The Savannah morning news., 1902-01-08
CANAL TALK BEGINS
CONGRESS BEGINS DELVING INTO
DEEP SUBJECT.
HEPBURN A STRONG ADVOCATE
OFFER OF PANAMA COMPANY
AROUSEs MUCH INTEREST.

sympathy Evidently With Him,
but Many Want Panama ORer In
vestigated-Preside May BE
Given Option in the Matter.
Washington, Jan. THE debate on
the Nicaragua canal bill in the House
was opened in lively fashion to-day
by Mr.. Hepburn, chairman of the In
terstate and Foreign Commerce Com
mittee which reported the bill. For
two hours he held the floor replying
to volley of questions concerning the
recent offer of the Panama Canal
Company to sell its property and fran
chises to the United States for $4O,-
900, 600. The interest in the debate
centered almost entirely in this new
phase of the subject. Mr.. Hepburn
maintained that the alleged new offer
of the Panama Company was part of
the plan of delay, and all his utter
ances along that line were literally
apnlauded. He pointed out what he
claimed was the suspicious crcum-
stances that the Panama Company held
out for $109 100000 until it was decided
before the holiday recess to consider
the Nicaragua bill and then suddenly
dropped the price to 100000 900.
Mr.. Norris. Minnesota, gave notice
that at the proper time he would offer
an amendment to authorize the Pres
ident, if he could procure the property
and rights of the Panama Company for
100000, to purchase and proceed to
complete the Panama canal
Mr. Hepburn in his remarks said the
report of the Walker commission gave
careful consideration to every feature
of the work. The bill submitted by his
committee proposed to concentrate all
authority in the hands of the President
1t opened no opportunity for defunct
statesmen or the pensioning of persons
who had been passed in the race of
life. 1t gave the United States the
authority to protect, defend and OPP
crate the canal. In view of all the
reports submitted Mr.. Hepburn said
there could now be no question in the
mind of any well-informed man of the
feasibility and practicabflity of an in
ter oceanic canal.
There was not an atom of work in
general engineering, said he, yet to be
practicability no enterprise that had
ever received the attention of man had
been so conclusively proved. If the
pending bill became a law the work
could begin at once and should be
completed in eight years.
Mr. Hepburn said that as a COM
mercial venture the commission figures
of seven million tons could be safely
taken. At the latter figure the total
revenue at the Suez rate would be s14,-
600, 900, enough to meet the cost of
maintaining C$S,5OOOOO) and leave over
100000 to meet interest charges if
there were such.
Better for Sailing Vessels.
Mr.. Hepburn pointed out the advan-
tages of the Nicaragua route for sail
ing vessels on account of the better
winds prevailing there, contending
in this connection that it was a mis-
take to suppose that the sailing ship
was destined to disappear from the
ocean. Where the Panama route was
located. sailing ships sometimes lay
for five months in the doldrums. When
Mr.. Hepburn said he had hoped that
the proposed waterway would be free
of charge to American ships there was
an outburst of applause on the Repub-
lican side If that might be done, he
said, it would give great impetus to
American shipping.
In concluding, Mr.. Hepburn said
there might be some interests in the
United States which believed they
would be harmed by the rivalry of this
caral, and there were gentlemen of
honest purposes who thought the time
was not ripe for the building of the
canal and that an enterprise of such
magnitude should not be undertaken.
They were perhaps terrified by the
spectre of scandal. But" he con-
cluded, Il insist that the American
people have made their decree that
the canal should be built and that now
is the time to build it,"
Mr.. McDermott, New Jersey, called
attention to the statement in the re-
port of the Walker Commission giving
the cost of the Panama canal property
as Sl09 900, 600 and the newspaper re-
ports that the company now offered to
sell the property for $40,000,0 900. If the
late report were true the Panama canal
would cost less than the Nicaragua
and he asked If Mr.. Hepburn did not
believe that with equal cost the COM
mission would have reported in favor
of Panama.
Mr.. Hepburn replied that the COM
mission had stated the respective ad-
vantages of both routes under condi-
IlOnS LDen eNlSlluE. lie fOuiu not tell
what the commission would have re-
ported under any circumstances.
Hepburn's' Apt Replies.
amy gentleman who absorbs the
commissions report" said he, land
we ighs ii must believe that other things
being equal the canal that is 400 miles
nearer our territory. that makes New
Orleans 4s0 miles nearer San Fran
cisco, and New York 375 miles nearer
than the other is the better canal
for us" (Applause).
"If We build the Nicaragua canal"
asked Mr. Smms of Tennessee, ''is IL
not likely that the French govern
ment will complete the Panama ?"
There is the same probability of
two canals" answered Mr.. Hepburn,
that there is of the Suez canal being
paralleled by another" In reply to an
mother question as TO the advisabllity
of giving the President the authority
TO build on either route Mr.. Hepburn
again raised an outburst of applause
by declaring that he looked upon any
attempt TO entanglc the United States
In the Panama enterprise an effort to
defeat any canal.
Mr.. Reeves 0llinois) asked whether
II would not be better 20 walt a few
DAYS or weeks until the Secretary OF
state could inform Congress just what
we could obtain in the way Of con-
cess.ons from Nicaragua.