The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-17
POSSIBLY PANAMA

It is announced from Washington that
the Isthmian Canal Commission is pre-
pairing a supplementary report favoring
the Panama route, such action growing
out of the tardy offer of the Panama Ca
nal company to sell all it's rights, conces-
sions and property to the United States
for $40,000,Q00, the amount estimated by
the commission as a reasonable price for
the property, for which the Panama Ca
nal company had at first asked $1O9,0OO,OOO.
The commission, in it's official report,
used language with reference to the Pana-
ma Canal companys offer from which the
inference could clearly be drawn that, if
the estimate of the commission was ac-
cepted, there would be no difficulty in Sc
curing the commissions recommendation
of the Panama route: The commission
showed in its report that the commercial
values of the two routes are the same;
that the distance between our Atlantic
and Pacific seaports is somewhat shorter
by the Nicaragua route, but this is offset
by the shorter time it will take for YES
sells to pass through the Panama canal,
which is only a fourth as long as the
Nicaragua route. It is shown that the
cost Of operating and maintaining the
Panama canal will be $780, 900 less than
such cost for the Nicaragua route per an
mum. The Panama canal will be just as
much an "American canal as the Mica
ragua canal constructed by our govern
ment can possibly be.
N the commission reports favorably to
the Panama route after its thorough and
intelligent and scientific Investigation, it
will be folly for the champions of the
Nicaragua route to enter upon any OBJ
structive and dilatory course. The fact
that the nation wants the canal as a
necessary business Enterprises patent and
that they want it by the best route and
constructed at the most reasonable cost
is evident
The house rushed the Hepburn bill
through with very -~reprehensible haste.
There was the minimum Of time given for
discussion. Tom Reed once congratulated
the country on the working of the rules
constructed by him, which he said made
the house no longer a deliberative body.
There is such thing as a too close cut
ting off of debate. The senate errs, per-
haps the other way and yet the senate
has shown in this canal, as we'll as other
matters, that it is disposed to give mo-
mentous subjects calm consideration,
especially if a proposition embodies the
expenditure Of a vast amount of money.
There is some danger that if the senate
1atarmineS that the Panama rol1ta ic for
good reasons to be preferred, basipg it's
conclusions upon the report of the 18TH
milan commission, the house will be dis
posed to be ugly and make an obstructive
fight for the Hepburn bill. Such dead
lock would endanger the passage of any
canal bill this session. Such an outcome
would be simply disgraceful. Mr.. Hep
burn said last week that 1.-The American
people have made their decree that the
canal shall be built and that now is the
time to build it," and it is so; but the
American people are willing to accept the
conclusions of the Walker commission as
to the route, for the reason that the
commission is composed OF experts in en-
cheering, who have an eye to straight
business and are likely to recommend the
route which best fulfls the requirements
of business. The commission stated in its
report that it recommended the Mica
ragua route because of the excessive price
asked by NJ Hutin, the president of the
Panama Canal company. The situa tion
has changed entirely since the canal COM
pany yielded to the commissions lower
terms-$4O, O00,0
Let the Nicaragua canal champions
drop sentiment and get down to plain and
urgent business and let the canal con-
struction be settled once for all at this
session of congress.