The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-01-28
WHO A FIX IT?

D. "A"At" w liz llOuSC CCli-
> mitted to the Nicaragua route for the
proposed isthmian canal, and the
canal commission recommending the
acceptance of the Panama company's
proposition to sell it's property and
rights, it will remain for the senate.
which has not yet taken action, to
acquisesces in the one plan or the other
or to map out an entirely different
course of procedure. The two houses
OF congress, If they could be brought
to act together, unquestionably have
it within their power to make such
conditions to the appropriation of the
necessary money to fix the route of
the canal without leaving any discre-
tlonary authority to the officers charg-
ed with it's construction. Whether
this is the wise thing for congress to
do, assuming that agreement could
be reached, would still be open to
question.
Discussing the contention over the
route, the Philadelphia Press, which,
as is well known, is edited by Charles
Emory Smith, who has just retired
from the cabinet, makes an earnest
plea for the delegation to the president
of full power on this point. Neither
congress nor the public" it insists,
constitutes the best tribunal to reach
a decision. The issue calls for ex-
ne I't alUirn onI n t,ih,,poJ re a,,..
Even on the mere issue of control a
decision is not 20 be reached offhand.
NO one can today say without contra
dlction whether a clear title to full
control is given by the present offer
OF the existing Panama Canal COM
pany and the Colombian republic, act
ing together. Under these conditions
a decision on the main issue is de-
manded and desirable at once. A de-
cision on the route should await fuller
Knowledge
The Press goes on to say that
events all tend toward the steady
gravitation of the choice of the route
ineo the hands of the president. Both
the Panama and the Nicaragua routes
are Open, but the determination which,
under all circumstances, is the most
available, requires the solution of an
intricate technical problem. In it's
opinion, therefore, the wise plan is to
leave it to the president, who would
be guided by the advice Of the cabinet.
the canal commission and experts who
could assist him in solving a problem |
partly legal, partly diplomatic, partly |
engineering, partly financial and part
ly commercial"
That the president could and would
conscientiously discharge this re-
sponsible duty with prudence and
judgment is not to be doubted, but
that congress will be disposed to alb
dictate its prerogatlve is hardly to- be
expected. With sc many conflicting
interests concerned it is more likely
TO refuse to make any appropriation
Tor canal construction until it shall
have reached a satisfactory conclu-
sion on the route. And this is such |
a serious matter that no precipitate
action need be looked for.
In view of all the noise and stir it
made a short time ago, the quiescence
which marks the present condition of
the canteen and anti-canteen contro-
versy is indeed remarkable. Only one
communication on the subject has ap-
peared in a newspaper in as much as
a month. The author of it is a female
minister and takes occasion to break
the stiffness by unqualiiedly endors-
ing the position taken by the ants
ever since the matter attained the
dignity of a national dispute.
The fact that Henry is going to
bring with him a cannon that his
grandfather assisted in taking from
the French is calculated to make the
representatives of that nation who
may have been thinking Of helping in
the welcoming ceremonies take an
think and will probably send
their regrets.
While the news that Judge Taft
brings from the Philippines is of the
sort that the people like to hear, there
is no likelihood of an immediate order !
from the war department for a mark {
ed decrease in the available fighting {
in the islands. General Chat {
fees remarks AVE not yet been en- i
%fOrgOtten g