The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-04-23
MORGAN DISCUSSES
the Is1HMlAN CANAL.
He Speaks for Four Hours inz0p-
position to Panama Route. .


four hours today Mr.. Morgan Of
zbama, chairman of the isthmian canal
committee, addressed the senate on :s
the subjectof the Nicaranga canal
He devoted the greater part Of his
speech to a consideration Of the desir
ability and pract ability Of the two
principal routes icaragua and Fan
anna. He strenuously favored the
former, maintaining that ineYeryposs
ssible respect it had many advantages
over the Panama route.
a parliamentary change IN thes3
situation of the Chinese exclusion
was made before adj journment the
measure passed by the senate yesterz
day being substit tituted for the house
bill This was done to- expedite the
bill in the house.
Mr.. Morgan said in part ;EgSsss
The subject presents itself to my;
mind with conclusive force IN sttheasix#
proposit itions L will now State:
1t We have reached the point
where investiga cation is complete bySobS
fseryation, experience, scientific res
search and forecast.
The question nowzto be cecidedM
lis the choice Of either Of two routes
for a canal whether it shall located
at Panama OF through the valleySofs
the San Juanriver in Nicaragua andss
Costa Rica.
5. The CONTROL ing ffac ii max
ing this. selection is the assurance
success IN constructing canal that
will be permanently useful con-
merce.
a sum ofsmoney necessaryf for
expenditure in the WorkRof construct
ing such canal, to accompl plish suelig:
ends, canaot be reasonably companedS
with the real value Of the results sto@
the people of the United States and
the choice Of either route should dsnots
be controlled OF affected by differ
Ience in the present cost of construcs
zttiion, / will say, within a liiniit even
Es50, 200. 600.
IS. The assured certainty fssuccessS
in the, construction Of permanent
canal is, Of necessity the basic founss'
dation fact upon which congress must
act in the selection Of thescanal route.s
Considered as a simple eproposltionoE oEss
civil engineering there els nc. doubt
not even shadoWsofE doubt stosany
fact touching the practic icabiil ofsa
ship canal from Grey town to BrHo
in and along the San Juan riVerand
across Lake Nicaragua. IItt5 is certainsss
beyond a reasonable doubt, that itsss|
COSTS as nearly within the limiofss
exact estimates as any great public
work that was ever undertaken.
E. SO lie the dam at ohio the:
| Panama route should fai il for any
cause, the only hope of a canal across
that isthmus would perish, never
| be restored AL engineers admit thlss
fact. The failure ola dam at Con-
Ichuda, or Boca San Carlos
EQchoa, or at Tambo ogunde, OF atsansl
other site on the San Juan riVerWonldss
only mean the loss Of that structure
to be replaced on a better locatlonslf
lake .leyel canal is preferred.
! Mr.. Morgan maintained that he
|isthmian canal commission has no aus
/ thoriity to acceptsan ofersof the Pan
anna Canal company and that the Sole
duty Of the president was to determine
| the route he would recommend to cen
gress. It rested entirely with congress
whether or not it should accept the
glittering temptat ations' in the WaysoGs
| a bargain offered by the Panama cons coiIll: