The Washington times., 1902-03-13
Senate Committee Takes
Favorable Action.
HEPBURN MEASURE APPROVED
Minority Report Expected to Follow
Darien Route Not in Favor-victory
Well Earned One for Senator Morgan
Of Alabama,

The Hepburn Nicaraguan Canal bill will
be reported favorably to the Senate by
the Senate Committee on Interoceanic
Canals. The committee held an uneXpect-
ed meeting late yesterday afternoon and
voted to report the bill without amend
ment. The vote stood to 4. each vote
being as has been forecast heretofore.
The report will be made within a few
days, though Senator Morgan, the chair
man of the committee, will not yet state
on what day it will probably go in.
The committee also decided to report
adversely the resolution of Senator Scott,
proposing an investigation of the So
called Darien. or San Bias route. The
amendment of Senator Spooner, proposing
that the matter of the selection of the
route for the canal be left to President
Roosevelt. is of course decided against by
the report.
Minority Report.
A minority report will be made by those
members of the committee who voted
against the favorable report.
The vote of the committee on The re-
port stood as follows:
Yeas - Morgan, Hawley. Platt of New
York, Mitchell, Harris, Turner, and Fos-
ter of Louisiana.
Nays s. Hanna. Millard, Pritchard, and
Kittredge.
Senators Hawley, Pritchard, Foster. and
Turner were not at the meeting in per-
son, but voted by proxy.
The Hepburn bill passed the House
with only two dissenting votes. 1t is the
bill which proposes that the United
States shall build and control canal
across the States of Nicaragua and Costa
Rica according to the route described by
the Nicaraguan Canal Commission in its
first report, before the offer of the Pana-
ma Canal Company had been submitted.
The Senate committee has had a long
and at times stormy series of meetings
over the bill. Senator Morgan has called
as witness every person in any way con-
nected with either the Nicaragua or the
Panama project who could possibly shed
any light on the subject. A vast mass of
testimony has been taken which will be
submitted with the report of the COM
mittee.
Opposed by Senator Hanna.
Senator Hanna has from the first shown
disposition to favor the Panama route
rather than the Nicaragua route, and
since the offer of the Panama Canal Com
pany was made to sell its rights for $4o,-
100000, and the Canal Commission made
its second report, he has been an avowed
advocate of the former scheme. Senators
Pritchard, Millard, and Kittredge were not
so strongly of his opinion at first. but re-
Gently they also have championed the
Panama route.
When the Panama company offer was
made and the Canal Commission changed
its mind regarding the most desirable
route. Senator Morgan's committee ap-
pointed a subcommittee TO enquire into
the possibility of securing legal title
to the Panama route. This committee re-
ported on Monday that it would be i'm
possible to secure a satisfactory title
To this report also there is a minority
report signed by Senators Pritchard and
Kittredge.
To Rush Matters.
II is thought probable that the bill will
be taken Up by the Senate Immediately
after it is reported. Senator Morgan will
endeavor to expedite its consideration as
much as possible, and will probably sue
coed in having it made unfinished busi-
ness" after the shipping bill.