pauncefote
treaty IT was with the knowledge that
Great Britain would surely reject that
convention The general opinion today is
that there IS no hope for the Nicaraguan
route.