Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-06-19
MORGAN STILL
FIGHTING FOR
CANAL
BRAVE OLD LEADER BATTLES
AGAINST HOPE, FOR HANNA
HAS APPARENTLY BLOCKED
LEGISLATION.

WASHINGTON, June 16.-Four days
more and the senate will vote on the
canal bill. The fate of the proposed great
American waterway connecting the At
lantic and the Pacific across the isthmus
will be decided next Thursday AFTERNOON.
Senator Hanna will speak for The Pana-
ma route Thursday morning and Senator
Morgan will close the great debate with
speech for the Nicaragua route Thurs
day afternoon.
That Senator Hanna is confident of a
majority of senate votes for the Panama
route Is clearly evident in his announce
ment Of last week that he wanted vote
on the bill as soon as possible. He believes
he has HIS hosts marshalled In victorious
array and he does not care how soon the
vote is taken. Soon or late, he feels the
vote will spell Panama"
Senator Morgan is quite as confident
the vote viii show Nicaragua as the chos-
en- route for the canal, but his friends
have about abandoned hope. They say the
Panama lobby has been too strong for the
Democratic supporters of Nicaragua and
that the long debate has cut several
strong friends from the Nicaragua route.
1t will be a close vote. but at this time
It seems Panama is the favorite in the
senate.
The selection of Panama as the route
for the canal will practiclly. kill all hope
isthmus. There are tremendous legal COM
plications concerning the titles to the
scheme OF the Frenchmen at Panama, be-
sides the difficulties of construction which
engineers have declared to be insurmount-
able. Senators who favor Panama know
this. OF course They vote for Panama
because they don't want an American
canal to compete with the trans-continen-
tai railways for the business Of trans
porting the products of this country from
one side of this continent to the other.
with the canal built the business of the
railroads crossing the continent would be
seriously impaired through reduction in
rates.
Senator Morgan has been leading the
fight for an American canal for nearly
50 years. 1t has been the ambition of his
life to get the legislation necessary to this
project through congress. Each year ne
brings the process a step nearer success,
but each year congress adjovrns without
taking the necessary steps. At this ses-
sion canal legislation is further advanced
than It has been in the history Of canal
movements. The lower branch Of congress
has passed almost unanimously a bill pro-
viding for the construction of the Nicara-
qua canal and the only step necessary now
Is for the senate to concur in the action
of the house. The president would I'M
doubtedIy sign any canal bin congress
might pass.
TO furnish more time for the considera-
ton of the isthmian canal project the SEN
ate session today began at IL o'clock. At
the conclusion OF routine business Mr..
Teller, OF Colorado, offered the following
resolution.
Teiler's Resolution.
whereas. 1t seems impracticable to
prepare during this session of congress an
itemtzed statement showing the collection
"a % Ill An HAS 1n
whole period Of the military occupation OF
Cuba. ans
where's. 1t is important that state
ment be iow made of the accounts here
after named be It
Resolved. That the secretary Of war be
and ne is hereby directed to send to the
senate the following:
"A fun itemized statement of all depart
ments made out OF Cuban funds to any
person or corporations, II any, for the
purpose of promoting reciprocity be-
tween the United States and Cuba at any
time during the military occupation Of
Cuba by the United States, and whether
such payments were authorized or APP
proved by the secretary OF war"
Mr.. Kean, of New Jersey, objected to
immediate consideration OF the resolution
and 1t went over.
London Dock Charges.
Consideration was then resumed Of the
London dock charges bill.
The senate agreed TO a conference on
the bill for the protection OF the president,
and Messrs. Hoar, Fairbanks and Pettus
were appointed as conferees.
Consideration was resumed Of the Lon
don dock charges bill and was discussed
by Mr.. McCumber. OF North Dakota; Mr..
Nelson. of Minnesota; Mr.. Galiinger, OF
New Hampshire. and Mr.. Hale. of Maine.
After some further discussion a vote
was taken on Mr.. Hoars amendment,
which provided that nothing in the act
should prevent the carrier stipulating for
reimbursement for him by the shipper or
consignee of any charges which ne law
fully may be compelled to pay or for COM
pensation for any service which he may
agree TO render. The amendment was re-
jected, 3 to 6.
The bill then was passed 50
The bill provides that no master. owner
or agent Of any vessel transporting goods
from the United States to foreign ports
shall insert in the bin Of lading or other
agreement any clause whereby he shall
be relieved from liability for loss or dam
age arising from negligence, fault or fall
ure in proper loading or proper delivery
OF any goods committed to his care; or
any clause or agreement whereby there
is imposed on the consignee any port or
dock charges of any kind for the dis
charge or delivery of the goods, the pay
ment of which by law is imposed upon
such master. agent or owner.
At the conclusion OF the morning hour
the senate rpsumad the nsfdara tior of