Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-01-16
PANAMA CANAL
KNOCKED BY
MORGAN.
ALABAMA SENATOR DECLARES he
WOULD NOT GIVE so CENTS FOR
THE PANAMA ROUTE AND
TELLS WHY.

Senator John T. Morgan's shrewd inter
rogatfon OF n. Edouard Lampre before the
senate committee on fnter-oceanic canals
has sffectually stopped the scheme %
sell 20 the United states the Panama
canal concessions and franchises. Lampre
Is the man sent 20 Washington oy tne
Panama Canal company 20 make --se OF
fer to-seu their ditch for $a0oN.No sens
tor Morgan made him practically aanii'
that 81 this government bought the often
II would buy a tremendous law suit aio..e
with g. as a was clearly shown AT the
hearing that the present canal company
had no clear titles 10 give with the conees-
sions and franchises
The Panama route 5nce eliminated, u
goes without saying that the senate Viii
pass the Hepburn bill. providing TOT
canal across Nicaragua-
since the meeting OF the senate com
uittee senator Morgan has openly de-
clared the bill Will pass the higher oraneh
Of congress.
Il shall report the Hepburn bin favora-
bly, he said. There viii not oe an
amendment. believe. and not even line
viii be changed in the wording.
As for the Panama route a. came u
IKE a balloon and Il went out. whoof'
like . cloud OF smoke.
The Nicaragua canal IS going 20 De
built and work on Il is going 20 start very
soon. AS a southerner i am anxious 20
dig the ashes OF some OF the southern
gulf states and let the embers that are
hidden there blaze up again, and that Is
exactly what the building OF the canal
VIII do And we won't interfere with the
business interests OF the Panama Canal
company. either"
presifent Roosevelt IS heartily in IA
vcr Of the canal as mapped out II the
Hepburn bill for Nicaragua Within the
past few days he has stated 10 several
senators and representatives that they
had better pass the canal bin and pass Il
quickly unless they wanted 20 be called
10 WASHINGTON for an extra SESSION IN the
middle OF the summer.
II "a believed the bill will reach the sen
ate this week and the opposition TO Il viii
come from those senator's who favor the
Panama route. though they are said 10
be in the minority now. especially since
the word pounding Senator Morgan gave
the Frenchman last week II advocates OF
the Panama route show any strength al
Al II il believed the Nicaraguan advO-
GATES. led BY Senator Morgan, viii attack
them from a legal standpoint In other
words. the Nicaraguans viii argue that
the Panama route cannot be sold 70 this
government legally on account OF the
number OF French and Colombian people
who are stockholders in the old canal
company and who viii undoubtedly 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 vast
" 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 n Lampre before the
senate committee.
You have dug several miles OF your
trench through swamps and unfavOrable
country and then you have allowed IL 70
M up again BY natures work-a thing
that looks 10 me ike sheer neglect / can
not conceive how. II ever your company
considered completing the canal. 1t should
50 neglect the work already done that Il
should become undOne. Tell us plainly. did
the Panama company ever intend 20 CON-
plets the work.
1T did not" said " Lampre. whose
counternance had begun TO show the I'm
easlness he felt at the boring questions Of
the southern senator.
Didn't the company" continued Sena-
tor Morgan. think they saw a good thing
in the United States government? Didn't
the company know that at some time we
would build a canal. and didn't the Pana-
ma company think IL saw a chance TO sell
Us the unfinished canal when the time
Gamer
To this shaft the Frenehman did not
reply
How about the stockholders and the
bondholders7" the senator relentlessly
asked They have yet. you say. an inter
est % Sl3.000ooo in the company. Why
should they want 20 sell out7 Who gets
the x40.oo0.oo0 II we buy your ditch? You
say yourself the stockholders viii get
none Of It."
The Frenchmau was still silent.
you wouldn't sell that canal for 5000
CO. would your
Il would not"
Nor for twenty nor for five. nor for
oneg''
No"
and I wouldn't give you thirty cents
Tor it, were the exact words OF the sena-
tors quick rejoinder. You know. as I
know. that the American republic and the
French republic have been friends FOR
over one hundred years. France came TO
our assistance when we were fighting our
battles FOR Independence against Great
Britain. France. in all the years that
have followed. has never levied tribute
nor declared war against US.
Now, as you yourself indicated. there
are FIVE hundred thousand Frenchmen
who hold interest. great or small. in the
Panama Canal company. This govern
rnent cannot afford 20 make enemies OF
these five hundred thousand and their
children and their friends by buying some
thing. which. under our Laws. We have no
right 10 buy without the full consent OF
every man interested. though he have but
a francs interest in the concern
When say / wouldn't give thirty cents
for your unfinished ditch. I mean I
wouldn't take Il under any consideration.
because II would not be fair TO those who
have their money invested ia the COM
pany."
When the French gentleman had with
drawn Senator Morgan was asked II he
would be given another hearing.
I think he doesn't want another" the
senator replied
There Is the strongest kind OF a senti-
renE in both branches OF congress against
delay In getting down 10 actual work on
the canal One OF the biggest objections
found IN the house against the Panama
offer was the fact that negotiations over
the purchase Of that ditch would delay
work on the canal and for this reason
the canal advocates would not listen 10
the offer IN any shape
For years and years we have been Try
ing to get a canal down there" Congress
man Hepburn said IN his speech for the
bill. land each year something has come
70 delay the project Now here comes
this Panama project. believe 10 Is moth
ing more than scheme 10 delay US
again"
IN view OF all the foregoing. and also
the additional fact OF the great victory Of
the bill IN the house where Il was passed
BIZ q vote OF 30s TO 2. Il IS generally believed
s-ak tna senate viii give the measure "A