Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1902-12-06
THE PANAMA CANAL.
French Company Offers n Good Title
to Its Property.

The congress has wisely provided that
we shall build at once an isthmian canal,
If possible at Panama: The attorney gen
eral reports that We can undoubtedly ac-
Quire good title from the French Panama
Canal company. Negotiations are now
pending with Colombia to secure her assent
to our building the canal. This canal will
be one Of the greatest engineering feats of
the twentieth century: greater engineer.
during the history Of mankind The work
should be carried out as continuing policy
without regard to change Of administra-
and weh MAKE t aer of
pride for all administrations to continue
the policy.
The canal will be of great benefit to Amer
lea, and Of Importance to all the world: It
will be of advantage to us industrially and
also as improving our military position. It
viii be Of adyantage to the countries t7l1 Of
hope that aRf these co9 T vii do Gas
nal success, and vii invite to their shores
commerce and improve their material con-
ditions by recognizing. that stability and
order are the prerequisites of successful
development: No INDEPENDENT nation in
aggression from the United States. It be-
hooves each one to maintain order within
its. own borders and to discharge its just
done, they can rest assured that, be they
strong or weak, they have nothing to dread
from outside interference. More and more
pleXlty Of international political and eco
nOmlc relations render it incumbent on all
civilized and orderly powers to insist on
the proper policing OF the world.
The Pacific Cable.
/ During the fall Of 1901 a communication
was addressed to the secretary of state,
asking whether permission would be
granted by the president to corpora
California coast to the Philippine islands
by way of Hawaii. A statement of con-
ditions or terms upon which such cor
poration would undertake to lay and
| operate a cable was volunteered
Inasmuch as the congress was shortly
| to convene, and PACIFIC cable legislation
the congress for several years, it seemed
to, me wise to defer action upon the APP
Wn9 tfns T any soon
ing the. matter. in exactly the same con-
dition in which it stood when the con-
mercial Pacific Gable company had
promptly proceeded with preparations for
laying it's cable. 1t also made applica:
use of .soundings taken by the U. s. 8
Nero. for the purpose of discovering a
practicable route for trans-Pacific
cess to these soandngs It could c s etc
| its cable, much sooner than If it were
required to take soundings upon its ow1
/ account. PenOlnS consideration OF this
subject, it appeared important and de.
sirable to attach certain conditions tt
the permission to examine and use the
sonndings if It SHOULD ~ Re be granted 81
the cable company, certain condition:
were formulated, upon which the presi
dent was willing to allow access to these
soundings and to consent to the landing
and laying of the cable, subject to any
alterations or additions thereto imposed
by the congress. This was deemed prop
! er, respectfully as it was clear that CABLE
I connection Of some kind with China,
foreign country, was a part of the com
pany's plan. This course was, moreover
% in accordance with a line of precedents
including President Grants action in tn
case of the first French cable, explaine,
to the congress in his annual message o
ring in 1879 of the second French cabl
from Brest to St. Pierre, with a branc]
| to Cape Cod.
These conditions prescribed, amon
other things, a~ma1tmum rate for com
mercfal messages and that the compan
should construct line from the Philip
l pine islands to China, there being q
present, as is well known, a British lin
from Manila to Hong-Kong
The representatives of the cable com
pany kept these conditions long unde
Consideration, continuing, in the mean
time, to prepare for laying the cable
to them, and an all-American line be
tween our Pacific coast and the Chimes
empire, by way of Honolulu and tn
Philippine Islands, is thus provided fo
and is expected within few months t
he ready for business.