Evening star., 1902-02-18
MR.. MORCAN'S VIEWS
Chairman of Senate Canal
Committee Talks.
NO PANAM A ROUTE
HIS OPINIONS FORMED FROM TEs-
TIMoNY SUBMITTED.
Refers to the Various Reports Made by
Admiral Walker-A Cues
ton Of Morals.

ton Of Morals.
Senator Morgan of Alabama. chairman
of the Senate committee on interoceanic
canals, was seen by a Star reporter today
and asked concerning certain criticisms
that have been made of his advocacy Of the
Nicaragua canal route and opposition to
route at Panama.
Referring to Mr.. Carnegies letter" said
Senator Morgan. Il see he speaks of my
eager pursuit of the proposition that Mica
ragua is the best and the only availa BILE
route. He has never conversed with me
about the question to learn my reasons for
taking position that l have on this matter,
and if he had he would have received them
without any sort of qualification preju-
dice on my part as TO either route, my pur-
pose being to get a canal for the American
people through that isthmus that would be
the best for the United States.
How His Opinions Were Formed.
My opinions on this subject are not
formed from any knowledge of engineer
ing or Of any knowledge of the country
except such as l have obtained by the eX
animation of witnesses. and my opinions
y
upon the reports Of the great engineers of
the United States and of the world who
have investigated both routes. For more
than ten years-indeed, for more than a
half century-American engineers have all
agreed in the proposition that the Ncara-
qua route was not only practicable and fea-
s:ble, but was the best, if not the only
route that should be adopted for the canal
Il have looked very carefully through
their statements from year to year and
lind no disagreement among them, so that
have naturally concluded that they were
right, and my opinions on the engineer
ing of this subject are derived entirely
from those sources. Notably among those
authorities is Admiral Walker, not an en-
gineer. but man Of experience. who pro-
nounced his first verdict in favor of the
Nicaragua route when he was chief Of the
Walker commission. Gen. Ludlow had
previously given his opinion in favor of
Nicaragua as offering the best route for
canal. Before either of them had eX
pressed their opinions Childs, Lull and
Menocal had all favored Nicaragua over
Panama after very thorough eXamina-
tions. Admiral Walker. a second time af
ter his investigation. gave his conclusive
opinions on this subject when examined
as witness in May, 1900, before the COM
mittee Of which l am chairman.
Admiral Walkers Opinion.
"A third time he pronounced the same
opinion in a preliminary report which he
He appeared fourth time and pronounced
the same opinion when he made final re
port as president Of the isthmian canal
commission, November 8. 1901. He appear
ed fifth time, when he reversed all of
these opinions without any change, as he
states, in the actual situation as to the en-
gineering problems, and only change of
between four and five millions Of dollars in
the estimated cost In the construction of
the two canals. l cannot yield to this fifth
opinion Of Admiral Walker without some
stronger conviction than / have as yet had
reason to entertain. On the contrary. as
far as the testimony taken before the COM
mlttee on interOceanlc canals has gone in
the present examination it demonstrates
the impracticability of the Panama canal
for the uses Of the American people and'its
unsuitablity to American estimates of pub
lie morals.
Question Of Public Morals.
"The question Of public morals presents it
self to my mind in this form: The old
Panama Canal Company was put into liqui-
dation, and In money which had been OBJ
tanned by it from bond holders, stock hold
ors, 1t represented from 100000 to 100000
Frenchmen, all of whose claims, so far as
can see still have legal validity. They
must either be paid or they must be confis-
Gated. We are unable to pay them, as they
amount to 1,3O0, 600 600 francs, with interest
thereon, and l am unwilling to confiscate
them for the sake of driving bargain
with set Of men that l will now proceed
to describe: They were men In France-a
company of men composed of bankers, con-
tractors. SPECTATORS and others, who had
received very large part and very dis
honest part, Of $3.50, 900. 600 which had been
spent or squandered by the old canal COM
pany on the line Of the canal
when the old company failed these men
were prosecuted cvilly and criminally in
the courts of France. Some of them
punishment d.
ing men who thus escaped punishment
was found large majority Of the men
who at present own stock In the new com
pany. The stock of the new company was
fixed at 65.OOOOOO francs, or $13 SOC, 900.
Five millions of francs were given Colom-
bia for an extension Of the concession. A
little more than five millions was sub
Scribed by. public subscription and all
the balance of it was subscribed by those
men against whom the prosecutions were
pending and who subscribed that stock
as a compromise to these legal proceedings.
They took the stock rather than submit
to punishment. OF this stock the liquida-
tor Of the old company assumed the right
to subscribe certain assets that remained
in his hands and which belonged to stock
holders and bondholders of the old COM
pany. and he subscribed of that sum some
thing over 15.OOO,O0O francs to make up
deficit Of 65, ,00O, ,O0O which was required by
the charter Of the new company.
Strange to American Jurisprudence.
''If the liquidator had the right to make
that subscription 1t was under q system Of
law that is entirely strange to American
Jurisprudence and American morals, and
there is no doubt-none whatever-that the
remaining stockholders, except those few
who made public subscriptions, are the men
who robbed the old company. were prose-
cuted for their wrong-doing and compro-
missed these suits and proceedings by agree
ing to subscribe to the stock Of the new
company. Therefore. in dealing with them
the United States Is up against the men
who robbed the French people. II we must
deal with anybody for this property pre-
fer to deal with Colombia and let her make
us a clean title as a government which we
can hold responsible, and to pay to her, If
anybody, these $40. 600 600 and let her clean
up the title Of all these incumbrances.- I
am not disposed to deal with the new canal
company, in the hands OF the men and un-
der the control Of the men who are the
principal robbers Of the old company. That
Is enough to say about the moral side of
this question.
Another Reason Against Panama.
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