Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-10-27


lions and attempts Of the past have devel-
oped the projects now afoot to find a wa
terway to the Orient.
You doubtless have heard the story
of the Irishman who, having jumped the
creek by taking q run at it, decided
that he could jump the river If he only
would go far enough back for his run at
IL. He went back about three-quarters of
mile and came up so out of breath he
could not jump.
81 shall not go so far back that shall
be out of breath and you out of patience
before 1 jump into my subject. Yet our
movements today can be fully interpreted
only in light OF the past. When the Mo-
hammedans captured Constantinople and
thus spread hordes OF robbers across the
overland routes to the spices of the East,
water route was sought by the world Of
business. Columbus made his fourth voy-
age attempting to go farther westward
and find a strait that would lead to India.
When Balboa In 1913 discovered the Pa
ctfc ocean, the whole world was stimu-
lated to further endeavor to discover the
connection between the two oceans.
Charles V. of Spain charged all Spaniards
In the New World to search diligently for
it.
Magellan Appropriated success when
he sailed through the extreme southern
straits, now Magellan, in 1870, his crew
circumnavigating the globe.
About the same time the isthmus Of
Panama was searched and a famous road
built across; also boats were used UP the
Chagres river.
After the conquest of Pizarro, the COM
merce of the isthmus increased. Panama
became a place OF great mercantile i'm
portance. and was called the toll gate be-
tween Western Europe and Eastern Asia.
Under the stimulus Of Charles ", Cor
tee searched for the connecting strait
across Mexico, and his endeavors led to
establishing a course of trade up the
Coatzacoalcos river, across the divide, and
down the Pacific slope, from ocean to
ocean. Still later we have Henry Hudson
and others searching for the passage in
the northwest. The failure to find nat
ural connection led on to the idea of an
artificial ship canal, a problem still pres
ent with US.
at the close OF the eighteenth CEN
fury Spain continued to maintain her SOW
ereignty over the entire isthmian coun-
try, but the Cordilleras still kept the two
oceans apart: the old transits had fallen
into disuse, and her intercourse with her
Pacific provinces was almost entirely by
Cape Horn.
Thus no actual progress towards an
isthmian canal was made by Spain dur
ing her occupancy of three centuries, and
SPANS opportunities to gloriously COM
plete what Columbus began terminated in
1928, when the last Of her American prov
inces established Independence.
There has been more or less interest III
the project from that time till now. The
Spanish seemed to prefer the Panama
route, and in this they have been sue
ceeded by the French. The British prefer
red the upper route across Mexico or Cen
trail America. and in following traditions
we have been true Britishers.
Under an act OF congress Of March ),
1899, the president appointed an isthmian
canal commission of nine men. Rear Adj
miral Walker, chairman, to investigate
and report on the most practicable and
feasible route, especially of the two known
as the Nicaragua route and the Panama
route. 1t Is useless to go int all the de-
tails of comparison and the arguments
pro and con. Let me give briefly few
summarizes:
Il. Both the Panama and Nicaragua
routes are entirely practicable and tea-
sible. No others are.
20. The Nicaragua route is little less
than 200 miles long, costing near $l90,OOO-
600 to construct. The Panama Is little
less than 80 miles, costing near $1S5, 900 900
TO purchase and complete.
80. The cost Of operation of Panama
would be about six-tenths of Nicaragua.
n. 1ne NlCdIdkud Will NC AnOAO NAACCN
from our Atlantic ports to our Pacific,
but between our Atlantic board and west
ern South America, Panama Is the more
direct
'In all other points. excepting that of
title not yet settled, the arguments seem
fairly we'll balanced. Possibly one other
point, strong one in favor OF Nicaragua,
should be touched upon, that is the coun-
try that would be opened up to us by the
~ "a Mica rQrIfn This
would give to the United States strip of
six to ten miles along the entire route of
the canal This section Is sparsely settled,
yet 1t has been described by early settlers
as one Of the most beautiful and blissful
countries Of the world, region where life
is so easy and pleasurable that they gave
1t the name Of Mahomets Paradise. 1t is
evidently a country providing conditions
eminently favorable for sustaining vast
populations. The Nicaraguan government
has had standing offer for years of 10
acres Of land to each and every family
who would settle on them and 60 acres to
any single person. The, building OF the
canal means thousands Of laborers sent to
that country followed by hundreds of sol
diers Of fortune. These will spread north
and south I'm search OF homes and fortune.
Farmers will go in search OF farms, lum-
bermen in search of timber, prospectors
in search of gold, iron and other metals.
The rich lands will be made TO produce
sugar coffee, tobacco and all sorts OF
foods. The rubber of forests win be gath
cred. the valuable cedar and mahogany
shipped to a profitable market, herds OF
cattle will roam over the vacant prairies,
and rich mines will be discovered and de-
veloped Where there are now only dense
forests, silvery lakes, rushing mountain
streams and silent, waving prairie grass,
there will spring UP towns and villages,
plantations and farms, and a new geo
graphical and commercial center of the
western hemisphere. 1t is a dream suffl-
cient to give our good undergraduates
the most troubulous nightmare. Such an
expanding wedge would split this old new
world wide open. Mexico would be in a
sandwich, and Uncle Sam is getting vora-
cious.
But all these conditions, this land of
promise, without the canal remind me
OF the story OF the young man who went
out from New England to Kansas for
some years. Returning to his old home
he was telling at the country store OF the
easy work and enormous results compar-
ed with their poor, WORKOUT little farms
with their struggle for daily bread. One
old farmer queried thus: Well, why on
'arth didn't yer stay thar? If yer could
raise all them taters and corn ter the acre
as yer say yer could, why on airth didn't
yer stay?' What was going to do with
| Il ALP was the reply. I couldn't sell 1t.
But yer could eat it. couldn't yer?' said
| the farmer.