Evening star., 1902-08-15
NOT BEFORE WINTER
Appointment of the New
Canal Commission.
THE LAWS PROVISIONS
GOOD TITLE TO PANAMA ROUTE
MUST BE OBTAINED.
Reported Understanding With the
President - Composition of the
Board as Directed by Congress.

Those best informed on the Presidents
intentions concerning the appointment OF
an isthmian canal commission give but lit
tie credence to statements that he has de
cided upon the personnel OF that body of
men. The law under which this commits
sion is to be appointed prescribes conditions
under which the Panama property is 10 be
bought, which are that arrangements must
first be made to obtain a satisfactory title,
and that he shall have secured by treaty
control OF the necessary territory from the
republic Of Colombia After these provi-
sions the law says: The President shall
then. through the isthmian canal commits
son,' &c
An Alleged Understanding.
Under the law there will be no function
for the isthmian canal commission TO per-
form until it is arranged beyond doubt for
the transfer of the Panama property.
Members of the present canal commits
sion went on their summer vacations with
the belief that the new commission would
not be appointed until after these prelimi-
nary proceedings had been completed and
it is said they had an understanding with
the President that that was TO be the course
to be pursued by him. There is no eXpecta-
tion that these preliminary arrangements
will be completed before next December
The Attorney General will go to France
the latter part Of this month to personally
satisfy himself about the title that the new
Panama company can give to its property.
The proposed treaty with Colombia has
been submitted to that government and is
pending there. Those who are best in
formed concerning the course of events in
relation to the canal believe that arrange
ments cannot he completed before Docem-
Der, and they will be well satisfied if no
longer delay occurs.
Composition of the Commission.
From the time this matter was discussed
in Congress it has been considered as quite
certain that Admiral Walker. George S.
Morrison, Alfred Noble, Colonel Peter {.
Hams and w. IL. Burr would be included
In the commission. Prof Haupt favored
the Nicaragua route when the question
was before the Senate, and X has never
been thought that he would be on the COM
mission. Prof. Emery Johnson was ap-
pointed on the present commission to re-
project, and Senator Pasco was its legal
adviser. Neither of them, it is believed,
VIII be reappointed. 1t is not thought that
Col Oswald III. Ernst will be appointed as
that would give the army two representa-
tives on the commission. The law pre-
scribes:
"Of the seven members of said commis-
sion at least four of them shall be persons
learned and skilled in the science of engi-
neering, and of the four at least one shall
be officer of the United States army,
and at least one other shall be an officer
of the United States navy, the said Off
GERS, respectively, being either upon the
active or the retired list of the army or Of
the navy
1t is to be seen whether Admiral Walker
will be regarded as an officer of the navy
learned and skilled in the science of en-
gineering." He is not a civil engineer al
though he is regarded as possessing "a wide
knowledge of such matters