The news & observer., 1902-01-08
HEPBURN ARGUES FOR IT
Are Trans. Continental Lines Schemlng
to Delay
TIE PANAMA CANAL COMPAEY'S OFFER.
A Suspicion That the Railroads Are Behind 1t,
Morgan Voices His Hostility TO the
Company in the Strongest
Terms
fBy the Associated Press.)

(By the Associated Press.)
Washington, Jan. THE debate on the
Nicaragua Canal bill in the House was
opened in lively fashion today by Mr..
Hepburn, Chairman of the Interstate
and Foreign Commerce Committee which
reported the bill For two hours he held
the floor replying to a Eolley of questions
Iconcerning the recent offer of the Pana-
ma Canal Company to sell it's property
and franchise to the United States for
| $40 600, 600.
| The interest in the debate centered al
most 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 utterances along that line
were literally applauded He pointed out
| what he Gained was the suspicious cir
/ cumstance that the Panama Company
| held out for $109, 900 900 until it was de-
j cided before the holiday recess tos con-
4 slider the Nicaragua bill and then sud
| denly dropped the price TO S40,000OO
| Mr. Morris (Minnesota) said that the
proper time he would offer an amend
ment to authorize the President if he
could procure the property and rights OF
the Panama Company for 600 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 COM
mittee proposed to concentrate all au-
| thority in the hands of the President. 1t
| opened no opportunity for defunct states
men or the pensioning of persons VINO
had been passed in the race of life. 1t
gave the United States the authority to
protect defend and operate the canal. In
| view of all the reports submitted Mr..
| Hepburn said there could now be no
| question in the mind of any well inform
ed man of the feasibility of an inter-
ocean canal.
| There was not an atom of work in
general engineering, said he, yet to be.
! done In favor of the feasibility and
practicability no enterprise that had
| ever received the attention of man had
been so conclusively proved. If the pend-
| ing bill became law the work could be-
gin at once and should be completed in
| eight years.
Mr. Hepburn said that as a CONNER
cial venture the commissions figures of
| 1000 900 tons could be safely taken. At
the latter figure the total revenue at the
Suez rate would be $14000,000, enough
| to meet the cost of maintenance (3,500,-
00O) and leave over $40, 100000 to meet
interest charges if there were such.
| Mr.. Hepburn pointed out the advant-
ages of the Nicaragua route for sailing
vessels on account of the better winds
prevailing there .contending in this con-
nection that it was a mistake to suppose
that the sailing ship was destined to dis
! appear from the ocean. Where the Pan
ANA 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
Republican side If that might be done,
he said, it would give great impetus
to American shipping.
In concluding MIR. Hepburn said there
might be some interests in the United
States which believed they would be
harmed by the rivalry of this canal and
who thought the time was not ripe f.
terprise of such magnitude should not be
undertaken. They were perhaps terrified
by the spectre of scandal. but. he con-
| cluded 81 insist that the American people
have made tneir decree that the canal
shall be built and that now is the time
to build it," (Applause)
Mr. McDermott, New Jersey. called to
The statement in the report of the Walk
er commission giving the cost of the
Panama Canal property as 100000 900
and the newspaper reports that the COM
tpany now offered to sell tho property for
$40,0000 900. If the latter report were true
the Panama Canal would cost less than
the Nicaragua and he asked if Mr.. Hep
! burn did not believe with equal cost that
the commission would have reported in
favor of the Panama.
Mr. Hepburn replied that the commits
sion had stated the respectives adyant-
ages OF both routes under conditions then
existing. He could not tell what the
other circumstances. ANY gentleman
who absorbs the commissions report
said he, "and weighs it must believe that
the things being equal the canal that is
400 miles nearer our territory, that makes
New Orleans $50 miles nearer San Fran
cisco and New York 375 miles nearer than
tho other is the better canal for US.
IF We build the Nicaragua Canal