Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-01-18
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MORGAN AND THE CANAL.
Alabama Senator Would Not Give 80
Cents For Panama Route.

Alabama Senator Would Not Give 80
| Cents For Panama Route.
It is conceded by senators and con-
gressmen alike that Senator John T.
Morgan's shrewd Interrogation Of M
Edouard Lampre before the senate
committee on inter-oceanic canals has
effectually stopped the scheme to sell
to the United States the Panama canal
concessions and franchises. Lampre
is the man sent to Washington by the
Panama Canal company to make the
offer to sell their ditch for $40, ,000, 900.
Senator Morgan made him practically
admit that II this government bought
the ditch it would buy a tremendous
law suits along with it, as it was clearly
shown at the hearing that the present
canal company had no clear titles to
give with the concessions and fran
chises.
The Panama route once eliminated,
1t goes without saying that the senate
will pass the Hepburn bill, providing
for a canal across Nicaragua.
Since the meeting Of the senate COM
mittee, Senator Morgan has openly de-
clared the bill will pass the higher
branch Of congress.
IT shall report the Hepburn bill ia
vorably," he said. There will not be
an amendment, believe, and not even
line will be changed In the wording.
"As for the Panama route, 1t came
up like a balloon and it went out,
whoof! like cloud Of smoke.
1.-THE Nicaragua canal is going to be
built and work on it Is going to start
very soon. AS q southerner I am anx-
ious to dig the ashes off some Of the
southern gulf states and let the en-
bers that are hidden there blaze up
again, and that is exactly what the
building Of the canal will do. And we
won't interfere with the business in
terests Of the Panama canal company,
either"
President Roosevelt Is heartily in ia
vor of the canal as mapped out in the
the past few days he has stated to
several senators and representatives
that they had better pass the canal bill
and pass it quickly unless they wanted
to be called to Washington for an extra
session in the middle Of the summer.
It is believed the bill will reach the
senate this week and the opposition to
| 1t will come from those senators who
favor the Panama route, though they
are said to be in the minority now, es-
pecially since the word pounding Sena-
tor Morgan gave the Frenchman last
week. If advocates Of the Panama
route show any strength at all 1t Is
believed the Nicaraguan advocates, led
by Senator Morgan, will attack them
from a legal standpoint. In other
words, the Nicaraguans will argue that
the Panama route cannot be sold to
this government legally on account Of
the number of French and Colombian
people who are stockholders in the old
canal company and who will undoubt-
edly make trouble II the sale Is made
without their consent, and this consent
has not been given. Aside from this
the Nicaraguans argue that the route
they present is vastly more economical
in the long run than the Panama route,
which has already bankrupted the first
men of France, not only in money but
in character.
Here are some Of the arrows Senator
Morgan shot into M. Lampre before
the senate committee:
"You have dug several miles Of your
trench through swamps and unfavora-
BILE country and then you have allowed
it to fill up again by natures work
a thing that looks to me like sheer
neglect. I cannot conceive how, If
ever your company considered complet-
ing the canal 1t should so neglect the
work already done that 1t should be-
come undone Tell us plainly, did the
Panama company ever intend to COM
p!ete the work?"
"It did not" said M. Lampre whose
countenance had begun to show the un-
easiness he felt at the boring questions
of the southern senator.
Didn't the company" continued Sem
ator Morgan, "think they saw a good
thing in the United States government?
Didn't the company know that at some
time we would build canal. and didn't
the Panama company think 1t saw
chance to sell us the unfinished canal
when the time Gamer"
To this shaft the Frenchman did not
reply.
How about the stockholders and the
bondholders?" the senator relentlessly
asked. "They have yet, you say. an
interest Of s13,OOo,O0U in the company.
Why should they want to sell out?
Who gets the s4O.OOO,OOO If we buy your
ditch? You say yourself the stock
holders will get none of it."
The Frenchman was still silent.
"You wouldnt sell that canal for
$50, ,OO0 900, would you?"
IT would not"
Nor for twenty, nor for five, nor for
one?'
mo"
And I wouldn't give you thirty cents
for it." were the exact words Of the
senator's quick rejoinder. You know,
as know, that the American repub-
lie and the French republic have been
friends for over one hundred years.
France came to our assistance when
we were fighting our battles for inde-
pendence against Great Britain.
France, in all the years that have fol-