Evening star., 1902-01-29
CANAL COMPROMISE
Contained in an Amendment Proposed
BY Senator spooner.
PANAMA, IF TITLE is CLEAR
Otherwise President to Go Ahead
on Nicaragua Route.
FEELING OF SEN TORS

T. r. L N G OF SEN A TOE S
Senator Spooner's amendment to the Hep
burn canal bill caused good deal of dis
cuss.on today in Congress. This amendment,
placed before the Senate late yesterday
afternoon. strikes out everything after the
enacting clause OF the Hepburn bill and
provides that the President shall acquire
| the Panama canal for $40. .Oo0 600. provided
satisfactory title to its property can be se-
cured and that necessary treaty stipula-
tions with Colombia can be had If this
cannot be done the President Is authorized
| to proceed for the construction of the Mic
araguan canal. The amendment provides
appropriations Of $135, 100000 for the Pan.
anna and $3.50 600 for the Nicaraguan
route S1O,O0O,000 to be made Immediately
available. The appropriation for the PAN
anna route added to the purchase price Of
that property makes the two canals. so far
as the estimates by the canal commission
are concerned, practically the same. These
| are both estimates of the commission.
The main object in placing this amend
ment before the Senate for it's considera-
tion was in order that there should be no
failure to pass canal bill at an early day.
| Ii the Senate, in view of the report of the
canal commission, declines to pass the Hep
| burn bill, that was almost unanimously
| passed by the House Of Representatives
| then it has Senator Spooner's amendment
| as an alternative proposition. This amend
| ment was drawn in such a way that the
President of the United States would not
have to assume the responsibility for the
| choice Of the location of the canal. 1t dis
| tinctly provides that If he is able to secure
satisfactory title and the necessary treaty
| stipulations the canal shall be built
| at Panama. Senator Morgan and many
| other advocates Of the Nicaraguan canal
| route have declared that it will be impos-
| sible to acquire title to the Panama canal
| property.
Question of Title.
| They claim that the purchase of this prop
| erty by the United States will not wipe out
the interest Of the stockholders. who by
| some estimates, are said to number half
| a million in France. Senator Morgan has
| taken the position that even if the French
| government itself by some declaration en-
| deavor to give this country clear title to
| the Panama canal property still the stock
| holders of the old Panama Canal Company
| could come forward and in the courts of
| this country successfully maintain their
| rights for compensation for their property
| independently of anything that this gov
ernment should pay the new Panama canal
| company for it's property.
If the Spooner amendment should become
| a law this entire question would be placed
| in the hands of the President of the United
| States He would doubtless not only have
the opinion Of the Attorney General, but
| OF International lawyers, both Of this coun-
| try and France. He would have as good
| an opinion as to the title that could be
! acquired in the Panama Canal Company
as could be given by any title company in
| the case Of a piece of real estate If, after
| this thorough examination, he should be
| satisfied that satisfactory title could not
| be acquired to the Panama property then,
under the provision of the amendment, he
md erynrr hov frrn
| authority to proceed for the construction
| Of the Nicaragua canal. 1t is believed by
| many strong friends of the canal project
| that this proposition will receive very gen.
eral favor. although there are still many
senators who look with no favor on the
I Panama route under any circumstances
| but believe that the Nicaraguan route is
the safest for this country to adopt, in or
der to secure the early completion of a
practical ship canal connecting the two
! oceans.
| 1t is believed by many that the Spooner
amendment will rid the present situation
| of that unpleasant feature of the discussion
| which has caused many people to declare
| that the advocacy Of the Panama route is
! only another means for carrying out the
| desires Of the transcontinental railroads
| in defeating any canal legislation. 1t is
| pointed out that a vote for the Spooner
amendment unquestionably means a canal
across the isthmus. It would be accept
| able to senators who favor canal at Pan
| ANA because even they would not continue
| to advocate that route If a title could not
| be secured.
Individual Measure.
The Spooner amendment is understood to
| be solely proposition by Senator Spooner
for the consideration Of the Senate. It is
not what could be termed an administra-
ton measure. and it has not received the
! Endorsement of the republican side Of the
Senate It will come up for discussion
when the bill is reached, and will then de-
/ velop It's strength or weakness. It is espe-
cially pointed out in this connection that
| it is fact that if the Panama Canal Com
| pany cannot give clear title to its prop
| erty then the effect of the Spooner amend
| ment will be to secure the passage of the
! Hepburn bill.
The Spooner amendment contains one
| provision that is not now in the Hepburn
| bill as it passed the House of Representa-
| tives. That is a provision in either case
which in specific terms will give the United
| States right to control or affect in any
| way any watercourse that might be in
volved in the construction of a canal either
| at Panama or Nicaragua. The question of
| water rights is one that often involves a
great deal of difficulty, SO that in order to
effectually fix the power Of the government
| in that respect this specific provision Is in
ment, as it now stands, is simply in form
| to carry the main proposition which it in
| wolves, and it Is possible that in its detailed
provisions even Senator Spooner might
| change it. 1t would be subject to amend
| ment by any one, and its essential feature
| is so well marked that any amendment that
| might be made to 1t would have no effect
in securing the adoption of its main pur-
poses.
There Is no doubt that the report Of the
canal commission has had a very important
effect on the Senate Even some Of the
strong friends OF the Nfcaraguan canal
argue that as laymen they do not feel In
clined to displte report from this COM
mission composed Of experts Of high stand
ing in their profession. While their predi-
lection has been for Nicaragua, and, In q
certain sense, still is. yet the canal COM
mission having put In q unanimous report
favoring the purchase Of the Panama canal
property and the building Of the canal over
that route, they feel that they would be
| justified In following its suggestion This
feeling. which tends to grow stronger day
by day, will have very influential effect
on the attitude Of senator's on the Spooner
amendment.
THE OLEOMARGARINE BILL.